The Oklahoma Sooners have found themselves in a rat race for their next defensive coordinator.
FootballScoop on Thursday night reported that multiple Blue Blood football programs are competing for the services of Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, including OU, Penn State and Notre Dame, as well as his current employer. All want Knowles, 59, as their defensive coordinator.
The Sooners have been reportedly after Knowles since Zac Alley left for West Virginia almost a month ago. Considering Brent Venables still hadn't made a hire mixed with multiple reports and Knowles not denying the rumors, Sooner Nation grew pretty confident that Knowles would be OU's new defensive coordinator.
A lot has changed for all parties, though. Knowles' defense powered the Buckeyes to a national championship with a win over Notre Dame on Monday night. Ohio State's run in the College Football Playoff was the presumed holdup in OU hiring Knowles, but it's been almost four days since, which is forever in college football offseason time.
Just after Notre Dame lost to the Buckeyes, the Fighting Irish's defensive coordinator, Al Golden, left for the NFL to be the Cincinnati Bengals' DC. A week before Golden's move, Tom Allen left Penn State to be Clemson's defensive coordinator. And obviously the Buckeyes want to keep the guy who helped them get a national title.
All four programs have nearly unlimited resources and incredibly high expectations, which is why every head coach is taking a home run swing to land Knowles to lead their defense, even Venables, who is a defensive-minded coach.
According to FootballScoop, OU is willing to pay Knowles up to $3 million a year. For compaison, Alley's salary was $850,000 with OU in 2024. Venables' salary is $8.5 million.
Penn State reportedly upped OU's offer, though, to $3.2 million. Knowles' salary in 2024 was $2.2 million, but Ohio State would likely have to give Knowles a hefty raise to keep him.
Those offers for Knowles' salary would also be on top of his buyout from Ohio State. Whoever gets Knowles, unless it's the Buckeyes, will have to pay about $1.2 million to get Knowles out of his current contract.
The Sooners do have one advantage, though, that money can't buy. Knowles was recently engaged, and his fiancée is from Oklahoma, which FootballScoop also mentioned. Knowles has already spent four years in the state as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator in 2018-21.