Ryan Day admits the problem Ohio State football is still going to deal with after Matt Patricia signed an extension with the Buckeyes
Matt Patricia is sticking around with the Buckeyes and it means future worry for Ryan Day.
Ryan Day took a risk a year ago when he hired Matt Patricia as the Ohio State Buckeyes next defensive coordinator to take over for the departing Jim Knowles.
Day’s decision worked out and Patricia has been everything the Buckeyes could have hoped for. Patricia’s success is likely why Day was comfortable going to the NFL to get Arthur Smith to call offensive plays recently.
Coordinator turnover is nothing new to the Buckeyes, and though Patricia has inked an extension, worry about him leaving will persist.
Ryan Day says the quiet part out loud about Matt Patricia
“He’s somebody who has a tremendous resume, but has a young family who really enjoys being Buckeyes,” Day said recently. “There’s still gonna be people that come after him moving forward, but that’s what happens when you do well and have success at Ohio State.”
The last part says it all. Ohio State is going to have to deal with outside programs at the college and NFL levels having interest in Patricia as long as the defensive success continues. Ohio State allowed just 219.1 yards per game and 9.3 points per game in 2025, both ranking No. 1 in the FBS.
Patricia hadn’t been at the college rank since 2003 when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse. Waiting until he was 50 years old to return to a college game that’s very different than a couple of decades ago wasn’t well accepted by everyone when Patricia made the decision. With Patricia a Broyle’s Award finalist this past season, it worked out just fine.
Ohio State is losing S Caleb Downs, LB Sonny Styles, and LB Arvell Reese to the NFL amongst others. Replacing them won’t be easy, and Patricia will have his work cut out for him to get back to last season’s level. A new contract in hand will only help his cause.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
Ohio State football has solved their big Matt Patricia question that’s been looming, and it’s great news for the future of the Buckeyes
Ohio State is keeping Matt Patricia around for a while longer.
