It was two days after Ohio State’s national championship victory. At 5:40 a.m. James Franklin received a phone call. It was Jim Knowles, the orchestrator of the Buckeyes’ title-winning defense. About 10 days had passed since Tom Allen left Penn State to become Clemson’s next defensive coordinator. Suddenly, Knowles presented himself as a potential option.
“That’s when I thought it may be real, we have a chance,” Franklin said in February.
But until that call, Anthony Poindexter, the program’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach of four years, appeared poised to earn a promotion and fill Allen’s shoes, especially after the Nittany Lions’ missed out on USC’s D’Anton Lynn, a Penn State letterman. Knowles, however, was officially announced as the team’s next defensive coordinator four days later.
Poindexter had, for a third time, been passed over. He was a candidate to replace Brent Pry in 2021, Manny Diaz in 2023 and, most recently, Allen, this past winter. But rather than jumping ship for a new opportunity, Poindexter reportedly signed a multi-year contract extension with a pay raise and returned to his post with the Nittany Lions.
“Me and Coach were in conversation the whole time,” Poindexter said on Tuesday. “And when we had a chance to go get Coach Knowles, I was like, ‘Oh, we gotta go get him, make our program better.’ And, obviously, he had the No. 1 defense in the country a year ago, great d-coordinator. I’ve actually been knowing him down through the years. So, I was excited for it.”
Poindexter the player became a Super Bowl champion and College Football Hall of Famer. And Poindexter the coach has done more than enough to establish his worth as a Power Four defensive coordinator. He’s been a Division I position coach for two decades, coordinated for three seasons at UConn and has been at the core of Penn State’s recent defensive dominance.
“Coach Dex is the GOAT. I mean, he never wants to take credit for real, but right here I’m giving him all the credit,” safety Zakee Wheatley said. “Like, he’s a great coach. … He’s been in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl. He’s a College Hall of Famer. So why wouldn’t I listen to somebody who’s done it more than me at the highest level, and won a Super Bowl?”
The Nittany Lions have finished every year since Poindexter’s arrival in 2021 as a top-10 scoring defense. This past season, Penn State ranked No. 5 nationally in total defense and No. 6 in scoring defense. And across three College Football Playoff games this winter, Poindexter’s defense allowed an average of just 16 points.
Poindexter likely wouldn’t have much trouble finding a coordinating job, or better, if he wanted one. He was a candidate for Virginia’s head coaching vacancy that was ultimately filled by Tony Elliott. Poindexter is a valuable commodity to the Nittany Lions, no matter what his title implies. Franklin certainly acknowledges this ahead of likely his most highly anticipated season to date.
“Look, I think Coach has always shown that he values me. He had always did that,” Poindexter said. “So, for me, I’m about the team, and I just want to come here and help do my part to help us win. And, you know, we got close this year. Now we’re just trying to get over the top.”
