Pro Football Rumors
The Ohio State University Buckeyes are expected to hire former Lions head coach Matt Patricia as their next defensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Patricia was in Columbus on Monday to discuss the job, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He will replace Jim Knowles, who left the Buckeyes in January to take the defensive coordinator job at Penn State.
Patricia was a longtime assistant under Bill Belichick in New England. He worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2012, a post he held until 2018, when he was hired as the Lions’ head coach. Patricia’s time in Detroit was disastrous on and off the field, marked by a 13-29-1 record and several instances of conflict with players. He was fired 11 games into the 2020 season after a 4-7 start and quickly found himself back on Belichick’s staff in New England in 2021. He served as a senior advisor for the next two seasons, which included a stint as offensive play-caller in 2022.
More to come.
