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After he helped guide Ohio State to a national championship, Jim Knowles is finalizing a deal with Penn State to become the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football, ESPN reported Sunday.

Knowles is set to make $3.1 million per season on a three-year deal to join the staff of Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.

Knowles is getting a raise of $900,000 per season over the deal he had at Ohio State and zoomed past the $2.5 million per-season deals for both Wink Martindale of Michigan and Blake Baker of LSU, who were slated to be the highest paid defensive coordinators in 2025.

Ohio State rode the No. 1 defense in the country to four victories in the College Football Playoff, including a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the title game. The Buckeyes gave up 251.1 yards per game, more than five yards better than the next best team, Indiana.

Ohio State, which finished 14-2, also led the nation with 12.2 points per game, more than two points better than Notre Dame.

Penn State was seventh in total defense (294.8 yards) and eighth in scoring defense (16.5 points). The Nittany Lions are set to return many of the key players that also led the team into the College Football Playoff.

–Field Level Media