Special guest Doug Lesmerises on Penn State adding Jim Knowles, potential of the 2025 PSU team

Penn State football fans, have we got a Blue-White Breakdown podcast for you. Special guest Doug Lesmerises, the creator of the Kings of the North college football podcast, joins Bob Flounders to discuss what new Penn State DC Jim Knowles brings to the table. Lesmerises, formerly of Cleveland.com, knows Knowles well from his days of covering Ohio State football. Doug also shares his thoughts on Drew Allar, James Franklin, and how good PSU can be in 2025.

[@stevegutshall2091]

Please don't take this as a slam its not. But does anyone else think that Doug has is the Mr. Rodgers of football? Great guy and love his insight.

[@Zinter1984]

Doug is awesome.

[@stickytriggers5513]

We Are ... PENN STATE !!

[@JimThomasMedia]

Great guest.

[@marshcreek4355]

This is a fantastic guest! A great point about college scoring and outcomes becoming more like the NFL. With NIL the teams will be more balanced and the scores will be closer. Bob is acting like the old days when the talent gaps were huge. No more. Everyone is getting better.

[@davidreidenberg9941]

And less like the way that college football is supposed to be.

[@jkay8it]

5:01 I disagree. Either Franklin told Tom Allen he should walk away, or Clemson offered him the job and Franklin said you should definitely take the job. We obviously did not try at all to fight and keep him. I don’t think he did as good as people thought he would and I also don’t think he got along with everybody in the program. There were communication issues all season long. And the soft coverage is playing 10 yards off the ball when they only need 5 yards was killing me all season.

[@joshbazon2764]

Kings of the North meets We are...Penn State! Screw the SEC.

[@jessebrant4703]

This guy (Doug) was the one in 2005 who predicted PSU would finish last in the Big Ten when they went 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl. Joe Paterno used his article for poster-board material to motivate the team.

He is right about teams toning down the regular season. Just make the playoffs should be the goal each year. Anything can happen from there.

[@bilalassaf3302]

This guy Doug is the most phony if I ever seen one😂😂😂 he's also the same Doug who predicted a couple years ago that the Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen was going to dominate the B1G conference and win the Heisman, so basically to me this Doug individual is totally clueless when it comes to the world of College Football 😂😂😂😂😂

[@standingupt]

Don’t even THINK Michigan did it like OSU! OSU didn’t cheat and played a murderer’s row to victory-winning by double digits each time! As Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman says to Charlie his caretaker who tried “water down” his drinks-“Please, don’t do that-don’t do that”!

[@RSeaker]

A review of BSU's play for its first TD in the Fiesta Bowl will show why the Knowles hire was a good one.

[@rephillips56]

According to On3's Pete Nakos, Oregon Ducks co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Chris Hampton is being considered one of the top candidates to take over as the new DC in Columbus.

[@lindencamelback2305]

I've thought for years there was too much emphasis on perfect seasons, assuming you don't loss to the same team every year. That is a different situation.

[@plumberphil5321]

As long as you have Hagans , you can forget the WR pass game

[@KB3TLE]

It will require maybe 4 years to really see what Knowles can do with the PS talent he has to work with ? And - he won't have experienced 4 & 5 year seniors (!) - every year (!) - to work with !!! Such is the real world - like the 2022 OSU team who he gave up 40+ points to Georgia chasing a championship ?!? 🤔 Then - 2 years later.......

[@timhoffman4360]

Soo... thinking ohio state may feel pretty good about jim leaving for ps. They got his buy out money and their main threat next year(penn state) they will know penn state defensive game plan in and out. Unless jim puts a special package together when we go to Columbus. Is anyone else seeing this?

[@LEE_65]

Man don't do this to me Bob. Don't get my hopes up like this.

[@kevinfogarty6924]

Parker Washington was a baller, too, under Franklin. Does Riley Thompson come back? I know Barker does, how about Sander?

[@larryizpr0]

Yes

[@justinbrosious6601]

He’s back

[@therealzeel3081]

Godwin, DeSean Hamilton, KJ Hamler, Juwan Johnson, Dotson, Parker Washington.....all legit receivers. Flounders is completely clueless and lazy.

[@robertmccamman4630]

Will any Ohio State players follow Jim Knowles to Penn State?

[@josephriley3658]

I’m nobody but I wouldn’t think so.

[@mikereeves282]

None of the starters

[@justinbrosious6601]

If they were smart

[@jeffreyullmer2831]

No. Buckeyes want to play for Natty's, not 7-3, maybe 8-2. Good enough Franklin ball

[@jeffreyullmer2831]

Ok you got Jim k, but you still have James f......just sayin

[@mikereeves282]

Not being a hater, but just not seeing the hype around pennst. Jim Knowles is great, but his D is very complex and it took him 3yrs to build what OSU just had with NFL players at every position on D. And then pennst doesn’t have close to the offensive skill players OSU had in 2024. RBs are really good, but then what? Maybe if Tyler Warren was coming back and they got 2 studs at WR in the portal……just don’t see it.