Patricia Staying
Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has agreed to a new contract with Ohio State.
Matt Patricia is officially staying at Ohio State.
The Ohio State defensive coordinator has agreed to a new contract with Ohio State despite receiving interest for NFL jobs, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told The Columbus Dispatch.
While Patricia never formally interviewed for any NFL jobs this offseason, rumors circulated that multiple NFL teams were interested in Patricia after his successful first season at Ohio State, in which the Buckeyes had the best defense in the country. But Bjork said Patricia was “always committed to staying” at Ohio State.
“He was always committed to staying here,” Bjork said. “I know his family loves it. His kids have fit in well. ... We just kept a constant dialogue before we got to an agreement with him.”
Patricia signed a three-year contract worth $2.5 million per year when he became Ohio State’s defensive coordinator last offseason. Ohio State has not yet announced the terms of Patricia’s new contract, but it’s anticipated that he will make at least $3 million in a contract that will make him one of college football’s highest-paid defensive coordinators.
In Patricia’s first year at Ohio State, the Buckeyes led the nation in both scoring and total defense. Ohio State held its opponents to just 9.3 points and 219.1 yards per game, the best marks for any FBS defense since Alabama held opponents to 8.2 points and 183.6 yards per game in 2011. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which honors college football’s assistant coach, though that award ultimately went to Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines after the Hoosiers won the national championship.
In an interview with Holly Rowe during the Broyles Award ceremony, Patricia described Ohio State as a “special place” and spoke fondly about his first season with the Buckeyes. He said he was happy to be back at the collegiate level after two decades in the NFL, including a lengthy tenure as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator and a three-year stint as the Detroit Lions’ head coach.
“For me to come back to college after about 25 years, it was just something that I really wanted to change. I wanted to get back to that environment, I wanted to get back to teaching and mentoring and helping kids develop,” Patricia said. “Just walking into that room and just being able to be around the kids and see that joy, that youthful energy and love for the game of football was just so invigorating to me. It just really brought me back to my roots of why I wanted to coach, and I just loved going in there and seeing their faces and watching them want to learn.”
Patricia successfully replaced eight starters – all of whom were selected in the NFL draft – to lead the nation’s best defense in 2025. He’s now tasked with rebuilding the Buckeyes’ defense once again as they replace seven starters from last season: defensive end Caden Curry, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, cornerback Davison Igbinosun, nickelback Lorenzo Styles Jr. and safety Caleb Downs.
With Patricia officially staying in the fold, Ohio State will have two former NFL head coaches as coordinators in 2026. Ryan Day hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Pittsburgh Steelers/Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator in January.
