One of the biggest moves that Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made this offseason was hiring Jim Knowles to replace Tim Banks as his defensive coordinator.

Moving on from Banks, who had been at Tennessee since 2021, was undoubtedly tough for Heupel. But it’s a move that Heupel thought was necessary to take Tennessee football to the next level.

Knowles, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at Penn State and Ohio State, is one of the most well-respected coaches in college football. His defense, however, has a reputation for being difficult to pick up.

“Yes to both,” said Knowles last August when asked if his defense is complicated and takes time to learn. “I think in today’s game of football, it needs to be somewhat complicated because you need to have answers for everything — particularly at this level. Offenses don’t run the same things in college. You better have all different kinds of answers. 

“For teaching and installing, I’ve gotten better at it, I’ve had to particularly when you come into a situation like this. Our charge is to be great now. If it’s too complicated, or if I can’t get it installed quickly, that’s my fault. I think I’ve developed a process that help move it along at a more rapid pace.”

Knowles is hoping that bringing several assistant coaches with him who have experience in his defense — something he didn’t have at previous stops — will help expedite the learning process at Tennessee.

“Staff alignment is critical,” said Knowles in January. “So I was able to bring a few people here and [also] keep some great coaches in Coach (Rodney) Garner and Coach (William) Inge. And then bring a lot of coaches in who already know what I do. That puts us ahead. I’ve done this now a couple of times and haven’t really had that opportunity. So Coach Heupel wanted me to have that opportunity — because it does advance your progress quickly.”

The Vols also brought in several Penn State transfers that played under Knowles in 2025.

“It’s a big plus because they spent a year learning not only the system, but how I operate and my expectations,” said Knowles of bringing some Penn State transfers with him. “And they’ll be able to filter it down to the other guys. And I also know I’ve been hands on with those guys, so I understand what they can do and where they need to get better.”

Josh Heupel updates the progress of Tennessee’s defensive install under Jim Knowles

Heupel spoke with reporters on Tuesday during a Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga and was asked about the progress of the defense now that spring practice is finished.

The sixth-year Tennessee head coach sounded pleased with the progress that’s been made.

“For Jim, the last couple of places he’s been, I think he had one off-the-field guy that he was able to take with him,” said Heupel. “So you’re trying to teach your entire staff and then your players as you start to install and get on the field. I think for him, and for us, where we benefited is having staff that’s been with him at every level of the defense that understands it.

“With all those guys being there early in the process, you can look at subtly how you tweak it, what your verbiage is, and how you install it. And giving your players the chance to grab onto it as quickly as possible. I thought all three levels of the defense handled it extremely well. We grew extremely quickly. I really liked the growth that we saw over the course of spring ball.”

Heupel was quick to remind reporters that Tennessee still has a lot of growing to do before the start of the season, but he certainly sounds pleased with where his football team is as we enter the thick of the college football offseason.