Knowles Sets High Bar for Vols Defense | Tennessee Volunteers Football News

Tennessee’s No. 18-ranked football team kicks off their season Saturday against Furman, marking a high-stakes debut for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles—his first game with the Vols. Knowles is setting an impossible bar: zero yards, zero first downs, zero points allowed. He believes perfect practice makes permanent, demanding flawless execution from day one and taking full ownership of his players’ mistakes. With stops at Penn State and Ohio State under his belt, Knowles brings Big Ten-level discipline to Knoxville, focusing on relentless preparation over opponent-specific tactics. The game starts at 3:30 PM ET on SEC Network Plus. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/f513a42b4d9c8259