Ohio State has lifted the trophy after a decade in a breathtaking final at Atlanta last week. One of the most deciding factors in their remarkable title run was no doubt a high-flying defense that held opponents to just 12.9 points and 354.6 yards per game. But moving ahead, would they get the privilege to run at the same lofty height as 2024? The question makes a lot of sense, as the key architect behind a close-knit defensive line, Jim Knowles signed off after the title win.

It’s Penn State’s turn now. Knowles is taking his gifts to the Nittany Lions, offering them the best opportunity to maximize their potential in a brand-new season. But the question is, why did he move on from the Buckeyes? Unfortunately, Ryan Day finds himself in hot water.

Ryan Day reportedly had some role behind Jim Knowles’ shock departure

Penn State and James Franklin did an amazing job of beating out big opponents throughout the season, but they got muddled at the finish. They came up short, reaching dead close to their goal. It’s evident that Franklin needs to figure one or two things out, evaluating where it is going wrong. Well, if it’s about a lackluster defense, they seemingly got their answer. The Nittany Lions just made a move that gets them closer to their Natty goal for the next year. After Tom Allen left for Clemson Tigers t, Penn State hired former Ohio State defense coordinator Jim Knowles to be its new defensive coordinator. A quote-unquote massive W for the program! But did you ever wonder why Knowles left OSU behind and that too immediately after a title victory? A pure $10 million money motive seems too far-fetched to think of.

Penn State has visibly closed the gap between themselves and top-dog teams like Ohio State and Michigan. Thanks to Ryan Day’s reported over-interference in the offense. There are two aspects of any job quitting: one is to run to something, other is something. For Knowles, it’s the second one. He reportedly had some differences of opinion in his defensive schemes. ”I think there are probably a couple of things here one um as Cody Alexander pointed out on Twitter the Narrative of Hey like Ryan Day got more involved in the defense following the Oregon game does that involvement by Ryan Day basically consist of telling him hey you know what, Larry Johnson, we’re gonna run Jim Knowles’ defense,” said Bud Elliott. Day did the same with offense as well as he opted for a more aggressive pass rush later in the season, but thankfully it didn’t lead to any departure.

”We’ll keep a little bit of what you want to do like we’re going to continue to play a four-man front but it’s going to be a reduced front, so it’s a little more similar to what they run or what they ran at Oklahoma State and we’re not we’re kind of done with this stuff you want to do we’re actually going to let Jim run his defense like he’s wanted to run for a good long while now,” Eliott added explaining Day’s defensive overlapping with Knowles.

Now, the question is what’s next for Ohio State? Day has a well-built plan in his head.

The role of DC of the national title winner team is pretty lucrative for any of the relevant candidates. So, quite unsurprisingly, there have been a lot of names swirling over the lore. It’s on Ryan Day and the rest of the crew to pick the best.

Ryan Day is eying the Hoosiers defensive coordinator 

During the Buckeyes championship win celebration at the Ohio Stadium, Day gave a sweet shout-out to their remarkable DC, Jim Knowles mentioning how he has built such a defense that ruled over the chart throughout the season. However, Knowles didn’t wait to pay heed to his eulogy. Hours later reports surfaced suggesting he would leave as the Nittany Lion’s next DC.

From the very moment, the hunt for the next OC at Columbus has begun. Bryant Haines, Indiana’s defensive coordinator emerged as one of the highly touted names for the position. A rebounded contract extension will make it a bit difficult for Ohio State to chase him out of Bloomington, but it would be worth it.

As Indiana’s defensive coordinator, Haines played an instrumental role in Curt Cignetti’s historical turnaround with the Hoosiers last fall. He has a more personalized connection with the program. He hails from Piqua and was a graduate assistant at OSU back in 2013. It would be interesting to see how Ryan Day manages to fill such a high-voltage position on priority and get back to their usual as soon as possible.