Jim Knowles 'pleased' with Tennessee's continued install progress

Jim Knowles will debut as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator on Saturday against Furman (1-0) at Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. EDT, SEC Network+).

He was hired to Josh Heupel’s staff on Dec. 11, 2025 after coaching the last four seasons in the Big Ten at Ohio State (2022-24) and Penn State (2025).

Ahead of Tennessee’s Week 1 contest against Furman, Knowles discussed having continued progress with installation.

“I’m really pleased,” Knowles said on Tuesday. “I’ve found the players to pick things up, to be really diligent in their learning, and very receptive. We brought in some guys that we know and the coaches who know me, that certainly helps, but I think there is a good culture here of learning and I’ve been impressed with what they’ve picked up.”

Knowles also discussed what he has learned about Tennessee’s pass rush in fall training camp.

“I thought we did well in the preseason,” Knowles said. “We’re creating some things through various schemes. Not going to get into game planning, but we did some things in fall camp that were effective. I was impressed with what we could generate against our offense, which is a really good offense. Like anything, game time will tell. Game time will tell.”

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Jim Knowles ‘pleased’ with Tennessee’s continued install progress