Ohio State hired NFL coach Matt Patricia as its new defensive coordinator following reports that the two sides were nearing a deal, the university announced Thursday as part of multiple staff changes.

In the weeks immediately after defeating Notre Dame and winning the 2024 College Football Playoff championship, Ohio State underwent significant, sweeping changes to its coaching staff, with Chip Kelly leaving to be the Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles taking the same role at Penn State,

Matt Patricia became a household name with the Patriots, but his journey to Ohio State football started in New York — where he went from an engineer to a Syracuse graduate assistant.

Week 1 isn’t going to be the best version of the 2025 defense. And in the expanded College Football Playoff era, it doesn’t need to be.

Ohio State is in the process of hiring Matt Patricia, a longtime assistant and head coach in the NFL, as its defensive coordinator, a source told The Dispatch.

National champion Ohio State made the appointments of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline official on Thursday.

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was excited for Matt Patricia to become the next defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He posted a congratulatory message on his Instagram story after hearing the news. “Huge get for the program. Congrats Matty P,” Edelman posted.

With former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles making a lateral move to take the Penn State DC job, Ryan Day made the decision to replace him with a widely-panned coach that has Michigan fans celebrating and Ohio State fans and media lamenting the move.

Ryan Day has been taking his time and doing due diligence when it comes to finding a new defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, he has now

Day is hiring Patricia to fill the void left by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles leaving for the same job at Penn State.