Tennessee football has its next defensive coordinator. After the firing of Tim Banks, Josh Heupel was tasked with finding the next coach to lead his defense. Heupel landed on well-respected defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, most recently at Penn State in 2025 and a national champion in the role with Ohio State in 2024.
With the hire of Knowles official, Heupel has released a statement on the move.
“Hiring Jim Knowles was our top priority from the start of this process,” Heupel said. “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.”
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It was a nightmare season for Penn State, but the defense was far from the primary problem. The Nittany Lions ranked 34th in the country in yards allowed per game at 334.3 in 2025. As far as points allowed, his group gave up 21.42 per game, which was 37th in the country.
In 2024, he claimed a national title with Ohio State. His unit with the Buckeyes was arguably the best in the country, giving up the least yardage per game at 254.6.
Knowles also has experience as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Duke and Western Michigan. He was a head coach at his alma mater, Cornell, from 2004-09.
Banks joined Heupel at Tennessee in 2021 to be his defensive coordinator and safeties coach. After inheriting a roster well behind the SEC standard, he helped turn the unit into arguably the best in the country in 2024. The defense was nearly the sole reason the team made the College Football Playoffs, while the offense struggled.
However, this past season, the defense came plummeting back down to earth. The Vols ranked third-to-last in the SEC in yards allowed per game (395.3) and points allowed (28.8).
