Penn State football coach James Franklin described a pivotal moment for the program Tuesday afternoon during his first press conference of this offseason. He shifted focus to Thursday, Jan. 22, when the Nittany Lions were nine days into their search for a new defensive coordinator to replace Clemson hire Tom Allen.
“I got a call. I think it was 5:40 in the morning, two days after the national championship,” Franklin said. “And that’s when I thought it may be real. It may have a chance.”
Franklin didn’t specify whether it was Jim Knowles himself on the other end of that call, but by the end of that dialogue he was confident Penn State had an opportunity to pry away the Ohio State defensive coordinator. Still, there was much to be done.
“Before that I hadn’t had any communication,” Franklin said. “And this isn’t one of these talks where I say I haven’t had any communication, but I had been talking to his agent. Like it was none. “
Knowles was a name on Franklin’s mind as Allen left campus, just as he was a few years ago when Brent Pry departed. But with no contact and the Buckeyes preparing to face Notre Dame, Franklin spent the first week-plus of this coordinator search exploring other options.
“We looked at NFL guys, we looked at college guys, kind of kept narrowing the list down, hadn’t made any offers,” Franklin said. “And then this became a possibility. I think getting to figure out both sides’ interest level took a little bit of time, and then are you actually going to be able to get it done? And from our perspective, we knew what other jobs were open, some really good jobs, so that played a factor into it as well.”
Once communication with Knowles launched, things escalated.
“It happened pretty quickly,” Franklin said. “What I think helped with this is we spoke a couple years back when the position was open, so that helped. We already had pretty good familiarity with each other. We were able to start conversations after the national championship game, obviously, and it went quickly.”
A 59-year-old Philadelphia native, Knowles led the Buckeyes to college football’s top defensive rank in points and yards allowed, finishing top-three against both the pass and the run. He completed his third campaign in Columbus as a national champion, but was willing to explore his options as the hottest commodity in college football’s assistant coach community.
A crowd of potential suitors formed, reportedly featuring Notre Dame and Oklahoma, yet Franklin felt empowered by Penn State leadership’s willingness to make such a splashy move come to fruition.
“I’ve been at places in my career where you have a dream list and they’re not really realistic,” he said. “Your dream list at Penn State is realistic, specifically now with the support that we have. But again, it was a twisting and turning process.”
Within 48 hours of Franklin’s impactful early-morning phone call, reporting at Lions247/247Sports indicated that PSU had placed itself in an enviable situation regarding Knowles. As others, including Ohio State, awaited an answer, national reports surfaced Sunday, Jan. 26 — the day of OSU’s title celebration — that he was indeed heading to Happy Valley.
As Nittany Lions fans across the globe began to rejoice, Franklin worried about crossing the finish line.
“The day the deal was being announced by everybody that it was done, it was not done,” he said. “I was concerned that it being announced (by reporters) might screw up our ability to get the job done. It was being reported everywhere that it was coming, but we didn’t have a signed contract until way after that. … The amount of high-profile jobs that were open for defensive coordinator positions, you never truly know until the deal is done.”
Ultimately, Knowles did put pen to paper, becoming the highest-paid college football coordinator on documented record. Knowles’ base salary is $3.1 million for three years, collectively totaling more than $9 million, with incentives capable of pushing his annual payout beyond $4 million, per a CBS Sports report.
“Obviously when you’re able to be able to go out and compete with who we competed with to get arguably the best defense coordinator in college football, I’m very, very appreciative of that,” Franklin said. “I know there’s a ton of excitement from our players, there’s a ton of excitement from the fans. There’s a ton of excitement from our supporters and alumni and Letterman, and all those things matter.”
Count redshirt freshman linebacker Kari Jackson among players whose eyes were opened by Penn State’s ability to bring in Knowles.
“It’s showing that our (university) is willing to do whatever for us to be in the best position going into next season,” Jackson said on Tuesday. “Very thankful that we have people around us who have our best interests in mind.”
That sentiment regarding Penn State administration was amplified by Franklin at the microphone Tuesday.
“In terms of the commitment, it’s been phenomenal. It’s been all you can ask for,” he said. “I think really, in the last two years, the commitment level has matched the expectations. I think there are very few places in the country that can actually say that. So I’m very, very appreciative of that. (Athletic director) Pat Kraft has been phenomenal, has been supportive. (President) Neeli Bendapudi has been unbelievably supportive.”
The bold hiring of Knowles arguably signals a new phase in Penn State’s pursuit of its first national football title in 39 years, and Franklin didn’t shy away from celebrating that outlook two weeks later.
“To a passionate and hungry fan base, I think it speaks volumes,” he said.
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