Reports: Jim Knowles To Become Duke's Defensive Coordinator

Cornell head coach Jim Knowles will leave his alma mater to become the new defensive coordinator at Duke, multiple Ithaca newspapers reported Wednesday. He will replace Mike MacIntyre, who recently left Duke to take the head man's job at San Jose State.

Knowles, the head coach at Cornell since 2004, told the Press & Sun Bulletin that his talks with Duke started on Saturday. "It boiled down to finances, job security and the opportunity to work with what I think is a great coach and an unbelievable staff," Knowles told the newspaper. "Duke's a great university, but it still took a lot of deliberation."

Knowles compiled a 26-34 record in Ithaca, including a 2-8 mark this year. In 2005, his defense finished second nationally in rush defense and fourth nationally in total defense. Before his time at Cornell, Knowles held an assistant coach position at Western Michigan and was the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss. In his one season in Oxford, Mississippi finished 10-3, and the rush defense finished 14th nationally.