Penn State has hired Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator after he helped Ohio State win the national championship, according to multiple reports. The Buckeyes had hoped to keep the 59-year-old Knowles, who also was pursued by Oklahoma and Notre Dame. Football Scoop reported Penn State offered Knowles $3.2 million per year. He replaces Tom Allen, who left the Nittany Lions shortly after their 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to become Clemson’s defensive coordinator. In Allen’s only season in State College, Penn State finished in the top 10 in scoring, total defense and rushing defense. Under Knowles’ direction, Ohio State finished first in scoring defense (12.2 points per game) and total defense (251.1 yards per game), third in rushing defense and sixth in pass efficiency defense. A Philadelphia native, Knowles coached at Cornell (his alma mater), Western Michigan, Mississippi, Duke and Oklahoma State before Ryan Day hired him as Ohio State defensive coordinator in 2022. He was head coach at Cornell from 2004-09 and had a 26-34 record.