Jim Knowles reveals why he left Ohio State for Penn State

Jim Knowles made a surprising move and left Ohio State to become the defensive coordinator at Penn State just days after leading the Buckeyes to the national championship. Now we know why he made the move to the Nittany Lions.

Knowles spoke with ESPN for a lengthy column published on Tuesday regarding his move to Penn State. The defensive coordinator told them he left Ohio State because he was disappointed by the timing of a contract extension offer he received from the Buckeyes.

Knowles says he was hoping to receive an offer from Ohio State prior to the team’s national championship game against Notre Dame, but he did not receive one. So after the team won the national championship, Knowles put himself on the market and called Penn State to see if they were interested in him. Ohio State made a bid to keep him, but Knowles took the higher-paying offer from Penn State.

The Nittany Lions gave Knowles $3.1 million per year, which makes him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football. Ohio State’s offer was apparently competitive but for less money.

Knowles says he took a lot of heat after the Buckeyes lost 32-31 to Oregon for the team’s first loss of the season. He says matters were rough after the team lost to rival Michigan for the fourth straight year. The team winning the national championship helped make up for the previous two disappointing defeats, but he noted that the fan reaction following the losses was not easy to deal with.

Much like Ohio State, Penn State reached the College Football Playoff last season. The Nittany Lions finished 13-3 for their third straight double-digit win season.