2025 Total Defense Ranking

[D-Vols]

#26 Penn St in year 1 under Knowles
#90 UT in year 5 under Banks

I really hope CJK defensive practices are much more physical than Banks were, I have no insight on either coaches practice habits, but this year, the guys just didn’t have the mean killer instinct that’s needed in a defensive lineman, like Omari Thomas and Omarr Norman-Lott. More stops, more forced 3 and outs.
We gave up 166 more points this year vs last year and only scored 59 points more than last year, I sure would’ve liked having last year’s defense this year.

2024 - 209 total points allowed vs 464 total points scored
2025 - 375 total points allowed vs 523 total points scored

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[Hacksaw]

Can we get Penn State's schedule strength, too?

 

[D-Vols]

Can we get Penn State's schedule strength, too?

Hell no, I want the Vols to play the toughest of schedules, we are Tennessee, not Notre Dame.

 

[farmdogvol]

Can we get Penn State's schedule strength, too?

With the SECs bowl record so far, their in conference strength of schedule is not looking so good.

 

[Vol_guy]

Watching Oregon play makes me jealous of their defense. Maybe one day I will see our defense play this good.

 

[D-Vols]

With the SECs bowl record so far, their in conference strength of schedule is not looking so good.

You are correct, the sec sos is looking weak

 

[stillwater5]

Watching Oregon play makes me jealous of their defense. Maybe one day I will see our defense play this good.

Not with more of the 3 star players Tn keeps signing while the other teams keep signing more 4 and 5 stars, only reason some of the schools that sign a lot of 3 stars and win is they have good coaches.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Hell no, I want the Vols to play the toughest of schedules, we are Tennessee, not Notre Dame.

Then don’t expect Knowles to work miracles

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Watching Oregon play makes me jealous of their defense. Maybe one day I will see our defense play this good.

Seen it last year

 

[CAVPUT]

Can we get Penn State's schedule strength, too?

I'd rather have their defensive coaching staff.

 

[kckempf]

#26 Penn St in year 1 under Knowles
#90 UT in year 5 under Banks

I really hope CJK defensive practices are much more physical than Banks were, I have no insight on either coaches practice habits, but this year, the guys just didn’t have the mean killer instinct that’s needed in a defensive lineman, like Omari Thomas and Omarr Norman-Lott. More stops, more forced 3 and outs.
We gave up 166 more points this year vs last year and only scored 59 points more than last year, I sure would’ve liked having last year’s defense this year.

2024 - 209 total points allowed vs 464 total points scored
2025 - 375 total points allowed vs 523 total points scored

NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com

Discover the current NCAA FBS Football leaders in every stats category, as well as historic leaders.

www.ncaa.com

Total defense isn't as good a metric as stop rate, as it depends on tempo and depending on the source includes defensive scores. Stop rate is more accurate, as the whole point of the defense is to stop drives, either via turnovers or forced points.

The most recent stop rate I could find was after Week 14, which didn't include the Vanderbilt game. We don't look any better in this stat, coming in 90. Penn State looks a lot worse when tempo is considered, though, coming in 70: Defensive stop rate for all 136 CFB teams after the regular season

 

[#1fulmerite]

I’m excited. We got a DC from a team whose coach got fired early in the season because he couldn’t win against ranked teams. With us not beating a single D1 team with a winning record this year, it’s fitting.

 

[stillwater5]

I'd rather have their defensive coaching staff.

I'd rather have their defensive coaching staff.

PSU conference is much better than the SEC. Tn would have lost a lot more games playing OSU, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, just to name a few.

 

[NCFisher]

Not with more of the 3 star players Tn keeps signing while the other teams keep signing more 4 and 5 stars, only reason some of the schools that sign a lot of 3 stars and win is they have good coaches.

TN literally signed the 7th ranked class nationally, 3rd in the SEC. AL signed #2 nationally and GA at #6.

 

[Volhoops]

I’m excited. We got a DC from a team whose coach got fired early in the season because he couldn’t win against ranked teams. With us not beating a single D1 team with a winning record this year, it’s fitting.

Go back one year and see his defense at OSU beat the living crap out of TN in the playoffs. That is what we are looking for. Penn State was a Franklin issue.

 

[D-Vols]

Then don’t expect Knowles to work miracles

I do not expect a miracle in the next year, somewhere around top 30-40 would be great, but I’m hopeful 2027 brings a top 15-25 defense.

 

[Flipdaddy]

Folks we need jimmies and joes, coaching won’t make much of a difference without them.

 

[D-Vols]

Folks we need jimmies and joes, coaching won’t make much of a difference without them.

We just got a Jim Knowles, hopefully we can find a Jimmy Streater, Jimmy Calloway or a Jimmy Holiday. As for a Joe goes, hopefully we don’t get a Milton, a couple of mean Joe Greens would be nice

 

[Skooter]

We just got a Jim Knowles, hopefully we can find a Jimmy Streater, Jimmy Calloway or a Jimmy Holiday. As for a Joe goes, hopefully we don’t get a Milton, a couple of mean Joe Greens would be nice

And Joe Montegna