Penn State has hired two assistants with ties to new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Brent Zdebski, formerly of Ohio State, and Shane Eachus, who served as Georgetown’s defensive backs coach over each of the past two years, have been added to James Franklin’s staff directory as defensive analysts.
Zdebski is a loyal Knowles disciple. He assisted the safeties at Oklahoma State in 2021, when Knowles was serving as the program’s defensive coordinator. Knowles brought Zdebski along when he was hired as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator in 2023. And Zdebski served as a defensive quality control coach there over the past three seasons.
Eachus was also acquainted with Knowles while working for the Cowboys. He served under Knowles as a graduate assistant, primarily working with the linebackers, at Oklahoma State from 2018 to 2020. Eachus is a native of Aston, Pennsylvania, and was a three-year starter at Collegeville’s Ursinus College.
Zdebski and Eachus replace analysts Thomas Allen and Robb Smith on the Nittany Lions’ staff. Allen followed his father, Tom, who was announced as Clemson’s defensive coordinator in January after one year in the same role at Penn State. Smith was named Rutgers’ co-defensive coordinator/defensive play caller on Tuesday after two seasons with the Nittany Lions.
Franklin now has 13 analysts on his staff with the additions of Zdebski and Eachus. That list includes defensive assistants Dan Connor, Vic Hall and Charles Walker.
