Ohio State is on the lookout for a new defensive coordinator following Jim Knowles’ departure to take the same role at Penn State, and a former NFL head coach is being considered for the position.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Matt Patricia visited Ohio State on Monday to discuss the opening for the defensive coordinator role.
Patricia brings two decades of coaching experience in the NFL, having taken a break this season after serving as a senior defensive analyst for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. While he has worked with college programs in the past, his most recent stint was as a graduate assistant at Syracuse in 2003.
Matt Patricia was in Columbus yesterday meeting with Ohio State about its defensive coordinator opening, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
The former Detroit Lions head coach was the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator from 2012-17.https://t.co/qOetA1jj8s pic.twitter.com/DIVro6xrLb
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 11, 2025
Most of Patricia’s coaching career has been spent under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. He gradually advanced through the ranks in New England, eventually becoming the team’s defensive coordinator in 2012. Patricia held the DC position for six seasons before being appointed as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Patricia was the head coach of the Lions for over two seasons, from 2018 to 2020, but his time with the team was not successful, recording a 13-29-1 record and failing to reach the playoffs. He later returned briefly to the Patriots before moving to Philadelphia.
Knowles held the defensive coordinator position at Ohio State for four seasons, during which the Buckeyes allowed only 12.9 points per game in their championship season this year, ranking first among 134 FBS schools. The new defensive coordinator will have considerable expectations to meet.
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