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Ryan Day Hires Matt Patricia as Ohio State’s Next Defensive Coordinator: Pros and Cons of Hire

Ohio State hired Matt Patricia as their next Defensive Coordinator. We look at the pros and cons of the move

Patrick Weider
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By Patrick Weider 

When Jim Knowles left as Defensive Coordinator of Ohio State to take the same position for Penn State, there was a long list of potential hires for Ohio State and Ryan Day. Matt Patricia was not one of the hires most people anticipated getting the Defensive Coordinator position, but it was widely reported he landed the Defensive Coordinator position yesterday. Patricia has not coached since the 2023 season when he was a Senior Defensive Assistant for the Eagles.

Patricia was best known as Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017 and over his complete tenure in New England from 2005 to 2017 he was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. He also was Head Coach for the Detroit Lions from 2018-2020, although he struggled badly. Below are some pros and cons of his hire. 

Pro-Great Football Knowledge

Very few people probably understand defensive football better than Patricia. He spent thirteen years coaching with Bill Belichick, widely considered one of the best defensive coaches in sport’s history. He knows more about designing schemes and coming up with game plans than most defensive coordinators do at the College level. Ryan Day will not find a more seasoned defensive coordinator who will not be tricked by anything he sees at the College level. 

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Con-Patricia has limited College Football experience

Patricia last coached at college in 2003 when he was a Syracuse graduate assistant, that is a long time ago. Now he won’t be expected to be a heavy recruiter because Jim Knowles wasn’t that either, but can he connect with college football players? I honestly do not know if he can. It is also hard to find many former NFL coaches who suddenly come to College Football and do well. Chip Kelly is an example of an NFL coach, but he also has lots of college experience. Another example is Eric Bieniemy. He spent most of his career in the NFL but was hired as the offensive coordinator at UCLA last year and it ended badly as he was fired at the end of the season. Lacking any real College Football experience is a real negative for Patricia.

Pro-He is looking to get back into coaching

This hire by Day reminds me of a Nick Saban hire when he was the Head Coach at Alabama. Saban would constantly hire guys that were fired from other places, bring them in, and give them a chance to rehab their images before they would move on to another opportunity. Lane Kiffin is a prime example. He was fired as Head Coach at USC and Saban hired him as Offensive Coordinator at Alabama. He then eventually landed at Ole Miss as its Head Coach. Patricia seems like a 1–2-year coach who will want to parlay this into an NFL defensive coordinator position. It helped Chip Kelly get back into the NFL this season, so Patricia will be trying to take the same route as well. My colleague Kyle Golik loves the hire and had this to say about hire:

“I don’t think Patricia is a long-term guy. I think Chip Kelly and Jim Knowles went through different circumstances, but you can rehab your image and get back to the level you want to be at”. 

Golik makes a good point about Patricia, as he is trying to improve his image and move on to another opportunity. 

Con-Patricia was a disaster as Head Coach of the Lions 

No way to spin it, but Patricia was a disaster as the Head Coach of the Lions. It wasn’t just his losing record (13-29), it was the way he treated people. He seemed to be the control freak like Belichick, without the success that he had. Patricia seemed to not have the personality to deal with the media and all the responsibilities of a Head Coach. Now he is not in the role of Head Coach, but can he come in a mesh with the staff, players, and media? At Ohio State there are a lot of eyeballs on you, can Patricia handle that? I am not sure. Ohio State has one of the biggest beats in College Football. The media will be very critical of him if he struggles at Ohio State. Can he handle it? These are legit questions to ask of Patrcia. He will be under a huge microscope and be expected to deliver results or he be roundly criticized.

Pro and Con-He has a capable staff around him 

The defensive coaching staff at Ohio State looks like they are all coming back to coach under Matt Patricia. Patricia is brought in to run the defense with the staff Day assembled. How will he mesh with the defensive staff? That is another huge question mark. This is something Day and the staff will have to work out together. Especially defensive line coach Larry Johnson. He is one of the best defensive line coaches ever and there were plenty of reports that he and Jim Knowles butted heads when he was at Ohio State. How will Patrcia coordinate the defense will cornerbacks coach Tim Walton who is reportedly being promoted to co-defensive coordinator? These are all interesting and important questions going forward for Day and Patricia. 

Final Thoughts

When you are Ryan Day and you’re coming off winning a National Title you can do things like this and hire Matt Patricia. It is a big swing for Day, and it could work out or it could end in an abject failure. Back in 2015 coming off a National Title Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer brought in Tim Beck as offensive coordinator and promoted Ed Warinner as co-offensive coordinator, and it did not end well after two years both moved on. Day’s 2nd defensive coordinator was Kerry Coombs, and he fired him as well after his 2nd season. Time will tell if Day gets this hire right. 

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