Do you remember James Franklin’s big goal? He really laid it all out there, saying, “I don’t usually talk about this publicly, but my goal has been to be the first African American football coach to win a college national championship. That’s something that’s very historic.” That old clip from way back in 2019 suddenly went viral right before the Orange Bowl this year. Sadly, the 2024 season didn’t end up being the year for his Nittany Lions to grab that title. But so what? This season, he brought in what he hopes is his lucky charm—his new defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles.
After all, Knowles is coming in hot after just lifting the Natty trophy with Ohio State. So, while Franklin’s clearly thrilled about his new coach, it sounds like this spring isn’t exactly going to be an easy breeze for the Nittany Lions
James Franklin opens up about the success of his Jim Knowles heist
Those 13 wins this past season? That was a first for Franklin’s program! Under his leadership, the Lions have racked up a solid 101-42 record and even made their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. But still, Franklin’s not quite satisfied. That championship goal is still front and center for him. And while he’s got total faith in his coaches and players, he was looking for that extra spark to finally bring home the big one. After seeing Ryan Day and Ohio State lift that trophy, Franklin was definitely ready to pull off a major upset of his own. So, he went and snagged Knowles, who’s probably considered the top defensive coordinator in the country. The Buckeyes ended up losing their prized coach to a three-year deal, reportedly worth a cool $3.1 million per year. And get this—Knowles was absolutely thrilled to grab that offer.
In an ESPN interview, he confessed, “Penn State for me, growing up in inner city Philly, was the epitome of college football. I was never talented enough to make it to Penn State as a player. But given the opportunity to do it now as a coach, it’s really where I want to be.” Turns out that Franklin’s $3.1 million gamble is paying off. After all, the HC is satisfied with his new hire.
On April 1, Franklin faced the media and could not just stop talking highly about Knowles. “He’s a man of few words. That’s in the staff meetings in the morning, that’s out here on the field; he’s a believer that he’s going to spend a ton of time in the meeting room and taking notes down. Kind of like I do.” That’s how detail-oriented the 59-year-old coach is.
Plus, living in two minds is a BIG NO-NO for Knowles, as he prefers to draw a blueprint in his mind about how he would like to make things fall into place. As Franklin noted, “He is thorough; he is detailed to the point where I think he’s very comfortable on the field, letting the coaches coach. But from a big-picture perspective, he sees it all. He’s got a very good understanding of what he wants it to look like and how it’s all supposed to fit together. I’ve been very impressed with how it’s gone so far.” Well, no doubt that Knowles is a perfectionist who worked his magic in bringing the championship trophy home at Columbus. He was the one who polished the “Silver Bullets” into the nation’s best defense (12.9 points per game).
Since Penn State hired Pat Kraft in 2022, Franklin’s team has a 34-8 overall record with a Rose Bowl victory, a Peach Bowl appearance, and two CFP wins. In that way, Knowles is likely to write another success story. While the coaching roster looks picture-perfect, the players’ roster is bound to give fans some panic feels.
James Franklin’s cryptic update on missing key players
There’s a message pinned to Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton’s X account. It read, “I will be the best defensive end in CFB.” After all, he had a stellar junior year, coming up with 24 solo tackles. His fourth-quarter interception in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame set Penn State up for a go-ahead score. The Nittany Lions ultimately lost that game, but there’s no denying Dennis-Sutton’s impact. However, his teammate, Abdul Carter, grabbed away all the spotlight. There was a buzz that Dennis-Sutton would enter the NFL Draft. However, he announced his return to the Nittany Lions for the 2025 season.
The same goes for offensive tackle Nolan Rucci. The Wisconsin transfer has been key to the success of Penn State’s run game and offensive line as a whole. Rucci’s confidence is something that’s been built throughout the year as a result of his improvement since transferring. So, the Nittany Lions fans had high hopes for these two stellar performers. But it turns out that the universe had other plans.
When asked during his mid-week press conference on Tuesday night, head coach James Franklin said simply, “No, they’re just not available right now.”
Last season, Dennis-Sutton suffered a groin injury in the first half of Penn State’s 28-13 win at Wisconsin. Through the first four spring practices, both Dennis-Sutton and Rucci have not made an appearance, making fans worried about their health status. Not just the duo. Earlier, the Penn State HC announced that Penn State would be running without their offensive lineman, Anthony Donkoh; linebacker Tony Rojas; and tight end Andrew Rappleyea.
“Not be fully available for the start of spring ball,” confirmed James Franklin. Even in the chaos, Jim Knowles stands as Franklin’s Penn State’s saving grace.
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