Interesting response, Eric. A 7 or an 8 is fair. The addition of a big name like Knowles to replace Tom Allen, at a price of more than $3 million per season, speaks to Penn State’s commitment. Regarding Penn State’s Anthony Poindexter and Dan Connor, I don’t see them as being similar to Knowles, at least not yet.

Penn State made the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles official on Monday. Here's what each had to say about the move

Knowles will make Penn State's defense one of the best in the country, but his addition might help the offense too.