The Oklahoma defensive coordinator position has been sitting open for, relatively speaking, a long time. A suspiciously long time.
West Virginia hired Zac Alley away on Dec. 29, and the job remains unfilled three weeks later. Given that a logical replacement in Wes Goodwin, Clemson's former defensive coordinator who was on staff while Brent Venables wore orange and purple, remains on the market, it's fueled speculation that Venables is waiting on someone specific to become available.
And lots of people think that someone is Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Speaking at media day ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game on Saturday, Knowles sidestepped the question.
I asked Ohio State DC Jim Knowles about Oklahoma rumors.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) January 18, 2025
“Beat Notre Dame, that's all I'm focused on. These things happen, I guess, when you have success, players are making plays. My job is to put them in the best position. These things come up when you do well.”
Knowles was the third-highest paid assistant in college football in 2024, earning $2.2 million. He remains under contract through 2026. Oklahoma paid Alley $850,000.
But Oklahoma is in desperation mode. Following a highly-disappointing 6-7 season, 2025 will be make-or-break for Venables.
Given that Venables's buyout will still be north of $30 million after 2025, Oklahoma is in a position where it will be less costly to arm their head coach with the tools it will take to be successful than it would be to fire him and pay all the costs associated with starting over. The Sooners secured Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer, and now "overpaying" for Knowles might be cheaper in the long run than the alternative.
Or maybe Ohio State shuts out Notre Dame on Monday night and Knowles is all too happy to leverage a newly-crowned Buckeye brass into a even newer, even richer contract.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.