Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles speaks to the media Monday. Credit: Jacob Benge | Assistant Sports Editor
On Dec. 7, 2021, head coach Ryan Day made a hire that he believed would give the Buckeyes’ defense a fresh start.
Ohio State announced the addition of former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles for the same position, replacing Kerry Coombs. The Cowboys ranked No. 3 in total defense last season, holding teams to just over 278 yards per game.
Knowles officially assumed his role with the Buckeyes Jan. 2. He said he thinks of Ohio State whenever others bring up coaching and competing against top-tier talent, and in his short time so far, he understands the expectations.
“This program is ready to win every single game right now and we have to get the defense to that level,” Knowles said. “What coach Day expects of me is to have a system that’s accountable, that I have to have answers, that the players have to understand why I’m teaching what I’m teaching.”
Prior to the interview process, Knowles said he didn’t know Day, who FaceTimed and Zoomed with him rather frequently. But there was a rhyme to Day’s reason.
“He probably was wondering, ‘What else do you want to see?’ ” Day said. “I wanted to do that because I knew how important this hire was. But at the end of the day, I was really looking for a head coach of the defense.”
Described as intelligent and sharp, Knowles has over three decades experience coaching at the college level. In addition to conducting Ohio State’s defense, the veteran coach will also lead the linebackers’ room.
Invested in the “10,000-hour rule,” Knowles has built a wealth of knowledge he’ll bring to the Buckeyes. He said he wants to instill a culture in the Buckeyes’ defense that’s accountable and tenacious, overwhelming opposing offenses by not allowing easy yards.
He’ll have the chance to conventionally coach the basics and fundamentals on the field, but Knowles will teach in a not-so-traditional way: through game show-style presentations.
Knowles said his presentations sometimes spin off modern game shows — with “The $25,000 Pyramid” being his favorite. Position groups compete against one another with the victor earning a dinner from Knowles, but the goal is to hold one another to honing their craft.
“The players love it,” Knowles said. “They try to be 20-minute, high-energy meetings. Their picture can pop up and they have to stand up, and within 2.5 seconds they have to answer a question because otherwise it’s, ‘No, sit down. The play’s over.’ We just keep them on their toes and keep them locked in and engaged that way.”
While he admits he hasn’t dove deep into the Buckeyes’ roster yet, Knowles said he’ll take responsibility in helping assess each player’s strengths to maximize their abilities.
Oklahoma State graduate transfer and safety Tanner McCalister rejoined his former defensive coordinator through the transfer portal this offseason. He said Knowles is smart, as evidenced in his background, and crafts a look for seemingly every potential play.
“He’s really deliberate in what he wants to do,” McCalister said. “Sometimes he tries to explain things to us and we’re not on his level as far as intelligence, so when he’s explaining it, I’m like, ‘Can you dumb it down for me?’ We called him a mad scientist up there just because of how he likes to explain his defenses.”
For much of the last two seasons, Ohio State’s defense has served among its biggest question marks. The Buckeyes ranked No. 9 among total defense in the Big Ten both last season and in 2020.
After allowing more than 400 yards in six games and shuffling play-calling duties during the 2021 season, Day set out for change that he hopes will come in Knowles, who he said checks the boxes. But Day said the hire couldn’t have come without the support of Ohio State allowing him to get what he believes is “the guy.”
“I thank Gene Smith for allowing me to go get the best. He never asked a question on it,” Day said. “He said, ‘You go get whoever you think is the best defensive coordinator for Ohio State this year.’ Didn’t ask any questions in that area and allowed me to go do that.”
Knowles will bring a variety of new ideas and perspectives to the program, ranging from the hybrid linebacker-defensive line position known as the “leo” and dedicating two coaches to the secondary in safeties coach Perry Eliano and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton.
Even with the reputation of Ohio State, Knowles said the pressure is “not lost” on him. He said he doesn’t feel the Buckeyes are far off from improvement, and he’s grateful he has an opportunity at a storied, established program.
“For someone who’s worked his way up in the profession, it’s really, for me, the culmination of a professional dream to get to Ohio State and to be with the best in the business,” Knowles said.
