Big Orange Report December 18, 2025

 


Heupel Gets His Man
In a literal whirlwind of activity, Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel parted ways with Tim Banks and approximately 72 hours later announced that veteran defensive coordinator Jim Knowles would be joining the program. Fair or not, Banks had been given primary blame for the defensive struggles this season and the fan base was ready for Heupel to make a move. The UT defense finished at or near the bottom of the SEC in all defensive statistics this year.
"Hiring Jim Knowles was out top priority from the start of this process," Heupel said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. "Jim has a proven track record of developing elite defenses that play with an edge and we got to see that first-hand during the 2024 College Football Playoffs."
"His (Knowles) defenses are always physical, well prepared and can adapt quickly in-game against today's complex offenses," Heupel added. "He's a competitor, a winner and someone who will get the most out of our players in practice and on game day. We are thrilled to welcome Jim to Rocky Top as he helps us chase championships!"
Knowles spent this season at Penn State after three years at Ohio State and four autumns at Oklahoma State. His last year (2021) with Oklahoma State, his defense led the nation in sacks with an astonishing 59 quarterback take downs. That defense was also fifth in the country in both total defense and run defense.
He duplicated those numbers with the 2024 Buckeye defense finishing second in the D1 football with 53 sacks. Ohio State was No. 1 on the charts in both scoring and total defense. His 2023 defense was No. 1 in the category of pass defense, allowing an average of just 146 yards per game through the air. His 2023 edition also completed the season at No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 3 in total defense.
Knowles has signed a three year contract that will pay him 2 million dollars for 2026, 2.2 million in 2027 and 2.4 million in 2028.
Defensive Staff
It is well known that Heupel and Knowles would like to retain veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner and most probably his protege, Levorn "Chop" Harbin. Coach Harbin has been one of the staff's premiere recruiters over the past three years. The future of linebacker coach William Inge and secondary coach Willie Martinez will probably be announced soon. Inge is the interim defensive coordinator for the bowl game against Illinois in Nashville in two weeks. The guess here is that Knowles might want to bring in a couple of guys that he knows and trusts to complete the composition of the defensive staff.
Opt Outs
Tennessee has had two starters opt out of the Music City bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. Wide receiver Chris Brazzell and junior linebacker Arion Carter have announced they will not play. For Illinois, two first team All-Big Ten selections are also not participating. Left offensive tackle J.C. Davis and elite edge rusher Gabe Jacas have withdrawn from the roster. Jacas led the conference in sacks with 11 and tackles for loss with 13.5 this fall.
Louisville Times Two
The BasketVols will face the Louisville Cardinals in a pair of top 25 showdowns this this week. Coach Rick Barnes' men are looking to rebound following three straight losses on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN. Coach Kim Caldwell's Lady Vols will tangle with Louisville Saturday in New York. This one has an early tip with action getting underway at 10 a.m. on Fox network.  

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