While it became clear in the last few days that Jim Knowles might be looking for defensive coordinator opportunities outside of Ohio State, his move to Penn State was still shocking.
Coming off of a national championship and with the Buckeyes ready to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, Knowles took a reportedly similar offer to run the Nittany Lions defense. He does hail from Philadelphia, but that's a three-hour drive from State College, Pennsylvania.
While we don’t know exactly what prompted Knowles’ decision to leave Ohio State – though we suspect differences in opinion on his defensive scheme had something to do with it – we do know that Ohio State must now find a defensive coordinator to lead a defense that will be replacing eight starters in 2025.
Buckeye safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, a longtime Knowles disciple with a year of experience as a co-defensive coordinator for Indiana in 2023, could be one of the top candidates for the role after Day called him a "rising star" at Ohio State's championship celebration on Sunday. But Day and the Buckeyes should consider a hard look at external candidates, too.
Eleven Warriors' Andy Anders and Dan Hope discuss the news of Knowles' departure and next steps for Ohio State on the latest episode of Press Coverage, which you can watch at the top of the page.
