Michigan Fans Rejoice After Ohio State’s Controversial Coaching Hire
The Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off a dominant College Football Playoff run, capturing the national championship with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan. 20.
However, with success often comes coaching turnover, and that’s exactly what has happened for the Buckeyes this offseason. The team lost offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to the Las Vegas Raiders and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to the Penn State Nittany Lions, both for more lucrative opportunities.
While the Buckeyes’ offensive hire was a smooth transition—promoting wide receiver coach Brian Hartline, who has been with the program since 2017—the defensive coordinator role took a more surprising turn.
On Wednesday, Ohio State announced they had hired former three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Matt Patricia, best known for his stint with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick.
Patricia, who struggled as a head coach during his three seasons with the Detroit Lions, hasn’t coached in college since 2003, when he worked at Syracuse University. Now, he’ll head to Columbus, and it seems Michigan fans couldn’t be happier about it.
Patricia did have success with the Patriots, but many argue that his defensive accomplishments were largely due to Belichick’s influence, particularly after his stints with the Lions and, more recently, as an assistant with the Eagles defense in 2023, which both didn’t end well.
Now, Patricia will have the opportunity to silence his critics as he steps into a high-expectation role, especially following the success of Jim Knowles, who led the Buckeyes to one of the top defenses in the country last season.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off a national championship run under the leadership of head coach Ryan Day.
Ohio State finished the season with a 14-2 record, defeating Notre Dame in the national title game. They also took down Texas, Oregon and Tennessee in their College Football Playoff run,
Following an incredible season for the Buckeyes, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles departed for the defensive coordinator opening at Penn State.
