Just a few days after the Ohio State Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national championship, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles accepted a new DC

Knowles could have stayed at Ohio State and signed a new contract. Oklahoma reportedly tried to pry him away from Columbus. Notre Dame, after losing Al Golden to the NFL, had interest. But Penn State won out, securing arguably the best coordinator in college football.

The Penn State Nittany Lions saw their season come to an end in the College Football Playoff semifinal, losing a close game to Notre Dame. Nobody knew it then, but their future defensive coordinator,