The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off winning the program's ninth national championship and have already turned their attention to defending their title in 2025. In the days following the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Championship Game triumph,

Here’s a round-up of the latest news pertinent to Ohio State’s defensive coordinator search. Former Wisconsin defensive coordinator — and interim head coach (2022) — Jim Leonhard seems to be staying put in the NFL.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left the Buckeyes program in a surprising turn of events, accepting the same job with the Penn State Nittany Lions

Wilks, who replaces Jeff Ulbrich as the Jets’ defensive coordinator, also has head coaching experience. He was Arizona’s coach in 2018 and was fired after the Cardinals finished 3-13. Wilks also was Carolina’s interim coach when he replaced the fired Matt Rhule in 2022 and went 6-6 with the Panthers.

The New York Jets have their defensive coordinator for Aaron Glenn. The team has reportedly tabbed veteran, longtime NFL coach and coordinator Steve Wilks as the DC for Glenn’s coaching staff, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero: The #Jets have agreed to terms with Steve Wilks as their defensive coordinator, per sources.

The New York Jets have agreed to bring on former NFL head coach Steve Wilks as the team’s defensive coordinator under coach Aaron Glenn, according to a league source.