Per reporting by Andy Staples of On3 and Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch, Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been offered a sizable contract extension from Ohio State, which would make him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country. From the Dispatch:
Michigan’s Wink Martindale was the highest-paid defensive coordinator in 2024, earning $2.5 million. His contract calls for him to make $2.75 million next year.
Knowles signed a three-year extension last January with an annual base salary worth $2.2 million that is eligible for annual increases. The contract expires on an. 31, 2027.
Knowles, who was hired in January of 2022, is credited with turning around an Ohio State defense that had struggled for several years prior to him coming on. In both 2020 and 2021, the Buckeyes ranked 59th in the country in total defense, giving up close to 400 yards per game each season. In the years since, Ohio State has been ranked 14th, 3rd, and 1st nationally in total yards allowed per game, en route to a national title this past season.
Since before the national championship game, Knowles has been the subject of much speculation with several high-profile programs seeking a new defensive coordinator, including the likes of Oklahoma and Penn State, with Notre Dame also reportedly interested in Knowles following the departure of Al Golden to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Those programs will likely try to match whatever Ohio State offers, meaning that whatever Jim Knowles decides to do, he'll end up as one of the highest-paid coordinators in college football history.
