The Ohio State Buckeyes are making a high-profile hire as their new defensive coordinator.
Former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia will be Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Patricia is also known as the New England Patriots’ longtime defensive coordinator and a close associate of Bill Belichick.
There were some hints that the Buckeyes were leaning toward hiring Patricia, even though has not worked at the college level in over two decades. He spent last season out of coaching after an uninspiring stint as interim defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. His reputation had already taken a hit due to his tenure with the Lions, where he went 13-29-1 over parts of three seasons and alienated a number of his players.
Patricia did not wind up on the staff of longtime mentor Belichick, who hired his son Steve as defensive coordinator at North Carolina instead.
Patricia does inherit a championship-winning defense ahead of the 2025 season. He takes over for Jim Knowles, who rather abruptly left Ohio State to take the same position with a conference rival.
Ohio State had to replace both coordinators this offseason, as Chip Kelly also bolted for the NFL following the Buckeyes’ national championship win. The Buckeyes went with an in-house promotion to fill that job.
