Tennessee football officially announced the hire of Jim Knowles as the program’s new defensive coordinator on Thursday afternoon. Knowles comes to Tennessee after spending last season at Penn State and the three prior years at Ohio State.
Here’s a look at Knowles contract at Tennessee.
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Jim Knowles Annual Salary And Buyout
Knowles signed a three-year contract with Tennessee. The Vols will pay Knowles $2 million in 2026, $2.2 million in 2027 and $2.4 million in 2028.
It’s a pay decrease compared to Knowles deal at Penn State that saw him make over $3 million annually as the nation’s highest paid defensive coordinator. Knowles’ annual contract is very similar to defensive coordinator Tim Banks. Banks made $2.15 million last season year one of a three-year contract. Tennessee was going to pay Banks $2.15 million each in the final two years of his contract.
The buyout is friendly to Knowles. If Tennessee fires him without cause then they must pay him the full remainder of his contract. If Knowles leaves for another job, he owes Tennessee half of the remaining money in his contract.
A Look At Knowles Bonus Structure
While Knowles will make at least $2 million annually every year he’s at Tennessee, he could make even more than that due to the bonus structure. There’s three sections of Knowles’ bonus structure. In each section, the bonuses do not cumulate and Knowles will make whatever is the greatest amount.
Section 1:
- Reaching a bowl game: $41,650
- Reaching the College Football Playoffs: $60,000
- Reaching the CFP Quarterfinals: $70,000
- Reaching the CFP Semifinals: $80,000
Section 2:
- Appearing in the SEC Championship game: $10,000
- Winning the SEC Championship game: $20,000
Section 3:
- Appearing in the National Championship game: $10,000
- Winning the National Championship: $20,000
The bonus structure is the exact same as in Banks’ contract extension that he signed last season.
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Penn State Will Continue Paying Knowles
Part of the holdup on Knowles’ agreement with Tennessee becoming official was the defensive coordinator negotiating his buyout with Penn State. The Nittany Lions were set to pay him over $7 million over the next two years as part of his buyout.
It’s unclear what the offsetting language is in Knowles’ contract and whether his deal with Tennessee takes away part of his buyout. But the Nittany Lions will continue paying Knowles over the next two seasons.
That likely helped the Vols snag one of the nation’s most well thought of defensive coordinators while not having to break the bank to do so.
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