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By Megan Armstrong
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Ohio State finished the 2025 regular season 12-0. The Buckeyes were universally regarded as the No. 1 football team in the country before losing the Big Ten Championship to Indiana, the eventual undefeated national champions, and exiting the College Football Playoff in a 24-14 loss to Miami.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is choosing to judge defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the first twelve weeks rather than the last two.
After Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork confirmed to The Columbus Dispatch that the university reached a deal with Patricia to remain defensive coordinator, Day responded with excitement.
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"We wanted to make sure that we solidified Matt moving forward," Day told 10TV's Dom Tiberi. "He did a great job this year. He certainly, from the jump, built great trust within the building — with coaches, with players — and then you saw the product on the field. [I'm] really excited that we solidified his future at Ohio State."
Day declined to publicly disclose contractual details, deferring to Bjork.
With The Columbus Dispatch, Bjork explained that he was initially skeptical about how Patricia would translate from the NFL to college football, but after speaking with Patricia on the phone, Bjork was "blown away at his charisma."
"He could go down as one of the most legendary assistant coaches ever here," Bjork added. "Those things just fit perfectly. The performance speaks for itself. Statistically, total yards, points allowed per game, number one in the country. Back to those games that we lost? On defense, we held them in check. So, just performance, fit, and relatability, it was just a perfect match, and that's why we wanted to make sure we retained him."
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Ohio State hired Patricia in February 2025 — fresh off winning the College Football Playoff National Championship the month prior. Patricia won two Super Bowls as the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. (He has three total Super Bowl rings, as he was an offensive assistant from 2004-05. The Detroit Lions hired Patricia as their head coach in 2018. He went 13-29-1 before the Lions fired him in November 2020. Patricia served as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.
Patricia instantly brought that pedigree to his first season in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 in total defense, red zone defense, and scoring defense. Cornerback Caleb Downs and linebacker Arvell Reese are widely projected to be top-10 picks, with linebacker Sonny Styles slated as a first-rounder, in April's 2026 NFL Draft. To top it off, Patricia was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best college football assistant coach.
The only thing missing was a national championship, which Ohio State will be firmly in the mix for come next season.
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