The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off winning the program's ninth national championship and have already turned their attention to defending their title in 2025. In the days following the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Championship Game triumph,

However, despite his many detours, Knowles is at his heart a Pennsylvanian—a Philadelphian to be exact. Addressing Penn State in a video released by the school Tuesday morning,

The departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles adds a challenge for Ohio State, which was already dealing with heavy roster turnover on defense.

Ohio State football asked former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to not show up to the Buckeyes championship celebration.

Knowles would fill the void on Penn State’s staff left by Tom Allen, who accepted the same position with Clemson earlier this month.

Knowles, a Philadelphia native with strong ties to the Northeast, transformed the Buckeyes' defense during an impressive three-year stint. Ohio State ranked top three in total defense each of the past two seasons and led the nation by holding opponents to 254.6 yards per game and 4.2 yards per play during a historic campaign.

As Ohio State’s celebration tour for the school’s ninth national title continues, some of the Buckeyes’ key defensive players are grappling with the departure of their defensive coordinator. Jim Knowles decided to leave Columbus for Big Ten rival Penn State after three years at Ohio State,

Guerrieri represents the continuity option. He's a Knowles guy through and through, initially coming with him to Ohio State as a senior analyst back in 2022. After a year apart at Indiana in 2023, Knowles missed him so much that he convinced Day to bring him back to Columbus, where he spent this past season as safeties coach.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar runs as Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton and defensive end JT Tuimoloau move in during the fourth quarter on Nov. 2, 2024. Joe Hermitt | [email protected] PennLive

As Ryan Day looks to hire his fourth defensive coordinator in seven seasons, here are potential candidates to replace Jim Knowles.

Jim Knowles is expected to take the same position at Penn State, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. The two sides are finalizing a three-year deal reportedly worth $3.1 million per season, making him the first college football coordinator to earn an annual salary of at least $3 million.