Ryan Day and Jim Knowles aren’t keeping in touch.
While Day respects the work his former defensive coordinator did in his three years at Ohio State, which culminated with the Buckeyes winning last season’s national championship, he said Tuesday that he hasn’t talked much with Knowles since Knowles opted to leave Ohio State for Penn State shortly after last season.
“Like any relationship, when it breaks off, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. But there really hasn't been much communication,” Day said Tuesday. “He did a great job when he was here, helped us win a national championship, and kind of left it at that. And then it was, ‘Hey, we got to go make a replacement,’ and move on from there. So yeah, that’s kind of how it is. It was abrupt, but we certainly respect the work that he did when he was here.”
Ryan Day was all class when he described his current relationship with Jim Knowles: "He did a great job when he was here, helped us win a national championship, kind of left it at that." pic.twitter.com/Q2gjw5svhW
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 28, 2025
A little over nine months after Knowles’ exit, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator will return to Columbus as Penn State’s defensive coordinator this weekend. Knowles hasn’t been nearly as successful in State College as he was in Columbus, as his defense has allowed 119 points across Penn State’s four Big Ten games, all of which the Nittany Lions have lost. But Day expects Knowles to have a good game plan prepared for facing his former team, though Day says the Buckeyes can’t get caught up on the fact that they’re facing their former defensive coordinator.
“Sometimes when you have so many years against somebody, you have so much stuff that you can get yourself distracted. It's going to come down to fundamentals in this game,” Day said. “He will definitely have some curveballs, he always does. So we have to identify what those are early on, and go from there.”
Knowles‘ departure hasn’t hurt Ohio State’s defense this season one bit, as the Buckeyes lead the nation in points allowed per game (5.9) and yards allowed per game (216.9) under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Given that Knowles left Ohio State after the college football hiring cycle for the offseason was largely over, Day feels fortunate that Patricia was available.
“There was a lag time between when Jim left and when we hired Matt where I think a lot of people were like, ‘Man, is he going to hire one here pretty soon?’ But it left us in a tough spot because the hiring cycle was already sort of done,” Day said. “But the fact that Matt was available, man, it ended up being a home run.”
Day also believes co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tim Walton, associate head coach and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, passing game coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, who were all a part of last year’s staff with Knowles, deserve substantial credit for their roles in Ohio State’s continued defensive success.
“Tim, James, Larry, Matt, they have to work with whoever this guy is who comes in. And that's probably the part that maybe isn't getting recognized enough because, yeah, Jim did a great job last year, Matt's doing a great job this year, but what's the common denominator? Those coaches. And the players,” Day said. “So I think we have the best defensive coaching staff in America. And I think sometimes they don't get recognized enough.”
Knowles’ departure has made him a pariah in Columbus not only because he chose to leave Ohio State to take the same role elsewhere, but because he left for one of the Buckeyes’ top Big Ten competitors. Day acknowledged that it was hard not to take that personally, but said he ultimately views it as a reality of the business of college football and how the sport is changing.
“You're seeing some things that maybe we're not used to. But I guess when you look at the NFL, you see more of that than you would in college,” Day said. “I guess we're getting more like the NFL. So we try not to take those things personal, but we are human.”
