Former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said he was grateful for his three years at OSU, but the pull of his home state lured him away.

Knowles would join James Franklin's Penn State staff after three seasons at Ohio State, where he won a national championship.

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team officially introduced new defensive coordiantor Jim Knowles to the media on Tuesday, Feb, 4. The newest defensive leader under head coach James Franklin, addressed the assembled reporters in Pegula Ice Arena due to the construction at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State’s new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles met the media for the first time Tuesday for the first time since signing his contract last week. Knowles talked about leaving Ohio State after a National Championship, the 2025 potential for the Nittany Lions and even growing up in Philadelphia.

Penn State made the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles official on Monday. Here's what each had to say about the move

The former Ohio State and Oklahoma State defensive coordinator has accepted a job at Penn State, according to Griffin Media's Toby Rowland.

CBS Sports reports that Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is leaving the Buckeyes to join James Franklin's staff at Penn State. Knowles is expected to be paid an average of $3.1 million over three years, according to ESPN . During Knowles' time at Ohio State, the Buckeyes ranked in the top three in total defense for two of those years.

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin seeks to make a bold move, hiring the architect of the Buckeyes' championship defense.

James Franklin and new Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles released statements after Knowles was hired on Monday.

Penn State has reportedly added Shane Eachus as a defensive backs coach and Brent Zdebski as an analyst. Both have previously worked with Knowles in some capacity at previous stops in his coaching journey.