Jim Knowles is officially Tennessee football’s new defensive coordinator, the program announced Thursday afternoon. The Vols and the veteran defensive coordinator have officially agreed to a deal to make the 60-year old Tennessee’s new defensive coordinator.
“Hiring Jim Knowles was our top priority from the start of this process,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. “Jim has a proven track record of developing elite defenses that play with an edge, and we got to see that first-hand during the 2024 College Football Playoff. His defenses are always physical, well prepared and can adapt quickly in-game against today’s complex offenses. He’s a competitor, a winner and someone who will get the most out of our players in practice and on gameday. We are thrilled to welcome Jim to Rocky Top as he helps us chase championships.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report that Tennessee and Knowles were closing in on a deal Wednesday afternoon but things were not finalized as Knowles worked out his buyout at Penn State. The Nittany Lions owed Knowles $7 million after terminating his contract, along with James Franklin’s contract, with two years remaining on it.
Knowles spent just one season at Penn State after spending the previous three years at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions poached Knowles away from their Big 10 rival with a nearly $1 million raise and a contract that paid him north of $3 million annually.
It is currently unclear what Knowles’ Tennessee contract looks like. Tim Banks agreed to a new deal last offseason that paid him just over $2 million a year. The Vols have to pay Banks’ buyout, terminating him with two years remaining on his contract.
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Penn State lured Knowles away from Ohio State last offseason where the Philadelphia native spent three years leading the Buckeyes’ defense including during the 2024 national championship season.
Knowles earned his reputation as one of the nation’s best defensive coordinators in four years at Oklahoma State before Ryan Day poached him away from Mike Gundy and the Cowboys program.
It was a very underwhelming 2025 season for not just Knowles but for Penn State’s entire program. The Nittany Lions entered the season as a preseason national championship favorite but went just 6-6 (3-6 Big 10) with a defense that ranked 37th nationally in points per game allowed.Knowles’ units ranked first, second and 24th nationally in scoring defense in the three previous seasons at Ohio State. After poor defenses in his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, Knowles’ groups ranked 34th and ninth in his final two seasons in Stillwater.
Tennessee fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks after five years as the program’s defensive coordinator earlier this week. The Vols’ defense steadily improved over Banks’ first four seasons and peaked in 2024 with a group that ranked seventh nationally and carried Tennessee to the College Football Playoff.
But Tennessee fell off a cliff defensively in 2025, finishing the season 93rd in points allowed per game and leading to Heupel making the coaching change.
