Matt Patricia's Arrival Could Lead to a Promising Future

Credit: Stephen Leonard Buckeye Backers

Matt Patricia arrived in Columbus with some skepticism from fans and media alike. Many of the criticisms were based on the lack of success as the Detroit Lions head coach with a startling record of 13-29-1 from 2018-2020. Even more recent concerns arose from his time in 2023 as the fill-in defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles' last four games of the regular season, which resulted in a poor record of 1- 3. Others inquired why no NFL teams were knocking down the door for his defensive coordinator services. 

Patricia replaced former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who left in a somewhat dramatic fashion, electing to take a lateral position with conference rival Penn State.  Allegedly, a rift with defensive line coach Larry Johnson and monetary negotiations led to Knowles’s departure. One thing we know for sure is there is no rift between Coach Patricia and Coach Johnson. When asked about Patricia, Johnson said, "he's a great teacher, makes it very simple for players to understand. The process, the orientation of the defense has been really cool".

After taking a year off, Patricia looks and sounds refreshed. On the two occasions he has met with the media, his high energy and positive attitude were evident. "Obviously, it’s awesome just to be able to come here,” Patricia said. “I have such respect for Ohio State."

Patricia met with the media after the first week of spring practices. “I’m just excited, you know. I just want to teach and I want to mentor, but really right now, I got to learn”. While it may be shocking to hear that a coach with three Super Bowl rings needs to learn at the collegiate level, This simply demonstrates Patricia’s humbling lessons from his stops with the Lions and Eagles, as well as his passion for ultimate success.

Patricia gave the media an insight into his upbringing by mentioning both his parents were teachers. He stressed that building relationships is a priority and professed he would be keeping his dad’s voice in his head when mentoring young men. This experience is bringing Patricia back to his roots as the son of teachers; mentoring teenagers is in his DNA. As a child, his experiences of being the son of not just one but two teachers have instilled characteristics for success on the recruiting trail. Let’s face it, three Super Bowl Rings will not hurt the process either. 

So far, everyone is saying the right things as it pertains to Patricia’s short tenure at Ohio State. Almost all of the questions regarding his hiring have been answered. All that is left is whether that will translate to success on the field this fall.