Will Stein is about to see a very familiar defensive look on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
For the fourth time in the last three seasons, Stein will coach against Jim Knowles, and the Kentucky offensive coordinator knows exactly what kind of challenge is waiting. Knowles has moved from Ohio State in 2024 to Penn State in 2025 and now Tennessee, where his defense has already become one of the most difficult units to solve.
Stein didn’t hold back on the respect he has for Tennessee’s defensive coordinator.
“I think he’s one of the elite defensive minds in college football as well,” Stein said about Tennessee’s defensive coordinator. “This will be my fourth time going against Coach Knowles.
I have all the respect in the world for him. What he’s able to do at every single stop that he goes.
They have a very talented group. It’s a top-20 defense in about every major major statistical category on defense.”
That reputation is backed up by the numbers. Knowles has put together five straight top-25 defenses in ESPN’s SP+ rankings, and Tennessee appears headed for a sixth.
Along the way, he’s had three top-five units. The Vols aren’t at that level right now, but this 4-2-5 system has been effective because it changes the picture before and after the snap and keeps offenses guessing.
Stein described the challenge in simple terms.
“An offensive mind coaching defense. If that makes sense,” Stein told KSR.
“He is not the same every game. He’s not the same every year.
Who he has, he builds his defense through. And so I have so much respect for him because he makes it tough.
He makes you drive the ball down the field. They don’t give up a lot of explosives.
Yet, they create takeaways and TFLs and sacks.”
That’s the tension Kentucky has to deal with. Tennessee’s defense is not perfect on every down - it ranks No. 54 in success rate, and teams have found some room in the run game, with the Vols sitting No. 60 in EPA/rush and No. 9 in the SEC in rushing yards per game allowed. But the unit makes up for that by shutting down explosive plays, getting pressure up front, and forcing offenses into difficult spots.
The front gets after the quarterback quickly, the secondary has playmakers, and even if the depth isn’t overwhelming, the group has settled in and looks like one of the SEC’s best defenses as November begins.
For Kentucky, the task is straightforward and demanding: stay clean, avoid giveaways, and don’t let Tennessee’s defense turn the game into a series of stalled drives and negative plays. The Vols have shown they can erase explosives and create turnovers, and that has been a major issue for UK all season.
Stein summed up the style in one last line.
“He’s very aggressive in his approach,” said Stein. “Yet, he’s not chaotic.”
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Kentucky Just Landed A Huge Chance With Mark Pope's Next Target
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Pope has been clear about the way Kentucky wants to handle the recruiting process, stressing a disciplined approach and confidence in where the program stands right now. Bringing Williams in for an official visit gives the Wildcats a valuable opportunity to keep that momentum going, and it adds another layer of intrigue to a class that is already starting to take shape. [Read more 🡒]