The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Jim Knowles.
Defensive coordinator · 12 seasons · 5 stints · 5 programs3 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense+0.45#15 of 458 · more than most
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.
Duke 2014–2017
Oklahoma State 2018–2021
Ohio State 2022–2024
Penn State 2025–2025
Tennessee 2026–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Duke, 4 years
+40.1
41.8 to 81.9 percentile.
Oklahoma State, 4 years
+83.1
16.5 to 99.6 percentile.
Ohio State, 3 years
+47.3
52.3 to 99.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2017 | Duke | no record | 41.8 | 81.9 | −7.5 |
| 2018–2021 | Oklahoma State | 47.3 | 16.5 | 99.6 | +9.2 |
| 2022–2024 | Ohio State | 75.8 | 52.3 | 99.6 | +11.8 |
| 2025–2025 | Penn State | 98.1 | 73.9 | 73.9 | +8.8 |
| 2026–2026 | Tennessee | no record | — | — | — |
No prior-season record for the first stop (Duke, 2014) — the data floor starts there.
Penn State 2025–2025: ranked 98th the year before he arrived, 74th at its best — went backwards.
Tennessee: just hired, no season coached yet.