Josh Heupel just made Tennessee a future nightmare in the SEC with his latest hire

The Oklahoma Sooners can be glad Tennessee isn't on their 2026 slate after playing the Volunteers the last two seasons

Tennessee on Thursday officially announced Jim Knowles as its new defensive coordinator for a hire that should finally give Josh Heupel a stout defense to pair with his already potent offense to immediately make the Volunteers serious contenders in the SEC as long as Heupel and Knowles lead their units together.

Volunteers hire Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator

Heupel has risen Tennessee as a consistent SEC contender since taking over the program in 2021 thanks to his stellar offense that still thrived this season while going 8-4 and after losing star quarterback Nico Iamaleava during the spring. However, even though the offense was the best in the SEC this season, the Vols still underachieved because of a defense that was near the bottom of the conference.

Last season was a peek of what's possible when Heupel's team has a solid defense. Tennessee went 10-2 before losing in the first round of the College Football Playoff to future champion Ohio State. And Knowles was the one leading the Buckeyes' defense then as it was the best in the country.

After the season, Knowles almost ended up in Oklahoma before taking more money at Penn State and ultimately leading Brent Venables to take control of OU's defense, which obviously worked out.

Knowles' defense wasn't up to his standards this season at Penn State, which resulted in James Franklin getting fired midseason and Knowles also ultimately looking for a new job. However, 2025 will be an outlier for Knowles, who's been a defensive wizard everywhere else.

In his third season as Ohio State's defensive coordinator, Knowles won a national title. The Buckeyes had a top-15 defense the first two seasons before being No. 1 in 2024. Before Ohio State, Knowles was at Oklahoma State, where he had the Cowboys inches from a Big 12 title in 2021 and beating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl thanks to his defense.

The Sooners this season are proof how far a team can get with an elite defense, even without a consistent offense. The Volunteers were opposite of that with a porous defense but incredible offense. Now, imagine Venables with a great offense on the other side, because that's what Heupel has created at Tennessee by bringing in Knowles.