Penn State football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is bringing a new wrinkle to the Lions defense that his pass rushers love.
A smile crept across Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton’s face when asked what it’s like to get to play in a Jim Knowles defense. The senior only got to experience it visually during spring practice as he worked his way back to full health. But, now that the Lions are a few practices into the team’s preseason camp, he’s experienced it on the field, too, and one new wrinkle in particular has him excited ahead of the 2025 season.
“I think it’s super fun, super aggressive,” Dennis-Sutton said. “We got quarterback plays where our job is, clearly, just to go get the quarterback. We haven’t had that since I’ve been here. It’s the best. You don’t have to think about anything. You don’t think, ‘what do I got to do on this play?’ Your jobs, literally just to beat the guy in front of you.
“It sort of takes a thought [away] that I don’t have to have. For me, I would go out last year and ask Coach [Tom] Allen, like, ‘Hey, Coach, like, what play is this? Are you expecting a run or a pass? Things like that. With Coach Knowles, it’s just sort of implemented like, ‘Hey, this is a pass play, I’m calling this when it’s a pass. I’m calling this when it’s a run.'”
More: Jim Knowles’ answers, a ‘clear upgrade’ at receiver, and more Penn State takeaways from BTN’s camp special
Fellow defensive end Zuriah Fisher could also hardly contain his smile when talking about Knowles’ defense. The redshirt senior+ is hoping the combination of being fully healthy and Knowles’ intellect as a coordinator will equal his best season yet. And, if nothing else, he believes he’s in the best position yet to chase that goal.
“I’m just excited about how he got the D-ends playing this year,” Fisher said. “We’re playing fast. We don’t have to do a lot of thinking this year. We’re just going. And then the way [Knowles] got things set up, it’s easier for us to just know what the play is.
“It’s important because, like, Coach Knowles got plays for us where, like, we’re just rushing, and then in some plays, we got to stop the run. So, like the plays, he thinks that there is going to be a pass play, he calls those plays, and we just know, like, ‘OK, we got to rush on that play. So, I like how Coach Knowles calls the play.”
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The aforementioned defensive ends are hardly the only Penn State players thrilled with what they’ve learned from Knowles so far. Everyone on that side of the ball knows the mission is to keep this defense in the elite air it’s been in for a number of years. And they believe their new coach will help them do exactly that.
“I love Coach Knowles’ defense,” Dennis-Sutton said. “He’s confident, not overly rowdy, he’s laid back, he’s confident in what he’s doing. He’s confident in his players. So I enjoy it.”
Added head coach James Franklin on BTN’s training camp special:
“Every time you install a defense, you get better at tweaking and how you can speed up that maturation process, and he’s done a really good job. Our staff, as well, on the defensive side of the ball, embracing it. Our players too.
“Ton of answers. Last two defensive coordinators, we played a ton of man coverage, which was really important. But I think Jim’s helping us in those one or two games a year where we got to have a little bit more answers. And this defense provides that.”
Category: General Sports
