How Jim Knowles turned Tennessee's defense into a CFP-caliber force almost overnight

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Knowles' unit has Vols fans dreaming big

Oct 17, 2026 at 8:07 pm ET • 3 min read

When Tennessee hired Jim Knowles as its defensive coordinator, conventional wisdom held that the Volunteers would need to be patient. It typically takes Knowles' scheme a couple of years to really take effect.

Over seven weeks, Tennessee's defense looks as if Knowles has been with the program for a decade.

In Saturday afternoon's 26-10 win, the Volunteers held No. 6 Alabama to 201 total yards. Keelon Russell threw for just 147 yards and committed three turnovers. The Crimson Tide went 2-for-12 on third down, and they converted just one of their three fourth-down attempts.

Tennessee's defensive front was disruptive early and often, and the secondary maintained tight coverage on the Alabama receivers with Ryan Coleman-Williams out of the lineup. That combination produced five sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

Entering the day, the Volunteers were the 19th-ranked scoring defense nationally and ranked 25th in yards per game at 293.7, an improvement from 396.9 last year.

The underlying metrics were just as good, with the Vols at 21st in EPA per play (-0.08). Tennessee was 105th in that category last fall at 0.12. It's a huge jump that has propelled the Volunteers forward against even the toughest opponents.

Not only has Knowles' impact on Tennessee been felt immediately, but the defense is a big reason why the Volunteers find themselves at 6-1 with eyes on the College Football Playoff. A shaky offensive line and mistakes from young quarterbacks have limited the Vols' typically explosive offense, but it's rarely mattered because of what Knowles has done on the other side of the ball.

Thanks to impact transfers and assistant coaches who understand Knowles' defense, Tennessee has an elite unit it can lean on for the rest of the season.

Penn State transplants leading the way

Part of this immediate success must be attributed to the players and coaches who followed Knowles from Penn State in the offseason.

Starting on the field, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Amare Campbell and safety Dejuan Lane have given the Vols impact players at every level of the defense. They all played a key role in the Vols' victory over Alabama.

Gilliam is one of the best defensive tackles in the country, and he was disruptive at the line of scrimmage once again. Campbell was flying around the field and picked up two tackles for loss. Lane recorded an interception and got into the backfield for 1.5 tackles for loss.

Those players were already familiar with what Knowles wants to do on defense, and that has helped the rest of the personnel pick up the scheme quickly. It certainly helps that the Tennessee defensive coordinator brought a host of assistants with him from Happy Valley.

LEOs coach Andrew Jackson and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter were both at Penn State last season, and Poindexter has admitted he has a better grasp of the defense in his second year teaching it, which has allowed him to relay that knowledge to the players more effectively.

Add all of that to the talent Tennessee already had on its roster or added from the transfer portal -- Tyree Weathersby, Arion Carter, Ty Redmond, Qua Moss and TJ Metcald -- and that's a recipe for immediate success.

Lock down on third down

Another big improvement Tennessee has made with Knowles leading the defense comes on critical downs. Last year, the Volunteers were horrid when there was an opportunity to get off the field.

Tennessee allowed opponents to convert on 43.2% of their third-down attempts, which ranked 99th nationally. That wore out the personnel and kept a high-powered offense on the sideline.

This year, the Volunteers can get off the field much more quickly. Coming into the Alabama game, the Vols allowed opponents to convert on third down at 34.92%, which ranked 44th in the country.

That number will only go down after Saturday's impressive effort. Alabama converted 16.7% of its third-down attempts, and Tennessee stemmed the Tide on two of its three fourth-down attempts.

Whether it was the defensive line getting into the backfield or the secondary blanketing the Alabama receivers, Tennessee refused to let Alabama extend drives. That went a long way toward the Vols controlling time of possession (35:44) and leaning on the Crimson Tide late.