Ohio State is ending an agreement to make the veteran NFL coach Matt Patricia, the new school defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
The movement to bring in Patricia comes with the corresponding internal promotion of the secondary coach Tim Walton to the position of co-defensive coordinator, the sources said. Ohio State will also promote security coach Matt Guerrieri to pass the game coordinator, according to Fuentes.
Patricia arrives at the state of Ohio to replace Jim Knowles, who left for the defensive coordinating work of Penn State following the 2024 national title of the Buckeyes.
In Patricia, Buckeyes get a veteran Playcaller Playcaller who worked as a defensive coordinator of New England patriots for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. He began calling defensive plays without the official title in 2010, which was a device that Bill Bill Belichick used to break new coordinators and keep the pressure outside them.
He was the defensive coordinator of two of the victories of the Super Bowl of New England and was in the staff as an offensive assistant for the title of Super Bowl 2004 of the Patriots.
Patricia spent three seasons as chief coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020, being fired with a record of 13-29-1 in her third season there.
Walton’s promotion occurs after reaching the state of Ohio in 2022 of the NFL, where he trained for four teams from 2009 to 2021. That included a job as a defensive coordinator of the Rams in 2013.
Its new title is a wink to the strong secondary play in Ohio State under its surveillance, since the buckey ended No. 3 in the country in air yards allowed in 2024 and No. 1 in that category in 2023.
Guerrieri is a former co-infensive coordinator in Duke from 2018 to 2021 and was co-the-designed coordinator in Indiana in 2023.
All will be accused of taking care of a defense of the state of Ohio that returns only three holders of a unit that ended number 1 at the national level in total defense and scoreing defense. The eight holders that come out, including the entire defensive line, the project to be chosen in the NFL draft this spring.
Ohio State returns high -end talent, including security Caleb Downs, who is projected as one of the best players in university football next year. Junior Sonny Styles supporter will be another main prospect, and Senior corner Davison Igbinosun obtained the honor mention All-Big Ten Honors.
