One of the biggest challenges of coaching at a big-time college football program is that no matter how successful you are, there are always going to be some fans who want you fired — or at least have some complaints.

The truth is, of course, that sometimes things just don’t go your way in sports. Sometimes, you can do everything right and still get a bad result. Sometimes, the other team just makes a play, or the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.

Tennessee Vols fans are among the most passionate fans in sports. Most of those fans are smart, pragmatic thinkers who understand the difference between a coach who needs to be fired and a coach who’s run into some bad luck.

But there’s a small group of fans — and this is true of every single fan base at all levels of sports — who want a coach fired every time a play doesn’t go Tennessee’s way. And those fans tend to be significantly louder than the rest of the fan base.

New Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will almost certainly hear from the torches-and-pitchfork crowd at some point in 2026 — probably after the first big play that his defense gives up next fall (which is going to happen because no defense gives ups zero yards in a season).

Jim Knowles dealt with “those fans” while at Ohio State

Knowles is from Philadelphia, home of some of the most intense and wildest sports fans on the planet.

But despite being from Philly, Knowles’ wasn’t prepared for the outside noise when he took over as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2022.

Knowles was warned by friends that Ohio State is “an incredibly difficult and highly scrutinized place to coach”.

But he blew off those warnings.

“I kind of blew it off,” said Knowles to ESPN this past May. “I’m like, ‘I grew up in Philly. I’ve been around Eagles fans. We threw snowballs at Santa Claus.’ But yeah, when you’re in, it’s really tough.”

“It’s real,” added Knowles. “Anybody who works there will — if they’re being honest — will tell you that it’s real. It’s almost like a badge of honor there. It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, well this is Ohio State. This is what you have to expect. This is just the way it is here.’ If you give up a touchdown but you win 63-7, somebody somewhere is going to have something to say about it.”

Knowles is undoubtedly going to deal with some of the same type of fans at Tennessee — after all, he’s taking over for a defensive coordinator in Tim Banks that was a hero a year ago after leading the Vols to the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation before getting fired a season later.

But thanks to his time at Ohio State, Knowles should be well-prepared to handle the ultra passionate, if not sometimes ultra-critical, members of Vol nation.

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One of the questions that fans have about new Tennessee Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is whether he’ll coach from the sideline or the press box on game days. Most offensive coordinators coach from the press box — so they can get a clearer picture of what’s happening on the field. Many defensive coordinators will […]

Zach Ragan