{"id":863182,"date":"2026-04-10T14:15:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/863182\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T14:15:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T14:15:54","slug":"familiar-crew-fuels-ex-psu-coordinator-knowles-defensive-overhaul-at-tennessee-this-spring-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/863182\/","title":{"rendered":"Familiar crew fuels ex-PSU coordinator Knowles\u2019 defensive overhaul at Tennessee this spring | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jim Knowles has installed new defenses in a lot of places. Having familiar faces around is making the experience much smoother this spring at Tennessee.<\/a><\/p>\n

Volunteers coach Josh Heupel not only hired Knowles as his new defensive coordinator in December, he added three defensive assistants who’ve worked with Knowles in the past. Four players also followed Knowles from Penn State to Knoxville through the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

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\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jim Knowles has installed new defenses in a lot of places. Having familiar faces around is making the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":863183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[54061,45006,42993,265,648,647,5454,5443,5460,5444,5458,4134,637,31914,94242,117372,10430,8167,11282,61,62,117374,66,35919,64,40884,1443,639,69516,57227,331,6981,5075,1628,5077,30109,67,42987,332,339,3334,24712,2792,2793,14661,7,5447,15805,23983,5071,5067,5446,636,932,117371,1376,13110,45005,23988,4135,1014,58,117377,957,71,73,55310,75,122,49,5065,5070,65,55307,70,63,29884,48,16650,9637,48315,48317,47359,47357,1890,47358,996,69,60,117375,117376,74,1135,7641,646,2743,1644,112333,112334,7607,5455,359,24059,632,635,5063,5064,5068,5066,9,105420,16677,40880,45008,45009,5069,45490,643,638,526,1541,1378,76,20735,117373],"class_list":{"0":"post-863182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-2024-25-college-football-playoff","9":"tag-agoura-hills","10":"tag-american-college-football-bowl-seasons","11":"tag-american-football","12":"tag-american-football-bowls","13":"tag-american-football-competitions","14":"tag-american-football-games","15":"tag-american-football-league-teams","16":"tag-american-football-organizations","17":"tag-american-football-people","18":"tag-american-football-playoffs","19":"tag-american-football-positions","20":"tag-american-football-teams","21":"tag-american-players-of-american-football","22":"tag-andrew-jackson","23":"tag-anthony-poindexter","24":"tag-association-football","25":"tag-atlantic-coast-conference-football","26":"tag-big-12-conference-football","27":"tag-big-ten-conference","28":"tag-big-ten-conference-football","29":"tag-big-ten-conference-football-champion-seasons","30":"tag-big-ten-conference-football-seasons","31":"tag-big-ten-conference-schools","32":"tag-big-ten-conference-teams","33":"tag-bowl-championship-series","34":"tag-california","35":"tag-champion-seasons-in-american-football","36":"tag-chaz-coleman","37":"tag-coaches-of-american-football","38":"tag-college-football","39":"tag-college-football-bowl-champion-seasons","40":"tag-college-football-bowls","41":"tag-college-football-championships","42":"tag-college-football-competitions","43":"tag-college-football-conference-champion-seasons","44":"tag-college-football-conference-seasons","45":"tag-college-football-games","46":"tag-college-football-playoff","47":"tag-college-sports","48":"tag-cornerback","49":"tag-culture-of-the-united-states","50":"tag-defensive-coordinator","51":"tag-defensive-tackle","52":"tag-edge-rusher","53":"tag-football","54":"tag-football-positions","55":"tag-former-atlantic-10-conference-teams","56":"tag-former-missouri-valley-conference-teams","57":"tag-former-southern-conference-teams","58":"tag-former-southern-intercollegiate-athletic-association-teams","59":"tag-gridiron-football","60":"tag-gridiron-football-variants","61":"tag-indiana","62":"tag-jim-knowles-american-football","63":"tag-josh-heupel","64":"tag-knoxville","65":"tag-kroenke-sports-entertainment","66":"tag-land-grant-universities-and-colleges","67":"tag-linebacker","68":"tag-los-angeles","69":"tag-los-angeles-rams","70":"tag-los-angeles-rams-seasons","71":"tag-michigan","72":"tag-michigan-wolverines","73":"tag-michigan-wolverines-football","74":"tag-michigan-wolverines-football-seasons","75":"tag-michigan-wolverines-seasons","76":"tag-national-football-league","77":"tag-ncaa","78":"tag-ncaa-division-i","79":"tag-ncaa-division-i-conferences","80":"tag-ncaa-division-i-fbs-football","81":"tag-ncaa-division-i-fbs-football-season","82":"tag-ncaa-division-i-fbs-football-seasons","83":"tag-ncaa-division-i-fbs-football-teams","84":"tag-ncaa-division-i-teams","85":"tag-ncaa-football","86":"tag-ncaa-football-championships","87":"tag-ncaa-transfer-portal","88":"tag-nfl-champion-seasons","89":"tag-nfl-divisions","90":"tag-nfl-franchise-relocations","91":"tag-nfl-seasons","92":"tag-nfl-teams","93":"tag-nfl-teams-seasons","94":"tag-ohio","95":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","96":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes-football","97":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes-football-seasons","98":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes-seasons","99":"tag-ohio-state-university","100":"tag-oklahoma","101":"tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys-football","102":"tag-outdoor-sports","103":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","104":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions-football","105":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions-football-seasons","106":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions-seasons","107":"tag-pennsylvania-state-university","108":"tag-players-of-american-football","109":"tag-playoffs","110":"tag-safety-gridiron-football-position","111":"tag-seasons-in-american-football","112":"tag-seasons-in-american-sport","113":"tag-southeastern-conference","114":"tag-southeastern-conference-football","115":"tag-southeastern-conference-football-seasons","116":"tag-southeastern-conference-teams","117":"tag-sports","118":"tag-sports-club-and-team-relocations","119":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