Scarlet Sunrise: PFF ranks Jim Knowles as third-best defensive coordinator in country
Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
PFF ranks Ohio State’s Jim Knowles as third-best defensive coordinator in country
Pro Football Focus has ranked the top-10 defensive coordinators in the country, and second-year Ohio State DC Jim Knowles landed third on the list.
“Ohio State made a drastic improvement on defense from 2021 to 2022, going from 56th to seventh in EPA allowed per play. It’s no coincidence that this past season was Knowles’ first as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator.
“Before taking over in Columbus, Knowles was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2021 for his work as Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator. That year, the Cowboys were third in the country in EPA allowed per play.”
Max Chadwick, PFF College Football Analyst
As Chadwick mentioned, Ohio State was much improved defensively this past season — well, at least for most of the season. Through 11 games, the Buckeyes were 10th nationally in scoring defense (16.9 points per game allowed) and ninth in total defense (283.4 yards per game allowed).
Then came the collapse. Ohio State allowed 40-plus points against both Michigan in the regular season finale — the Buckeyes’ first loss to the Wolverines in Columbus since 2000 — and Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal. Knowles’ unit also set and then reset the single-game program record for yards per play allowed, conceding 8.83 yards per play against Michigan and 8.88 yards per play versus Georgia.
The pressure is on for Knowles and his staff to deliver in what he calls the “matchup games” in the second year of his 4-2-5 system.
Here is PFF’s complete defensive coordinator top 10:
- Phil Parker, Iowa
- Jesse Minter, Michigan
- Jim Knowles, Ohio State
- Glenn Schumann/Will Muschamp, Georgia
- Manny Diaz, Penn State
- Matt House, LSU
- Joe Rossi, Minnesota
- Tony Gibson, N.C. State
- Pete Golding, Ole Miss
- Bryan Brown, Cincinnati
Tim Walton, Perry Eliano working together to correct prior issues in Buckeyes secondary
Last year, cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and safeties coach Perry Eliano were new to the Ohio State staff, along with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Now, they have a year under their belts in Knowles’ system, and they’re confident after a rough end to the 2022 season that they can get the secondary to where it needs to be this year.
Walton picked up the title of defensive passing game coordinator this offseason, while Eliano kept his tag of safeties coach. That hasn’t altered their dynamic, though.
“It’s really the same, man,” Walton said. “We’re just all trying to work together. We just try to have the cohesiveness and then, as a unit, tie it all together, which guys are doing a good job with that. We have position flexibility with all those guys. So we’re just trying to see how it all fits together.”
For more on Walton and Eliano, especially their efforts to right the ship in the back end, go here.
Ohio State streamlining role for second-year safety Sonny Styles
Ohio State safety Sonny Styles is one of the more intriguing players on the Buckeyes’ defense. He reclassified and joined the program last summer as a 17-year-old. Flash forward to the Peach Bowl, and he wound up playing 12 defensive snaps against Georgia.
At 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, Styles has a blend of size and speed that seems to fit the “bandit” safety position in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ system incredibly well. But the Buckeyes already have a first-team bandit in Lathan Ransom, a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2022. So one of the biggest questions facing Ohio State this offseason is, how can they get Styles on the field more?
That remains unanswered, however, safeties coach Perry Eliano did talk Thursday about how the staff has streamlined Styles’ role.
“We want him to be great at specific things instead of OK at a lot of things,” Eliano said.
For more on Styles, head here.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 155 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 239 days
Are you subscribed yet?
Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to the everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.
