The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Jeff Knowles.
Defensive coordinator · 6 seasons · 3 stints · 3 programs0 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense−0.13#324 of 458 · a typical amount
The tenure clock
Every stop re-aligned to its own first year, so the stops stack instead of scrolling past each other. The gray dashed line is a reference, not a path: each point is the median of whoever was still in the job that year, across every real OC/DC stint since 2014 at that role, and the pool shrinks year over year because surviving to a later year means not having been fired.
Northern Illinois 2018–2018
Temple 2019–2021
Ball State 2024–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Temple, 3 years
−49.2
67.3 to 18.1 percentile.
Ball State, 3 years
+45.5
5.6 to 51.1 percentile.
Median defensive coordinator
+1.0
first season to last, across 239 stints of 3+ years. 52.3% improve at all.
Every stop on the calendar
| Years | Program | Walked into | Year 1 | Best | Vs. talent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2018 | Northern Illinois | 85.8 | 78.1 | 78.1 | +32.6 |
| 2019–2021 | Temple | 65.8 | 67.3 | 67.3 | −13.2 |
| 2024–2026 | Ball State | 80.1 | 5.6 | 51.1 | −10.2 |
Northern Illinois 2018–2018: ranked 86th the year before he arrived, 78th at its best — went backwards.
Ball State 2024–2026: ranked 80th the year before he arrived, 51st at its best — went backwards.