Just a few days after the Ohio State Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national championship, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles accepted a new DC

Jim Knowles landed at Penn State less than a week after helping Ohio State win the national championship. In those precious days following the College Football Playoff finale, the sought-after defensive coordinator had options from which to choose.

The Penn State Nittany Lions saw their season come to an end in the College Football Playoff semifinal, losing a close game to Notre Dame. Nobody knew it then, but their future defensive coordinator,