Ohio State Reportedly Completed Interview With Former New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia For Defensive Coordinator Vacancy
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Ohio State has reportedly completed an interview with a notable name from the NFL for its open defensive coordinator position Monday.
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Buckeyes met with former New England Patriots defensive coordinator and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patircia for the opening, adding another name to a growing list of candidates to replace Jim Knowles.
Patricia, 50, last served as a senior defensive analyst for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 — a year in which they finished with the seventh-worst total defense, giving up 6,054 total yards — but he is most known for the nine seasons he spent as the primary defensive play caller for the New England Patriots under now-UNC head coach Bill Belichik from 2009-17.
Patricia, who was with the Patriots from 2004-17, helped lead the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships during his nine years of calling plays and finish in the top 10 in the NFL in scoring defense in eight of those seasons. His most successful season came in 2016 when the Patriots allowed an NFL-fewest 15.6 points per game on its way to its second Super Bowl title in three seasons.
But Patricia’s NFL coaching career also includes some failures, most notably his three-year tenure as head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018-20. The Lions mustered up just a 13-29-1 record with Patricia in charge before he was fired just 11 games into the 2020 season. His teams ranked 15th, 26th and 32nd in scoring defenses in his three years with the franchise.
Now five years removed from his time with the Lions — he also spent two seasons as a senior advisor with the Patriots before joining the Eagles in 2023 — Patricia lands an interview with the reigning national champion Buckeyes, who are looking to find a new defensive coordinator after Knowles left for Penn State last month.
Ohio State has not yet officially interviewed anyone else yet, but a few names have emerged as potential candidates, including in-house assistants Matt Guerrieri (safeties coach) and Tim Walton (secondary/cornerbacks coach) as well as Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen.
Buckeye Sports Bulletin will have more on this breaking news story as news unfolds.