Amid rumors of a potential departure, the Ohio State Buckeyes have reportedly offered defensive coordinator Jim Knowles a ground-breaking new contract, making him the highest-paid coordinator in the business if he decides to accept the deal.
Ohio State DC Jim Knowles Offered Massive Contract To Stay With Buckeyes
Ohio State’s defensive coordinator’s name has been in the news frequently since he helped lead the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship less than a week ago.
Interest from the Oklahoma Sooners and Penn State Nittany Lions in hiring Knowles away from Ohio State has been reported in recent days. Well, apparently decision-makers within the Buckeye program have had enough.
Knowles was reportedly offered a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country.
He signed a three-year contract extension in Jan. 2024 with a reported annual base salary of $2.2 million — but his market number has been lifted after the Buckeyes’ championship run.
Wink Martindale, the Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator who held the same position for multiple NFL teams in recent years, currently holds the largest salary for a coordinator in the country at $2.5 million. In 2025, that number will rise to $2.75 million.
Knowles could make more than that if he decides to do so. He showed his worth across the entire season in 2024; the Buckeyes allowed only 12.9 points per game, the best in the nation. That included seven games against AP top-10 opponents amid a season stretching 16 games. In four CFP games, Knowles’ defense allowed an average of 18.75 points per game against vaunted offenses such as the Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns.
Beginning his career at Cornell in 1988 as the defensive line coach, Knowles has come a long way. In between, he’s had stints with the Western Michigan Broncos (1997-2002), Ole Miss Rebels (2003), again with the Cornell Big Red (2004-2009), the Duke Blue Devils (2010-2017), and Oklahoma State Cowboys (2018-2021) before being hired by Ryan Day to coordinate the Buckeyes defense ahead of the 2022 season.
The Buckeyes finished 17th in scoring defense in 2022 before finishing second and first in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The 2024 defense was one of the main catalysts behind the championship run.
Ohio State clearly values Knowles’ defensive coaching prowess, offering him a record-breaking amount of money to stay put. If he decides to defend his title with the Buckeyes, he’ll be able to do so with a significant salary to his name — more than any other defensive coordinator in college football.
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