Tennessee football made a bold move last week, officially bringing in Jim Knowles as the new defensive coordinator-a hire that signals serious intent from Josh Heupel and his staff. Knowles, fresh off his stint at Penn State and with a national championship pedigree from his time at Ohio State in 2024, steps into a role that had been held by Tim Banks for the past five seasons. Banks, who also coached safeties, was let go recently, prompting a defensive shakeup in Knoxville.
For now, though, it’s linebackers coach William Inge who’s steering the ship. He’s serving as interim defensive coordinator for the upcoming Music City Bowl, and that means Tennessee’s defense won’t be diving into Knowles’ system just yet. The Vols are sticking with a hybrid approach-building on what they’ve done all year while incorporating some new wrinkles under Inge’s direction.
“Right now, we’re just listening to what Coach Inge says, building on a new playbook while also using some of the things we did in the past,” linebacker Jeremiah Telander said Tuesday. “Right now, I’m just fully focused on that. When Coach Knowles wants to implement his defense, then that will be my focus.”
That’s the mindset across the board: finish strong in the bowl game, then flip the page to the Knowles era.
In the meantime, Knowles isn’t sitting idle. He’s already on campus, getting acclimated to the program, the players, and the staff. This early evaluation period is all about observation-figuring out what the Vols have in-house and what they’ll need to add, especially with the transfer portal heating up.
“Got here on Monday and you’re starting the onboarding process just with campus and that type of thing,” Heupel said Thursday. “Then him having that opportunity to get introduced in front of the team, be able to watch practice and what a typical week looks like from us on the practice standpoint. The ability to watch and get to know our current roster here and get to know our staff, all of it... ultimately a big part of it is the projection of the portal and things that we need to give our defense an opportunity to be elite.”
While Knowles hasn’t held one-on-one meetings with players yet, he’s been sitting in on position group sessions and starting to build a feel for the locker room dynamic. He’s also had the chance to connect with recruits from the 2026 class and begin laying the groundwork on the trail for 2027 prospects and potential portal additions.
It’s clear Tennessee had Knowles circled from the jump. Multiple reports suggested he was the top target once the coordinator spot opened, and Heupel didn’t hide his admiration for what Knowles brings to the table.
“You look at his track record of success-building defenses that play at a championship level, being able to do it at multiple spots, do it in a way that fits the personnel that’s there and that you can recruit to,” Heupel said. “Subtly being different at the different places that he’s been. And the ability to tie all three levels of it together and play really good defense.”
That adaptability is key. Knowles has shown he can tailor his schemes to fit the roster, whether it was at Oklahoma State, Duke, or most recently in Columbus and Happy Valley. For a Tennessee team that’s looking to take the next step in the SEC, that flexibility-and the ability to elevate talent quickly-could be a game-changer.
The full installation of his defense won’t happen until after the bowl game, but the anticipation is already building. Players like Telander are eager to dive into Knowles’ playbook and start the learning process.
“I was telling Edwin (Spillman) earlier, I want to get that install as soon as we possibly can so we can start making flashcards and start quizzing each other,” Telander said Tuesday. “It’s going to be an exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
For now, the focus remains on the Music City Bowl. But with Jim Knowles waiting in the wings, Tennessee’s defense is poised for a new chapter-one that promises to bring a sharper edge and a championship mindset to Rocky Top.