Jim Knowles highlights 'finger-pointing' after Ohio State losses, denies impact on departure

Shortly after winning a national championship with Ohio State, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was off to a Big Ten rival. Knowles will be working for Penn State this upcoming season and switching sides of what has become one of the conference’s biggest matchups on an annual basis.

When reflecting on the 2024 campaign with ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Knowles described some animosity that played out inside the program. Following the loss to Oregon, there was some “finger-pointing” at the defense, Knowles told ESPN’s Heather Dinich. And regrouping following the loss to Michigan to close out the regular season was described as tough.

However, Knowles claims those factors did not lead to him leaving Ohio State. He got “accustomed to it” during his short time working under Ryan Day.

“I don’t think it did,” Knowles said when asked if the pressure Ohio State caused him to leave. “I mean, if I’m honest with myself, I don’t think it did. You become accustomed to it. It didn’t keep me up nights or anything like that. I’m up nights trying to get it right. But I did that when I coached at Cornell or Western Michigan. I was the same way. You grind over those details for the players because you don’t ever want to put them in a bad position or not have coached them something. You just become accustomed to the environment.”

Coaching in Columbus with fans demanding a high level of play is nothing new. For decades, Ohio State fans have demanded their team be one of the best in college football. Day losing four straight to Michigan certainly did not help, as the Buckeyes were also in the midst of a decade-long national title drought.

Knowles says some of his friends warned him of what came with being the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. He did not really buy into the theory at first, though, before learning quickly.

“I kind of blew it off,” Knowles said. “I’m like, ‘I grew up in Philly. I’ve been around Eagles fans. We threw snowballs at Santa Claus.’ But yeah, when you’re in, it’s really tough… Anybody who works there will — if they’re being honest — will tell you that it’s real. It’s almost like a badge of honor there. It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, well this is Ohio State. This is what you have to expect. This is just the way it is here.’ If you give up a touchdown but you win 63-7, somebody somewhere is going to have something to say about it.”

While it may not be at the same level, there is certainly going to be some pressure on Knowles to perform in 2025. Penn State will be one of the preseason favorites to not just make the College Football Playoff but possibly be one of the last teams standing. Bringing in Knowles was viewed as a big-time acquisition.