ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Patricia is particular when it comes to pencils. It’s his signature look, have an iconic yellow wooden one tucked behind his ear on a sideline. It can’t be mechanical — though, that is what he used in college while studying aeronautical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. When it comes to drawing detailed diagrams of footwork or breaking down plays, however, he’s found a really sharp Ticonderoga No. 2 is the way to go.
“I put it up here,” Patricia said, motioning to his head while sitting at a small round table alongside a few inquisitive reporters at Monday’s Cotton Bowl media day. “Because, for me, it was the safest place. I’m usually a walking Staples. I’ll have pens, markers. If you put a pencil in your pocket, it’s probably going to break or get you in a bad spot. So I kind of just put it in the hat.”
It’s a handy habit and one that’s worked just fine for Patricia over the course of his career. He spent almost 20 years in the NFL, mostly with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, where he helped the team win three Super Bowls. He had an unsuccessful stint as the head coach of the Detroit Lions before returning to New England and later joining the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive assistant.
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For the previous 10 months, Patricia has developed a newfound ardour for teaching faculty soccer as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. He hadn’t been on a university employees in additional than twenty years, and when Ryan Day first introduced his rent, it was met with a blended bag of pleasure and skepticism.
It will have been comprehensible had Ohio State’s protection taken a step again after it was the perfect within the nation and helped paved the way to a nationwide championship final 12 months. The Buckeyes misplaced eight defensive starters to the NFL and Patricia estimates the full snap quantity for returning guys was someplace round 300.
However over the course of this season, Patricia has been capable of layer in his philosophy, make the most of the roster expertise and construct lasting relationships with gamers. He’s seeing outcomes — the Buckeyes once more have the No. 1 protection within the nation — and the hope in Columbus is that it is adequate to win back-to-back School Soccer Playoff nationwide championships.
That street begins on New Yr’s Eve evening when No. 2 Ohio State faces No. 10 Miami within the CFP quarterfinal on the Cotton Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET).
(Picture by Luke Hales/Getty Photographs)
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Day was out there for a brand new defensive coordinator after Jim Knowles left for a similar job at Penn State following final season’s nationwide title. Day knew Patricia by way of numerous connections, together with their mutual friendship with former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the truth that they had been each from New England, so he gave him a name.
Patricia was on the Tremendous Bowl on the time of that first chat and was already intrigued by the concept of returning to school. In 2024, he took a break from teaching and frolicked consulting with faculty groups and dealing clinics across the two-minute timeout rule and the way that affected recreation administration. Whereas on numerous campuses, he’d have conversations with coaches about schemes, the switch portal, roster constructing and NIL.
“It actually began me serious about, ‘Hey, perhaps that’s the subsequent avenue,’” Patricia mentioned.
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The 12 months off gave Patricia time to essentially take into consideration what he needed to do subsequent. Patricia mirrored on rising up when his father was a coach and each mother and father had been academics and the impression that they had on younger folks.
“We went to eight straight AFC Championship video games, and also you’re type of simply in that mode,” Patricia mentioned. “I had the 12 months to look again and say, ‘Why did I get into teaching?’ I bought into it to assist educate and mentor younger males. And I feel that’s what the draw was to come back again to school.”
Ohio State wasn’t the one faculty that known as. 4 totally different packages reached out to Patricia (he wouldn’t say which), however the Buckeyes checked all of the packing containers. For one, Day’s group was reigning nationwide champion with returning future NFL expertise. Two, he knew Day in addition to co-defensive coordinator Tim Walton, who Patricia mentioned he tried to rent when he was in Detroit, however it didn’t work out.
His household performed a task within the determination, as properly. When Patricia was with the Eagles in 2023, he remembers seeing his eldest son at Thanksgiving and once more on Christmas and being shocked by how a lot he’d grown whereas he was away working. He needed to be extra current together with his children and expertise their highschool years. Plus, he thought it might be cool for them to be on a university campus.
Patricia has had loads of enjoyable this season and defined there’s a “totally different pleasure” in being surrounded by a lot “youthful vitality.”
(Picture by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs)
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It helps, too, that he’s been profitable rapidly. Patricia’s protection is ranked first in most defensive classes, together with whole protection with the Buckeyes holding opponents to a median of 213.5 yards per recreation and three.9 yards per play. They’re the nation’s greatest in scoring protection (8.2 factors per recreation) and cross protection (129.1 yards per recreation) and are second in red-zone touchdowns allowed (eight).
So what makes Patricia’s unit so difficult to arrange for and play in opposition to?
“They’re simply bodily up entrance,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson mentioned. “Actually, the place they hammer folks is their D-Line and linebackers and even safeties that come down, and so they’re arduous to run the ball in opposition to, you understand? Their type: They’re large; they’re sturdy; they’re lengthy, and so, finally, we’ve bought to match the physicality of the sport early and have some success.
“Plus, the folks he’s enjoying with make it most difficult, you understand what I imply?”
Patricia does. He fell right into a expertise pool with potential future first-round picks like security Caleb Downs, linebacker Arvell Reese and defensive deal with Kayden McDonald. Ohio State might once more have essentially the most gamers chosen within the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Get out of the way in which of the expertise, let the gamers play,” Patricia mentioned. “I would like our guys to play quick and aggressive, and so they achieve this many issues properly.”
Patricia hasn’t tailor-made a lot from the defenses he coached within the NFL at Ohio State. He teaches in a conceptual approach and tries to not make it too sophisticated. He makes delicate adjustments up entrance and switches up defensive seems that frustrate offenses. In only one season, gamers can inform how they’ve developed and grow to be extra versatile enjoying on this system. For instance, defensive lineman Caden Curry strikes round into totally different positions from the top to the center to cross rush.
“It’s not the identical factor time and again,” Curry mentioned.
Lorenzo Kinds has seen his ability set develop as a result of Patricia has him play nickel and security.
“He is utilizing us as gamers and never essentially simply spots in his protection,” Kinds mentioned. “So it has been nice enjoying for him.”
Ohio State might very properly win consecutive nationwide championships. It has the items and the mandatory motivation coming off a loss to Indiana within the Massive Ten championship recreation. However whenever you ask gamers what they’ve relished most this season, they usually reference Patricia’s impression and affect on and off the sector.
“When he first stepped on campus, it was like a long-lost member of the family that simply got here again,” defensive finish Kenyatta Jackson Jr. mentioned.
That sentiment is shared all through the locker room, the place he’s grow to be a lovable and trusted supply amongst all place teams. Patricia usually pulls guys — defensive gamers, offensive gamers, backups, particular groups, and so on. — off to the aspect in apply for a fast chat. It’s simply to inform them they’re doing a great job or that he’s seen they’ve improved in a sure space or to ask how their household is or how their day was.
He’s made it a precedence to get to know everybody on the group in a significant approach.
“I’m attempting to spend money on all of them,” Patricia mentioned.
(Picture by Jason Mowry/Getty Photographs)
Monday morning throughout breakfast, Patricia walked over to a desk of gamers. All of them had their heads down on their telephones, and he mentioned, “‘Cease. Give me a narrative. Give me one thing. Inform me a joke. Give me one thing. Let’s discuss. Let’s construct that brotherhood.’
“They didn’t have any jokes, and I advised them, ‘You guys have gotten to get some jokes.’”
It’s moments like these that resonate with gamers.
“He finds a option to relate to folks and that comes from the information that he has about life usually,” Downs mentioned. “I advised any individual else lately that I feel he’s in all probability one of many smartest folks I do know. I simply respect him lots.”
Irrespective of how Ohio State ends the 12 months, there will likely be hypothesis about what’s subsequent for Patricia. His contract runs by way of 2027. May he return to the NFL? Strive his hand as a head coach in faculty? Keep in Columbus?
“I imply, I’m actually blissful,” Patricia mentioned. “I’m not in a rush to do something apart from attempt to win this recreation. Hopefully, nobody is attempting to run me out of city or something proper now. It’s a extremely particular place. Hopefully, I’m serving to the youngsters, and I’m serving to us win.”
Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and soccer for FOX Sports activities. She is the writer of “Robust Like a Girl,” revealed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Observe her at @LakenLitman.
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