Why Matt Patricia?

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has hired Matt Patricia as the Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator. Generally, adding a coach who has multiple Super Bowl rings would be something worth touting.

Day’s decision, however, has not been received with overwhelming approval from fans and media. Adding somebody of Patricia’s background — he hasn’t coached in college since 2003 — was definitely a surprise, but being able to hire somebody who was successful enough as a defensive coordinator to land a head coaching job in the NFL certainly qualifies him for the position in Columbus.

Patricia began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2004 as an assistant offensive line coach. Two years later he was moved to linebackers coach, where he stayed for five seasons. He then spent one season as the safeties coach before taking over as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator in 2012.

In his six years as defensive coordinator, the Patriots won two Super Bowls — snapping a 10-year drought along the way. Patricia was then hired by the Detroit Lions and he did what every Lions head coach had done before him — he lost. He was fired before his third season was over.

If failing as a head coach was a disqualification from being a defensive coordinator, Ryan Day would have never been able to hire Jim Knowles three years prior.

Of course, the thing about hiring one of Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinators is that Belichick is going to get all of the credit for any defensive successes and none of the blame. It is also difficult to give a defensive coordinator too much credit when his team has the greatest quarterback to ever live.

But let’s at least look and get an idea of what Matt Patricia’s defenses did over his six years so that we can accurately justify our anger.

We’ll take this year-by-year during his defensive coordinator tenure.

2012: Ninth in the NFL in points allowed, 25th in total defense, second in takeaways, ninth in rushing yards allowed, sixth in rushing yards per attempt.

2013: 10th in the NFL in points allowed, 26th in total defense, 10th in takeaways, 30th in rushing yards allowed, 24th in rushing yards per attempt.

2014: Eighth in the NFL in points allowed, 13th in total defense, 16th in takeaways, ninth in rushing yards allowed, 10th in rushing yards per attempt.

2015: 10th in the NFL in points allowed, ninth in total defense, 22nd in takeaways, ninth in rushing yards allowed, 15th in rushing yards per attempt.

2016: First in the NFL in points allowed, eighth in total defense, 14th in takeaways, third in rushing yards allowed, 10th in rushing yards per attempt.

2017: Fifth in the NFL in points allowed, 29th in total defense, 25th in takeaways, 20th in rushing yards allowed, 31st in rushing yards per attempt.

It was after the 2017 season that the Detroit Lions decided to make Matt Patricia an offer that he couldn’t refuse.

The numbers show a bend-but-don’t-break defense. Always in the top 10 in scoring defense while being scattered about in total defense rankings. The reason passing stats aren’t listed above is because teams have to throw the ball a lot when they’re trailing, and teams trailed the Pats a lot during this six-year stretch when they went to three Super Bowls and three AFC Championship games.

So then Matt Patricia went to the Lions after New England. How did they do? They were 13-29-1 when he was fired 11 games into his third season. How did those defenses do? Does it matter? Ryan Day isn’t hiring the Lions’ old coordinator, is he?

In the time after his firing in 2020, Patricia spent a couple of years back in New England as an “advisor,” and then landed in Philadelphia for a year as a “senior defensive assistant.” He then spent last year in the mediasphere and looking at college football.

What does this mean for the 2025 Ohio State defense? Ask again in September. Then ask again in October and every month after.

People can have their hot takes — and some of them may end up being right, but let’s not go into this pretending that Ryan Day is purposely hiring somebody he doesn’t think can do the job. Day may have built up a lot of credit with the national title, but he didn’t build it up that much.

Let’s also acknowledge that Ryan Day isn’t going to do something that jeopardizes the Ohio State culture. There has been too much work put in to think that he would risk it for a former head coach of the Detroit Lions.

There may be former players who didn’t like playing for Patricia in Detroit. Losing can do that to a person. But also some guys just shouldn’t be head coaches. And they don’t know it until they’re neck deep in it reaching and grasping for a vine or a root to pull themselves out.

So is this going to work out? Nobody knows, despite what some will tell you. In today’s age, the most controversial of hot takes is simply saying, “Let’s just wait and see.”

The expectation is that it should work out. There are some pretty smart football people making these decisions, after all. But the possibilities aren’t all positive. The next Ohio State head coach to prove perfect in his hiring will be the first.

Nobody is a guarantee, but judging somebody off of their inability to lead the Detroit Lions to wins is like judging a person’s ability to drive by how many Daytona 500s they’ve won.

At this point, Ryan Day has earned the benefit of the doubt.

And Matt Patricia will enjoy those benefits as well.

At least until the 2025 season opener against Texas is in the books.