If you’ve followed Ohio State football over the past several years, you’ve learned to brace yourself every January. The Buckeyes win big. A coordinator gets noticed. And then he’s gone.
Jim Knowles left for Penn State after leading the nation’s No. 1 defense. Chip Kelly bolted for the Las Vegas Raiders after one season as offensive coordinator. Before them, Kerry Coombs’ tenure ended in a different kind of departure. The coordinator carousel in Columbus has been spinning fast, and it hasn’t always been kind to the program’s continuity.
That’s what makes Matt Patricia’s contract extension feel different.
Staying When He Didn’t Have To
Patricia had every reason to leave. His first season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator produced a historically dominant unit. NFL teams came calling. The Cowboys reportedly explored him as a DC candidate. For a coach who spent over 20 years in the professional ranks, going back would have been the expected move.
Instead, he signed a new deal and posted about it on Instagram, telling Buckeye Nation he’s committed to “defending the Shoe.”
Ross Bjork kept it simple when discussing the negotiations.
“He was always committed to staying here,” the athletic director said. “We just kept a constant dialogue before we got to an agreement with him.”
Ryan Day added context during an interview with 10TV, making it clear the administration moved quickly to ensure Patricia stayed in the fold.
“I want to give Ross, the board and president Carter a lot of credit,” Day said. “We wanted to make sure we solidified Matt moving forward.”
Why Continuity Matters More Than Scheme
The scheme debate is always the loudest conversation in college football. But what often matters more is whether the players know the system, trust the coach, and can execute without hesitation. That only happens with time.
Under Knowles, Ohio State’s defense improved significantly from 2022 to 2023 before peaking in 2024. That arc wasn’t accidental. It was the product of players spending multiple years learning his concepts. When Knowles left, that institutional knowledge walked out the door with him.
Patricia now has the chance to build that same kind of continuity, but with a significant head start. The players stepping into larger roles in 2026 have already spent a full year inside his system. Guys like Kenyatta Jackson, Payton Pierce, Malik Hartford, and Jaylen McClain have been in the meeting room, cross-trained in his packages, and internalized his coaching language.
Safeties coach Matt Guerrieri described the approach during spring practice last year.
“Do we just have 11 starters? No, we have starters in a multitude of packaging,” Guerrieri said. “It’s our job to be able to get them out there.”
That deliberate depth-building is what makes the coordinator transition smoother this time around. Patricia isn’t starting over. He’s building on a foundation that’s already been laid.
Setting a New Standard
At the Combine, Caden Curry made a plea before he even knew the extension was finalized.
“We all love him, and I hope he stays at Ohio State a long time because he’s a great guy,” Curry said.
One day later, Patricia signed the deal.
Day acknowledged the reality that success breeds interest, and that Patricia will continue to be a target for other programs and NFL franchises.
“There’s still gonna be people that come after him moving forward,” Day said. “But that’s what happens when you do well and have success at Ohio State.”
For now, the carousel has stopped. Matt Patricia is back, the system is in place, and Ohio State’s defense has something it hasn’t had in a while: a defensive coordinator entering his second year with the program.
In Columbus, that qualifies as breaking the curse.
