Former Penn State coach Jim Knowles departed Happy Valley after a single season to take the defensive coordinator’s job with the Tennessee Volunteers in December. Vols coach Josh Heupel parted ways with long-time defensive coordinator Tim Banks after a down season for the defense, culminating in an 8-5 finish.
Jim Knowles Dismisses Josh Heupel’s Offensive-Driven Notion
During his first media availability on Thursday, Knowles dismissed speculation about a defensive coach finding it hard to thrive in coach Heupel’s system, which is geared towards intensive offense.
“Well, the head coach. I mean, our head coach is as genuine and as real as anybody I’ve been around in terms of wanting the defense to be successful, wanting special teams, wanting everybody to be successful,” Knowles said. “So he is the farthest thing from a me guy or an ego guy. He’s extremely down to earth, communicates well.
“I knew that from the first time I flew in here, and he picked me up himself and took me to his house, which I’d never really done before in that circumstance. So he kind of set that right from the beginning that that’s just the type of person he is and the type of team he wants to have, that he’s going to do what’s best for the whole team.”
Under Banks last season, the Vols’ defense finished No. 92 in the FBS in total defense, allowing 32.5 points per game in contests against Power Four opposition as they missed out on a berth in the College Football Playoff. The squad ranked 79th with a score of 73.2 in PFSN’s CFB Defense Impact Metrics.
In his last six seasons, Knowles has masterminded some of the best defenses in the country, including four top-15 defenses. In addition, three of his defenses finished among the top four in the country, including the Buckeyes’ national championship-winning defense in 2024.
Knowles further revealed his approach to overhauling the Volunteers’ defense next season while keeping the players comfortable.
“I’ve done it differently at different places,” Knowles said. “Here, we are starting from a clean slate. That doesn’t mean that we don’t use some things that they’ve used in the past. I try to listen to maybe a certain way that they called a certain thing, and I can change if they’re already familiar with a certain term.”
Out of 20 players signed by the Volunteers from the transfer portal, 12 are defensive players to bolster Knowles’ unit next season, with the most high-profile being edge rusher Chaz Coleman from Penn State, who was the No. 1 prospect in his position in the portal.
