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Menace2Sports with Zach Smith

Is Penn State DC Jim Knowles' Defense Too Complicated? | Did It Lead to James Franklin's Firing?

Menace2Sports with Zach Smith

Menace 2 Sports with Zach Smith

Sports, Football

2.8 β€’ 2.2K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 100 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

πŸ”₯ Is Jim Knowles' Defense Too Complicated? | Did It Lead to James Franklin's Firing at Penn State? πŸ”₯ After the shocking news of James Franklin's firing, rumors are swirling around Penn State Football's coaching staff β€” and one name keeps coming up: Jim Knowles. The defensive coordinator brought his aggressive, high-IQ system from Ohio State to Happy Valley, but now insiders are questioning whether Knowles' complicated defense caused confusion, underperformance, and ultimately played a role in Franklin's downfall. In this episode, we break down: Why Jim Knowles' defensive system might have backfired at Penn State How player frustration and communication issues may have hurt the Nittany Lions The relationship between Franklin and Knowles β€” and whether tension played a role in the firing How Penn State's defense underachieved in key moments against ranked opponents What's next for Penn State's staff and whether Knowles will survive the shakeup Whether you're a Penn State fan, a Big Ten follower, or just love college football drama, this is your must-watch breakdown of how Jim Knowles' defense may have factored into the end of the James Franklin era. πŸ‘‰ SUBSCRIBE for Penn State news, Big Ten updates & college football analysis πŸ‘ LIKE if you think Jim Knowles' system is too complex for college football πŸ’¬ COMMENT your take β€” Did Knowles' defense cost James Franklin his job? #PennStateFootball #JimKnowles #JamesFranklin #CFB2025 #CollegeFootball #BigTenFootball #PennState #CFBNews #CollegeFootballPlayoff #CoachingChanges TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PODCAST PLEASE EMAIL: [email protected] or go to https://advertising.libsyn.com VIP Subscribers: https://menace2sports.com/ - Coach's Film Room, Bourbon & Ball, and MORE! - Exclusive Content, Shows and Videos - Exclusive Call-In Ability for Live Shows - Starting at $10 a month! Subscribe to Our NEW YouTube Shows - Pound Town: Menace 2 the NFL and Cleveland Browns https://www.youtube.com/@MenacePoundTown - Paintin' Korners: Menace 2 Baseball https://www.youtube.com/@PaintinKorners AWAKEN 180 WEIGHTLOSS – Weightloss Made Easy Proven results: Lose 4–5 lbs weekly. No hunger, no complicated dietsβ€”just real results. UPSIDE – Cash Back Made Easy Download the UPSIDE App today CORNBREAD HEMP – Full Spectrum CBD Gummies, Oils, & More https://www.cornbreadhemp.com/pages/menace?discount=MENACE Promo Code "MENACE" for 30% Off AMINOCORE LABS – Unleashing Amino Excellence https://aminocorelabs.com/ Get 15% Off Your First Order with CODE: Menace15 GET A BOX – Get Rid of Cable TV and Unlock Every Channel Available https://getabox.com/menace Use Code "MENACE" for $25 OFF Any Box For the FULL Landscape of College Football, tune in: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/menace2sports-with-zach-smith/id1464558838 Follow our show on social media: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@menace2sports Twitter: https://twitter.com/Menace2Sports Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menace2sports/ Undisputed Best Sports Handicapping Tool in the WORLD: GAMBLER'S TIER menace2sports.com/pages/subscribe College football is a game of explosive plays, immense passion, and endless thrills. Every Saturday during the college football season, the spirit of competition and excitement take the field as the nation's top student-athletes battle for gridiron glory. The powerhouses in college football are teams like Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, and Florida, all of whom compete in the fiercely contested NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Whether it's a hard-fought rivalry, chaotic scene in the stands, or an unbelievable touchdown grab, college football fans of all ages, backgrounds, and regions experience the same passion and intensity each week. From the blue-blooded programs to the rising stars, college football will always be the people's game. Ohio State Football is one of the most successful college football programs in history. With a total of 9 National Championships, the Buckeyes have established themselves as a powerhouse in the NCAA. Led by head coach Ryan Day, Ohio State has become known for its hard-hitting, aggressive defense and a high-octane offensive attack. While their recent success has been rooted in their strong recruiting class and their 2014 national championship, the program has a long and storied history in the college football world. On any given Saturday, the OSU faithful can be found inside the famous Ohio Stadium cheering on the scarlet and gray. Regardless of the opponent, each game brings out the passion and excitement that Ohio State fans are so well known for. Follow the Buckeyes and join the Buckeye Nation in their quest to reach another championship. Go Bucks!

Transcript

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0:00.0

It is Thursday, October 23rd. Welcome to Menace to sports. A lot of shit hitting the

0:09.2

timeline. Penn State's interim coach spoke and talked about kind of the issues they had,

0:16.0

what they need to do moving forward. And there's some drama going on because of it.

0:22.2

I mean, he basically said Jim Noel's defense is super complicated and our players need to

0:28.4

study more if they want to be great.

0:32.3

Be great and play in an NFL defense.

0:35.5

And then people in the timelines were going nuclear.

0:39.9

So I sent out a tweet, long story short.

0:42.5

We're going to talk about Jim Knowles.

0:43.9

Is his defense too complicated?

0:45.6

Is it James Franklin's fault that this ship went sideways?

0:49.1

What's the issue in Penn State?

0:50.9

Is Jim Knowles good or bad?

0:52.5

Is he too smart for his own good? Or does bad? Is he too smart for his own good?

1:11.0

Or does he think he's too smart for his own good? How was the John Gruden of college football defense? Yeah. And so it's you've never seen a fan base. I guess you, yes, you have. You see it happen all the time. They go back and forth on people, coaches. Jim Knowles was the best defense coordinator in the history of football until he left for pen state and then it was now this

1:16.6

whole thing happened pen state fans are blaming jim noles and oh i state fans are like yeah we

1:21.3

sucked under him too until the third year it's like i don't know did they suck no they didn't

1:26.3

suck they just it was it was a big game problem for him well i but I don't know. Did they suck? No, they didn't suck. They just.

1:29.8

It was a big game problem for him.

1:33.9

Well, I, but I don't think that they, that he really sucked in particular.

1:40.3

I think that when people see a drive late in the game, not get stopped, they just blanket statement, oh, our defensive coordinator sucks.

1:43.7

He did have the bad blunder in 2022, Michigan, Ohio State.

...

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