Ohio
Ohio State football’s Jim Knowles meets with Duke about head coaching vacancy, per report
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles met with Duke on Wednesday as part of its head coaching search, according to a report from The Athletic.
The website reported the school, which is looking to replace Mike Elko after he left for Texas A&M this week, also spoke with other defensive coordinators, including Penn State’s Manny Diaz and North Carolina State’s Tony Gibson, about its vacancy. It added the search is in its “early stages.”
Knowles, who has rebuilt the Buckeyes’ defense since he was hired from Oklahoma State two years ago, has ties the school after serving as the Blue Devils’ defensive coordinator for nearly a decade from 2010-17. He was previously the coach at Cornell, his alma mater, from 2004-09. The Big Red were 26-34 overall in his tenure.
In the season prior to Knowles’ arrival, the Buckeyes ranked 59th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense (372.6 yards per game) and 38th in scoring defense (22.8 points per game).
Ohio State since rose to third in total defense (259.9 points per game) and second in scoring defense (11 points per game) this fall in his second season at the helm.
The 58-year-old Knowles is among the highest-paid assistant coaches in the nation with an annual base salary worth $1.96 million.
Among assistants at public schools, only Clemson offensive coordinator and Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb earn more at just over $2 million, according to USA TODAY Sports’ annual salaries database.
Knowles replaced Kerry Coombs as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, though secondary coach Matt Barnes called the defense in 2021.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.