SEC rival heavily pursuing key Ohio State coordinator after dominant College Football Playoff showing
The Ohio State Buckeyes are trying to fend off suitors for the few potentially available elite talents who can be pried away from its roster this offseason. The rumor mill is swirling about the future of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and wide receiver Carnell Tate. Knowles is being pursued by the Oklahoma Sooners, who are […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are trying to fend off suitors for the few potentially available elite talents who can be pried away from its roster this offseason. The rumor mill is swirling about the future of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Knowles is being pursued by the Oklahoma Sooners, who are reportedly offering over $3 million per year. Ohio State paid Knowles a base of $2.2 million last year but got another $770,000 from the team in bonuses for winning. The former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator could be itching for a return to the area where is fiance is from.
However, this could also be a ploy to get a guaranteed pay bump and be the highest-paid assistant coach in the country. Or, there's legs to the rumor shared by "insider message boards" that his fiance is unwilling to live in Ohio and wants to stay in Oklahoma. It seems silly a near-60-year-old man would give that much sway to a recent fiance.
The Buckeyes will surely have their pick of the litter if they have to replace Knowles. He did an excellent job of developing an effective scheme and talent, taking over a middling unit with massive holes, and creating one of the elite defensive units we've seen over the last two decades. But sometimes, you don't have to match everyone's salary demands.
There's no question that if Brent Venables and the Sooners can secure Jim Knowles, they will bring on the finest defensive coordinator in college football. Knowles improved the Buckeye defense each year during his three seasons there, similar to his success with the Cowboys, and Ohio State boasted the top defense in the country this year.
Although the Buckeyes will need to address some gaps next season, they will still be a formidable force aiming for a repeat. This means Knowles could easily be in line for another impressive payday of around $3 million, which he would likely demand as a minimum from OU.
In today's landscape of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness deals, allocating large sums of money to anything outside of those areas should be closely examined. The trend of head coaches earning exorbitant salaries is firmly established, and it's become common for assistants in football and basketball to make seven figures as well.
But the idea of an assistant earning $4 million or more? That's a level no program has ever reached.
Last season, LSU's defensive coordinator Blake Baker earned $2.5 million, which was the highest salary ever awarded to a college assistant.
The Buckeyes should know an answer on both within the coming days, but losing both would be a tough blow to the National Champions.
