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What to know about Jim Knowles, Tennessee football defensive coordinator
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- What to know about Jim Knowles, Tennessee football defensive coordinator
Jim Knowles has been hired as the next Tennessee football defensive coordinator, UT announced Dec. 11.
Coach Josh Heupel fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks on Dec. 8 following a lousy season defensively. Heupel opted to pluck Knowles from Penn State to fill the role on his staff.
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Here is what to know about Knowles:
Jim Knowles was the defensive coordinator on Ohio State's 2024 title team
Knowles was the defensive coordinator on Ohio State's national championship team in 2024. The Buckeyes ' run to the title included a 42-17 win over Tennessee in a College Football Playoff first-round game.
Ohio State held the Vols to 256 yards of offense and only 104 yards passing.
OSU had the best scoring defense and total defense in the nation in the 2024 season, allowing 12.9 points and 254.6 yards per game. It ranked third in passing defense (167 yards per game) and rushing defense (87.6 yards per game).
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Knowles was with Ohio State from 2022-24 before hopping to Penn State following the 2024 season.
What kind of defense does Jim Knowles use?
Knowles uses a 4-2-5 defense with four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs.
Jim Knowles had a lot of success at Oklahoma State
Knowles was hired at Oklahoma State before the 2018 season and the Cowboys had a brutal defensive year, allowing 452.5 yards per game to rank No. 112 nationally in total defense.
They ranked fourth defensively in Knowles' final season in 2021, allowing 297.9 yards per game. They were fifth defensively in stopping the run with 87.6 yards per game.
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OSU steadily improved under Knowles, ranking No. 82 in total defense in 2019 and No. 44 in 2020 before the jump to fourth in 2021 before his departure for Ohio State.
Jim Knowles worked with David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss , Duke
Knowles served as Duke's defensive coordinator from 2010-17 under former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe. He coached linebackers on Cutcliffe's staff at Ole Miss in 2003.
Jim Knowles was the coach at Cornell
Knowles was the coach at Cornell from 2004-09. He was 26-34.
The Philadelphia native played defensive end at Cornell from 1983-86. He entered coaching at his alma mater as the defensive line coach in 1988. He coached running backs from 1989-94 before flipping back to defense to coach linebackers from 1995-96.
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He coached at Western Michigan from 1997-2002.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jim Knowles is Tennessee football defensive coordinator
