Ryan Day needed to start from scratch after a post-championship mass exodus. Ohio State had to let go of dozens of its veterans due to the portal shake and the draft call. They are no longer the team led by Will Howard, the iconic poster boy with a career-high passing yards (4,010), passing touchdowns (35), and passer rating (175.3) under his belt in the 2024 season. They are not even hosting the fiery playmaker Emeka Egbuka. Then, a whole lot of players on the defense have also left for the NFL. But perhaps the most disruptive one hit the defense. The national championship-winning team lost its top-tier defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, to the Nittany Lions. A blow or a blessing?
The Buckeyes head coach didn’t have the luxury to dwell on the past of losing a coordinator who took the defense to an elite No. 1 in the country. He went all in finding a similar high-profile name to fill in his shoes. Matt Patricia took the chair eventually in February 2025. A new chapter kicked in. Patricia comes with a pedigree of Super Bowl victories as a defensive coordinator with Bill Belichick’s Patriots. However, his coaching resume also has a failed head coach gig at the Detroit Lions. Last year, Matt Patricia was seen hosting a weekly show with Bill Belichick where they reviewed NFL games every week.
At Ohio State, the new DC not only has the responsibility of repeating what Knowles achieved in 2024. He also has to do it with a new roster. The DC knows his task. Spring came as a major test of his ability to handle a world-class defense. So, what’s on the plate? In an appearance on the May 22 episode of the Bobby Carpenter Show W/ Anthony Schlegel, former New England defensive coordinator came clean on his plan, style, and approach to retaining the standard that the OSU defense lived by.
“I think everyone really dove into teaching a lot of great football. Obviously, we played last year at Ohio State defensively, especially. We’re not trying to just do away with any of that. We’re not trying to change that,” Patricia waved a pattern change under his stewardship for the defensive unit. “We’re just trying to build on the things that were done previously, and I would say the biggest difference is probably just the way it was taught.”
Knowles has his own flexes and flaws. But Patricia doesn’t believe in memorization of an assignment. He would rather want to go with a concept-first approach to plug the players in different spots. “You know, it’s just I’m much more of a conceptual type of teacher, conceptual learning, and where you can take bigger picture schemes. Boil them down and teach the group that way. And that’s what I think brings the multiplicity to the defense. When you can do that and packaging and calling it a little bit different.”
This teaching method holds a lot of value when it comes to rebuilding a defense with a slew of new starters. By understanding concepts instead of just assignments, the players become versatile. The flexibility factor becomes one of the biggest strengths of a new-era defense. The same used to be a quintessential part of Patricia’s defensive approach with the New England Patriots.
Matt Patricia has a lot of potential to reshape and rebuild the Buckeyes’ defense. He can very well become Ryan Day’s secret weapon to pose a threat to the rivals. But there is some risk amidst all the gleam and shine.
Matt Patricia’s offense is still unproven
Ohio State’s 2024 defense ranked No. 1 nationally, taking the driver’s seat in the program’s national championship run. They only have three returning starters—safety Caleb Downs, cornerback Davison Igbinosun, and linebacker Sonny Styles. So, Patricia has to nail the daunting task of keeping the Natty hope alive. No better way to put it up. He needs to find a point to stay on the road of excellence.
A mediocrity, a trial isn’t going to help. “You have to reset at some point,” Downs cast doubt following a spring practice. “The new guys that walked in there haven’t earned anything. We, as the new 2025-26 season, haven’t earned anything.” Patricia should solve a puzzle in the secondary as well. Replacing NFL-bound starters like Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock can feel heavy on the team.
This reset mentality can be the game changer in Ryan Day’s strive to dodge the portal losses, at least in the defense. The past success won’t bail them out; they have to rebuild the defense from the start based on the strengths and weaknesses of the current roster. Not easy, but worth it.
The post Matt Patricia Breaks Silence on OSU’s Defensive Identity Post-Jim Knowles & Confirms Ryan Day’s Agenda to Put Rivals on Notice appeared first on EssentiallySports.