Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia opens up about his expectations for 2026 while talking about what excites him about being in Columbus.
The line is long for people who questioned and even disagreed with Ryan Day's decision to bring in Matt Patricia last season as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator. Unfortunately, I am at the front of that line.
I was, admittedly, against the hire as I thought it was forced, and it didn't make any sense.
Man, was I wrong.
Patricia was so good on so many levels for last year's Ohio State team.
The defense was the best in the country, and week after week, it was so confusing for opposing coaches, teams, and quarterbacks to decipher. Not only that, but Patricia was such a critical mentor to the young players on the team.
My favorite part about what he brought to Ohio State was first, the way he used Caleb Downs and Arvell Reese on third downs, but a very close second is the very obvious and real relationships that he built with all the players.
At the end of the season, the rumor mill got rolling, and Patricia's name began to surface for some of the college openings, but it got really loud around the head coach openings in the NFL.
Those obviously cooled off, and early this week, Patricia had the opportunity to speak with The Silver Bulletin and talk about what Ohio State means to him.
“It was unbelievable for me. It’s been a minute since I’ve been in college football, and that game day experience, that game day atmosphere, the shoe, our fans—that was amazing. You know, to go out there against Texas and just to have that support and that energy, how can you not love it?"
Now, this is a coach who has coached in and won three separate Super Bowls at the pinnacle of the sport. He knows what a good atmosphere is, and he knows the type of environment that he wants to be a part of. It sounds like he struck gold in Columbus.
What always was fascinating to me was that Patricia spent the vast majority of his over 20-year career in the NFL. The only college experience he had prior to last season was from 1996-2003 at RPI, Amherst, and Syracuse.
He then spent the next 20 years in the NFL with a hiatus from coaching mixed in there.
In terms of what his actual defense is going to look like, Patricia had this to say:
"Just do everything we can to try to build the defense again. It’ll be another new set of players out there, just like it was last year, but I’m excited about those young guys. I can’t wait to get them out on the field in front of our group and go have some success, hopefully.”
A modest answer from a guy who knows that this is going to be a challenge for him to replace four very key pieces on his defense. While the Buckeyes looked nearly unstoppable on defense last year, it was in large part due to the incredible players on the roster.
Downs, Styles, Reese, and cornerback Davison Igbinosun aren't walking through that door anymore. Those guys are gone, and it's up to the next crop of guys to fill their big shoes.
Ohio State is so lucky to have Patricia leading the charge for their defense, and in his words, hopefully his group continues to have some success on the field next year.