Jim Knowles, Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, brought his Penn State football history and some Philly ethos to his first meeting with the Nittany Lions. Knowles, whom Penn State hired away from Ohio State, introduced himself to the team this week, telling players and fellow coaches, “This is where I want to be.”

In a social media video released by Penn State football’s official account on X, Knowles described himself as a “Philly” guy who worked his way up to become the defensive coordinator at Penn State. He remembered watching Penn State football highlights on Sunday mornings and aspiring to play there someday.

“Penn State was everything,” Knowles said in the video. “It was everything. That’s what we aspired to be. And I couldn’t get there as a player, but through a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of really good players, that allowed me to reach that point in my career where I could really pick wherever I wanted to be. And growiung up as a kid, Penn State was everything, and this is where I want to be.”

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Knowles, 59, arrives at Penn State for his 38th year of coaching, a career that began at Cornell, his alma mater, and ascended to winning a national championship with Ohio State last season. Knowles has been a head coach (again, at Cornell) and a defensive coordinator at Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Duke and Western Michigan. Ohio State coach Ryan Day has called Knowles the best defensive coordinator in college football, which certainly stood out to Penn State coach James Franklin over the past two seasons. Knowles’ defenses held Penn State to one offensive touchdown in the series’ last two games.

“Join me in welcoming Jim Knowles back to his home in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Defensive Coordinator of Penn State Football,” Franklin said in a statement. “He’s a strong strategist and excellent defensive mind. He reflects the core values our culture of excellence is built upon. We look forward to having Jim and his family join us in Happy Valley.”

Knowles’ hiring has generated attention across the sports media landscape that now sees Penn State football resetting the contract market for assistant coaches. On his show Monday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee said that Penn State is “all-in.”

“Penn State alumni, all-in. Penn State athletic department, all-in. Penn State as a whole in sports, all-in,” McAfee said on his show. “And I think this is another message like, ‘Hey, we’re f—— for real here. We’re not just trying, we are going to win a national championship here.”

Penn State is returning more than a dozen starters from its 2024 team that won a school-record 13 games and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. That includes quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and five offensive linemen with starting experience.

Knowles’ defense returns all-Big Ten players Zane Durant, Zakee Wheatley, A.J. Harris and Tony Rojas along with defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who was perhaps the team’s best defensive player in the postseason.

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