Buckeyes DC Jim Knowles Understands Year 2 'Expectations'

The Ohio State Buckeyes paid defensive coordinator Jim Knowles nearly $2 million per year to help get the Silver Bullets get over the hump against top-notch opponents.

Doing a very brief job review of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' first season in Columbus: it was a step in the right direction.

The 2021 season was disastrous defensively, but Knowles and the Ohio State Buckeyes were good to an extent in 2022, but were throttled in the Michigan and Georgia games. Knowles needs to correct the schematic deficiencies against better competition that led to explosive plays in big games.

The Buckeyes allowed 530 and 533 yards, respectively, to the Wolverines and Bulldogs and 87 of their 273 points surrendered on the season. Knowles said "you have to analyze every single" explosive play in order to correct what went wrong on each.

"You have to look at where the issues were," Knowles said on "Big Ten Network" Friday. "You have to take responsibility. You have to go back to how you teach from the beginning and look and see were there any flaws? You got to boil it down to the smallest detail and technique."

At previous stops in Knowles' career, like Duke and Oklahoma State, last season would've likely constituted success finishing top 25 in both total and scoring defense, but not at Ohio State where the annual expectation is a national championship victory.

"The job's the same. The expectations are a lot different," Knowles said. "You're responsible to the program and to the players to have answers."

Unlike some other coaches and coordinators, Knowles isn't stubborn. He expects players to do their job, but if a breakdown happens, he's always the first to take the blame for not coaching them well enough.

Knowles is one of the best defensive minds in college football. If there's a problem with his scheme or play-calling — such as dialing up a cover zero when leading 10-3 against Michigan, which at the time was facing a third-and-11 — he is not apprehensive to make the changes necessary for success. 

"You got to be willing to change," Knowles said. "I've been around long enough, and I think one of the reasons I've been able to stay in the game is that ability to change. You have to look at things and see where you can do better."

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