USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Aug 31, 2026 4:33 PM
After orchestrating a historic defensive masterclass in Columbus, Matt Patricia’s skyrocketing stock and record-breaking salary have NFL front offices weighing a potential return for the former head coach.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had some coaching turnover after defeating Notre Dame in the national championship in 2024, but the new hire of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia kept the program on the right path.
Patricia's defense, which sent three players to the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, was dominant last season. It was no surprise when Patricia signed a contract extension with Ohio State in February, making him the highest-paid coordinator of all time, set to make $3.75 million this season.
But even a hefty salary might not keep Patricia with the Buckeyes for long.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN named Patricia as a coach to keep an eye on before the next hiring cycle, and he could get looks from one of the 32 teams in the NFL.
"The justified skepticism surrounding Ohio State's hiring of Patricia has vanished," Rittenberg wrote.
"He oversaw a historically strong defense in his first season with the Buckeyes, and he's a huge hit in the college game despite spending the previous 20 years coaching in the NFL. A return to the pros is possible, but Patricia, 51, also should gain significant interest from college teams in the upcoming cycle."
One trait that will make Patricia attractive to the NFL or in college football is his flexibility. Patricia told reporters in camp that he's trying to cook up a new scheme as Ohio State will have several new starters on defense this year.
“Now schematically, obviously, we’re trying to figure out what everybody can do because we haven’t had that development with a lot of these guys, and they’ve all done different things in different places,” Patricia said, via buckeyesports.com.
“Camp is really important right now, really as we’re working on some fundamentals and stuff to see how those schemes work with some of the fundamental techniques that these guys can actually do.”
Patricia went 13-29 in the only head coaching stint of his career with the Detroit Lions. It would be interesting to see if another college program would take a chance on him before 2027.
An NFL job might be possible, but it might take a similar effort to 2025 on defense mixed with a national championship to get him there.
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