Jim Knowles Praises James Franklin's 'Defensive Culture' at Penn State

In his first interview since becoming Penn State's defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles outlined not only his recruiting strategy but also the ethos he will bring to the Nittany Lions.

"We're going to sell, hey, we're going to be a great defense, we're going to win the national championship but we're also going to teach you how to be a pro," Knowles said.

In an interview with State Media, an official media partner of Penn State football, Knowles sat down with former Nittany Lions great Michael Mauti to discuss his new job. Penn State made Knowles the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, hiring him away from the national-champion Ohio State Buckeyes with the intent of doing the same at Penn State.

Knowles, a 37-year coaching veteran who spent the past three seasons at Ohio State, built the Buckeyes' defense into the nation's top-ranked unit. He told Mauti that he's telling potential recruits that he plans to do the same at Penn State. "We’re telling them that we’re going to be the No. 1 defense and we’re going to win the national championship." Knowles said.

Knowles also praised Penn State coach James Franklin for building "a real defensive culture" within the program. Penn State has had highly ranked defenses for nearly a decade under Brent Pry, Manny Diaz and Tom Allen. Knowles recognized that and his role in continuing the run.

"Having been through various coordinators recently, the defense has still been pretty damn good," Knowles told Mauti in the interview. "Certainly [there were] situations I’ve gone into in the past where you have to really rebuild everything. This is not that. It is more of just elevating [the defense] to that ultimate top level, but it does come in a lot of different ways. I think [it's] with gameplnning and teaching the details, making sure the players understand the situations and where we can get an advantage in those situations, and a lot of times those things don’t come up until you play the premier opponents. We’re going to go about it from a very structured teaching program and we’re going to begin with the end in mind that we’re teaching you how to win all those situations."

"Coach Franklin has created a real defensive culture here," Knowles added. "... Hopefully I can just bring that different perspective that helps."

Check out the full interview between Mauti and Knowles here via State Media.