Beyond the Orange: Jim Knowles

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2:13Hello, we're buying welcome in for another episode of Beyond the Orange I'm your host Austin Price beyond the orange brought you by the great people at Knoxville smiles coming up tonight on the show We have Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles Coach Knowles you're a Philadelphia guy born and raised Take me through what it was like growing up in Philadelphia Well, there wasn't much grass. I mean that's that's that's the first thing, you know, I remember Finally getting the chance to play football and It was quite a bit of ways away to you know actually find a feel so you know we're in the inner city and You know took the subway to high school every day was able to you know take a test get into St. Joe's prep a great Private school and kind of get a scholarship there. So That changed that changed my life. You don't kind of opened my eyes to What else might be outside of the city because you when you live in inner city you really don't get out of there very much so

3:19That set me on of course, you know and To get to you know an Ivy League school and Eventually led to coaching really because of the guys who coached me when I was young. I mean they were all Cops and firemen and and plumbers and you know and they were they they had a huge impact on my life growing up in a in a tough area just like setting me on course and teaching me you know about discipline and and Teamwork and and how important your grades were so Looking back on I don't I don't know if I ever want to live in her city again sure but but you know The experience was certainly a big part of me you wrestle at St. Joe's you play football at St. Joe's you go on to play football at Cornell What did that experience teach you going from St. Joe's really popular? You know You know private school to Cornell and Ivy League institution

4:23Yeah, it just it just showed me how much Was available in our world in our country and and it kind of Unlocked Any fears I had about the future or you know not knowing Really what was out there, you know, I think St. Joe's prep open my eyes and then Cornell opened my eyes to To really where I could be anything that I want it to be you know you when you when you When you grow up in that inner city in Philadelphia is very parochial and neighborhood-ish and you know Sometimes it's hard to get out of that bubble and and I was the first in my family to go to college So I didn't really know anything about what else was out there and you know Cornell was a great place because Really the diversity even though it was an Ivy League school to Show me all the things that could be available You grew up in a time where Philly sports they were everyone in championships I mean Dr. Jay in the 76ers. I mean, you know, you had the Eagles doing their thing

5:26You know the Phillies. I mean like what was that light growing up in that city when they were you know Pretty diverse at all the professional sports about you know bringing home some hardware. Yeah The Eagles the Eagles made a Super Bowl back then with Dick for me. Oh, I remember that and and and lost But I was during the time when the flyers had a couple Stanley cops and I remember being out in the streets You know at the parade and everything and You know got to be around some good Philly's teams, but you know there was also I was also part of When the fans threw snow snowballs at Santa Claus, which is real, you know really ice balls. So you know It's it the fans there are pretty tough Do you think it made you tougher? I think so. I mean it gives you certainly gives you a thicker skin You know, you talk about the guys that coached you as a young at a young age Do you ever find yourself when you're coaching like that kind of sound like coach so and so, you know like you know I mean, do you ever find yourself thinking back to those some of those days? Yeah, I do I do I mean the coaches

6:29You know when you're young and I think Still in college. That's why I've remained in college You can really an influence influence a young person's life and those things stick with you my college coach was Maxi Bond who was a you know great NFL player Played at Georgia Tech and and you know All American and you know long career in the NFL and and he had a huge effect on me So yeah, those are those are lasting impressions Philly such a historical town Right in Constitution and dependence hall all that stuff Tennessee's a historical place. What did you what did you admire about Tennessee from afar before you got here I mean, it's documented your daughter went here, but I mean like what what did you always admire about Tennessee? Tradition, you know, I think it's just you know again when you're when you're young and Intercity of course, I'm a little bit older. So we only had three channels on the television, you know, but

7:31You always knew who Tennessee was, you know, I mean just kind of that like that the T was like a beacon, you know When you're like a young football fan and you and you don't know That much about the world by the that T that orange T was so recognizable and Yeah, even before my daughter went here, you know my affiliation with David Cuckliffe really Kind of upgraded my knowledge about Tennessee and the tradition that was here and the expectations I certainly Remember the time of you know Johnny majors and then All the success that was that got to be around him a little bit, you know, so kind of Legendary a little bit I guess for me, you know as I was coming up in the profession and Always stood out as a premier place in a premier program. What have you found since you've been here? Same thing. Yeah, the same thing, you know, I mean the resources are amazing, you know, I think the commitment

8:36From our administration and what I see in terms of you know, competing in the transfer portal and the NIL world and and the resources, you know that We have around the players, you know the care team all those people who kind of touch the players From all the places I've been I mean here at it's second to none all the resources available the players for every area of their life and then Coach hypo is just a really different than Any coach I've been around in the way that he is extremely down the earth you know My fiance and I flew down here and You know to talk about the job he picked us up at the airport took us Right to his house with as well. I mean that has never happened for me, you know On an interview or time to meet people, you know, it was it's really um

9:37You know family oriented isn't overused word, but I do feel that here We have it stemming from coach hypo in the community. There seems to be Just great support. I guess I would say surrounding our players Inside the building outside the building with the fan base We'll talk more with coach knows when we get back Matlock tire service and auto repair is proud to be celebrating 70 years of serving East Tennessee That's 70 years of old school customer service trustworthy auto repair and of course great deals on tires Each one of our five convenient East Tennessee locations feature family-friendly waiting areas And you can schedule appointments and search for tires right on our website at matlock tire service dot com Modern convenience hometown values for 70 years and counting matlock tire service and auto repair A beacon of hope in a world of high prices look to the skies nox mill super savings is here

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12:44Bleeding together sweating together going through the ups and downs and and you know being able to joke with those guys at some point, you know to have that kind of back and forth relationship. I mean, I'm I'm pretty hard on them, but Challenging them, but I'm always waiting for those moments where they actually you know Chirp back and try to stand out for themselves because that shows me that okay You think you're getting it now you think you know you have an opinion, you know now you're not just now You're not just listening to me. You're actually you know Taking that all in and then you're seeing something on the field that I challenge you on and you know I think it makes me smile when they finally come back at me, you know because when you're new You know and you're you're hard on them and you're really driving that driving that ship And they want to be coached so so they listen they take it, you know And then eventually when they think they're right

13:44You know, just like your children and then they start to then they start to Kind of come back at you that makes me smile because then I'm like, okay now we got something now we got something going When you first started to hear or what I first started here your name with this job I picked up the phone I called Thomas and Devon Harper who are from Karns They played for you at Oklahoma State and they're huge fans, right? I mean they you know Thomas is with the lions devons out of football But I mean they learned they talk about how much they learn from you there and they the guy they described You know will coach you will climb up in you during practice But loves you as soon as practice is over and I said you're describing Rodney Garner Like that's the same type of guy Like it just kind of an old-school mentality Take me through that like you know how you're able to separate one from the other. Yeah, I mean that it it is old school I think this the new generation of coaching, you know, I guess we always say that about a younger generation But sure now that they're soft on them, but you know, it's just it's not in their nature. Yeah, it's not in their nature where we were raised by

14:50Tough coaches, you know, you talk about what sticks with me from my youth is, you know Jumping off sides when I'm seven years seven years old and getting kicked in the button having to run a lap You know and I seven, you know my mother came in one practice. She's like I can't come to any more of those practices Those guys are too hard on you know, but that's the way they can that's the way they coach you back You know you could you couldn't get away with that now, you know, but I love those guys Still it gives me goosebumps to think about them because I love those guys and that's What I want to have with my players, you know what that just is as Devon and that's great to hear that they describe that that way Because that's what I want to have. I want to be able to be hard on like you have to have high expectations of your players You know, and you have to take your You're teaching seriously if you if you're saying a kid can't learn Basically, you're saying my teaching skills are not good enough, you know And like coaches like to point fingers sometimes, and you know, I always point them out myself. I mean, it's my job to teach them Now so you got to push them to teach them you got to be demanding

15:52But they they they want that no matter what generation it is They still want to be coached as long as they trust you You know if they trust you you can be demanding When you got here How big was Getting Anthony point Dexter Andrew Jackson and even when Michael Hunter here for a brief minute And then you go get dairy Jones all guys that know your system then you had a few players from the transfer portal that know your system How much does that help you install in spring and kind of flip things faster? It's it's invaluable. It's invaluable You know, you also like You know in our business these days. We have the lead coaches, but we have a lot of other people around them You know as you know the desk is a dev ski Shane Eaches, you know, who I raised he was he was a GA forming Oklahoma State and then Then an analyst at Penn State, you know, and then we're bringing it Josh Chorba. I just brought in from Ohio State and Jorge was the student assistant for us at

16:52At Penn State Bradley Thomas Was with me at Oklahoma State at David Parker from Penn State, you know These are the people that they but they get a lot of work done You know, they're the ones who get a lot a lot of the playbook and all that stuff done and they know what I do And yeah with Dex and AJ and sorry to lose Michael, but DJ um Is fantastic and he knows what I'm doing also so you save You save a lot of time because most of the time when my last couple times I've done this I haven't really been able to bring anybody so The majority of your time is spent Teaching the coaches, you know, that's what you have to teach the coaches and and now that whole process can be sped up How did you you predominantly work with linebackers, but how did an all conference defense event turn into a linebacker guru Well, I was a linebacker, you know, I just they eventually determined I was too slow. That's all yeah That's basically what it was you know, I was too slow and I became a linebacker, but um

17:52Yeah, my defense coordinator in college. Well, I was a linebacker up until like maybe sophomore year in college and through high school and all through, you know, little league, but My defense coordinator who later worked for me when I was a head coach at Cornell. He'll tell you that yeah I was one of those guys even if I was playing D and outside linebacker on one side. I'd be Standing up like yelling across to the other side. That's just how I saw the game like I had no Place coming over there. This guy's pulling, you know, so I think um I just always had that Kind of vision to be able to to see the game and see things before they happen We'll talk more about his vision for the Tennessee defense when we come back Roger you by food city. It's the ask coach Michael show Hello and welcome to ask coach hypo. I'm your host Josh hypo Brent writes Coach no any good dad jokes Hey, Brent. Thanks for asking. Why is grilling so great in Knoxville?

18:56Because the balls always bring the heat This has been ask coach hypo brought to you by food city the official tailgating headquarters of the balls Attention drives connection tell your story well go popfiz.com slash ball I'm Tennessee basketball player JP Estrella. Let me give you a tour here of the offices at Knoxville smiles Dr. Costa is placing implants with a robot and it's all done digitally There's no guessing with this since it's all robotic. Dr. Wilco is a newest addition to the office He loves to research the latest and greatest in technology So the other doctors go to him for the newest product information and techniques Dr. Malone is building teeth in the mouth to him cosmetic bonding is more like artwork He does this without cutting your teeth down. It's all about building them up Guys we stole it from y'all bigger chair

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23:22Attention drives connection tell your story well go popfiz.com slash ball One of our proud presenting sponsors is guards law their motto is let us help Who's helped you the most over the course of your career? Well, I mean I already mentioned David Cuckliffe and I know he's got such a you know really story tradition with Tennessee So I'm not Saying this just because of that. I would say anyway. He helped me tremendously You know, I was a kind of got my first big break with him at Ole Miss and And then who was only there a brief time and went back to be the head coach of Cornell and then You know, he brought me back with him at Duke where I spent eight years and he you know he and I Collaborated really on even though he was an offensive guy, you know, I learned so much from him In terms of organization and how to run a program, but also, you know, we were able to go back and forth on

24:23You know What hurts an offense? What are they looking for? You know So he really I think grew my career, you know, and You know, I learned from him, you know, a good carpenter doesn't complain about his tools and the you know There's no excuses and finding new ways right and because a lot of guys reach a certain age in this profession And they stop growing, you know, they kind of get to be well. This is the way I do it. And this is the way we're going to do it And I grew a ton under him just thinking about things in different ways and then a lot In the big 12 I think a lot of of my growth as a coordinator to happened in the big 12 Under coach Gandhi because of the way, you know They were really throwing the ball back then and things were wide open, you know So I had to come up with a few different things there, you know, and and that helped me Become more complete. I think as a coordinator Before we started talking you told me that you felt like the the team was kind of hungry motivated

25:26Had a bad taste in their mouth from last year I know last year didn't go as well for you when you made the move from Ohio State Depend state just in terms of you know the season didn't go the way y'all wanted to as a whole not defensively just as a whole Um, do you feel like that your your motivated just as much as the players are? Yeah, I mean Look, you know with the 24 and number one defense in the country national champion and Go to Penn State and you're exactly right things don't always go as planned. So yeah, if you're a competitor You know, you want to be able to write it write a new script, you know, and I think that's a really one of the attractions here is that um There had been some past success, you know, and and Last year defensively was not good and uh, you know coach high pool has really given me the opportunity to bring people in and write it the way I want to write it, you know, and uh Yeah, I'm excited for that

26:27What can Tennessee fans expect out of your defense? I mean, I know they've been watching film They've been trying to research it and stuff, but what you know and looking at stats, but what do you feel like they can count on? You know schematically Yeah, I'm not going to give too much away, but we're gonna have to we're going to be uh In order to stop people you have to be adaptable right because in college offense It's not the NFL where every offense is pretty much the same. I mean college is they're they're wildly different So you have to be adaptable and and adjustable and and you got to have answers, you know I think that's what I take that's when keeps me up at nights and the fans like You can't get keep getting beat on the same play or the same thing, you know, I mean That's why that's why I think people get most fresh. Yeah, they are you're right. Yeah, yeah, you've got to be able okay You may get us once on that, but we got now we got to take that away and I make you do something else I think that's like the heart of defense too. It's like, you know There may be a player to hear there or something happens, but

27:31We have got to fix it, you know, that's my job. I feel like you've been on the message boards like you just like you you're speaking the fans language No, I don't I know you I don't get on there, but yeah, it's uh, you know In the course of my career. I don't get I don't get on there, but sometimes you always have friends tell you about things You know, it's like hey, man. Don't worry about what they're saying about you on the message when I'm like Well, I wasn't worried about it, but thanks for thanks for telling me Yeah Well, what kind of player do you look for? I mean do you mean like do you like bigger defensive tackles? Do you like bigger linebackers? I mean is there I don't want to say you have to paint it with the same brush every time But I mean like yeah, no, it's a good question. I mean no, I have not I have not I think I'm When you come up through the ranks Right, I mean I played Ivy League football, you know I call it division 68, you know, I'm saying I mean, you know and worked my way up through coaching

28:32that You just look for the best and the toughest players and guys who can get the job done So I've never been all hung up on size, you know, I mean because my job is to Make it fit, you know with guys who can play ball. So I'm I'm really looking for guys who can Master their position now as you as I've reached the upper levels You do like to have those guys who can fix it if there's a mistake. Yeah, that's what that to me. That's where I was Yeah, the racers right or they got yeah because you're always gonna face unscript what I call unscripted place Happens all the time. Yeah, we put you prepare guys forever On things and then you're gonna see something game you haven't seen before You know and so now that's an unscripted play I call it right because I have I haven't really shown them that particular player that Formation for sure that play And you need guys who can and can fix it. So that I mean you you do like

29:33Those guys, but they don't always have to be the biggest guys They just have to have great football intelligence, you know Malcolm Rodriguez a linebacker I had with with Oklahoma state. He was a wrestler. I love I love wrestlers, you know if we can get him Because they get people on the ground They get people on the ground. He was a wrestler and he's still with the lions and he's got it on him You know if he's six foot undersized linebacker who I move from safety but He could learn the scheme and play fast because there's The ball is always gonna end up pretty much. I mean he gets them unpredictable things, but If I call certain defense and they run a certain play The ball's gonna end up here We will wrap up this episode of Beyond the Orange right after this A beacon of hope in a world of high prices look to the skies Knoxville super savings is here

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31:37There were some facts that needed to be presented that could help me with my case I was exonerated I would contribute that to mr. Garza and his staff's efforts He assured me that he would do all within his power to assist me in seeing this through The Garza law firm let us Hello and welcome to ask coach hypo i'm your host Josh Hypo Glenn asked coach. How does one join the ball Navy? It's a great question Well, Glenn you don't necessarily need a boat you need a friend with a boat Always arrive with beef fresh cut by a food city butcher and you'll be welcome to bowl This has been ask coach hypo with me coach hypo This week's food city flashback takes us back to 1998. It's the great team Martin Against South Carolina 23 consecutive completions at the time. It was a NCAA record

32:40It was broken just a few years ago Credit to number 17 had a heck of a career and that season ended pretty magical for Tennessee What's the goal this year? What I mean is there is there one over arching go? What do you want to get done in spring practice? How important are these next 15 days? Yeah, I mean you have to go one step at a time, you know You will always rise and fall to the level of your habits So The goal is to develop great habits And that comes Not just in the weight room or off the field or with your schoolwork It comes how you think and how you study the game and how you approach the game That's an habitual thing too, you know, so how they learn how you learn football, you know, if you are a great At applying yourself Whatever level you have if you're a great at applying yourself

33:41And wanting to learn and be coached you develop those habits you become a great player and then you become a great defense and a great team self Right away We're just working to build the best habits and the players that we can do He said I see deep. It's a coordinator gym knows coach knows we appreciate it's going to be on the arch with us. Thank you Not to brag or anything, but our beast new 799 meat and three boxes kind of a big deal The other guys give you just one side we give you three sides not to brag you get a meaty sandwich curly fries Mott sticks a sweet treat and a drink all for just 799. It's more meal for your money More meal for your money more meal for your money. What would I come from? Orbeez we have the meat and participating Arby's for a limited time