The transition from the NFL to the college level is often jarring for former pro coaches.
For Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, having a fellow Buckeye coach who has already navigated the switch has been invaluable.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, now in his second year at Ohio State, has served as a sounding board and resource for Smith since the offensive coordinator’s hiring in late January, helping him navigate the transition to the college game.
Brought together under head coach Ryan Day, the two share a bond forged through years of experience at the highest level of professional football.
Now, Patricia and Smith find their units lined up against one another in practice, as iron sharpens iron during Ohio State’s fall camp.
“It’s so much fun to have him here. It’s great,” Patricia said. “Obviously, just practice all the stuff that we’re doing, trying to work against each other, different looks, different ideas. I’m certainly looking at his eyes, saying, ‘Hey, scout the defense for me here. Let me know what you see.’ Some disguised looks, different packages, which is great because he’s seen a bunch of that before and can speak on that.”
Before joining Ohio State, Patricia spent two decades in the NFL, including a 14-year stint with the New England Patriots from 2004-17. During that time, he helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls while serving in a variety of roles, including linebackers coach (2004-10), safeties coach (2011) and defensive coordinator (2012-17).
Patricia later spent three seasons as the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018-20, compiling a 13-29-1 record.
Smith, on the other hand, has 17 years of NFL experience, including 11 seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2011-20. He worked his way up the offensive ranks through a variety of roles with the Titans, including defensive and offensive quality control coach, assistant offensive line coach, assistant tight ends coach, tight ends coach and offensive coordinator from 2019-20.
He then spent three seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23, before serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator from 2024-25.
With both coaches having spent the majority of their careers in the NFL before moving to college football, Patricia understood many of the challenges Smith would face in making the transition to Ohio State.
“I talked to him a lot before and during the process just because he’s such a great coach,” Patricia said. “I have so much respect for him. I think we’ve gone through similar things in our careers in the NFL.
“Maybe my perspective of getting back around a bunch of great young men and coaching — how wonderful that is and maybe just telling him, reminding him of that a little bit, was cool. I think from that aspect of it, there’s always kind of the normal questions like, hey, ‘What’s the difference between the NFL and college? What’s the schedule? What does this look like?’ I was recruiting all that stuff. So just being able to give him some insight there was good.”
Beyond helping Smith navigate the differences between the NFL and college football, Patricia has also found plenty of common ground with his fellow coordinator.
Having gone through the same transition just a year earlier, Patricia said helping Smith navigate his own has made his Ohio State experience even more fulfilling, while also allowing the two to build a bond through their shared love of football history.
“We have a lot of fun talking about old stories too, which is great,” Patricia said. “The history of the game is really important to both of us, and he’s got a great history of the game. So it’s fun to tell those stories back and forth.
“I think what’s really cool is we’re just so blessed and lucky to be here at Ohio State with Coach Day, who brought us both in from the NFL and let us get that joy of coaching. Watching (Smith) maybe go through what I experienced last year was cool.”
