Ohio State made a move on Wednesday that has resulted in resentment from the fanbase.
A fleet of unhappy Buckeye fans have emerged after Ohio State curiously decided to hire Matt Patricia as the team’s next defensive coordinator.
Patricia is best remembered for being a burnout in the NFL, despite coaching on Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots teams. His stint as head coach with the Detroit Lions made him a laughing stock. And it’s clear no one’s forgotten that.
But nonetheless, the Buckeyes still made the move.”Ohio State is finalizing a deal to hire Matt Patricia as the school’s new defensive coordinator,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Wednesday.
This comes after the Ohio State program lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders hired Kelly away to be their OC, while rival Penn State poached Jim Knowles away for a hefty sum.
Ohio State, or any program having to reassemble the coaching staff isn’t new. But, it’s still a very curious decision based on Patricia’s track record. Or, in some cases, a lack thereof.
The Buckeyes won the National Championship this past season, but have yet to beat rival Michigan since the 2019 season. Speaking of Michigan, Wolverine fans certainly know of Patricia after his failed coaching stint with the Lions. As if they needed a reason to energize.
Buckeye fans let their unhappiness be known after the move was announced.
Absolutely pathetic hire by Day.
— Matt C. Shoot (@confirmedshoot.latenightgrin.com) February 12, 2025 at 12:10 PM
I am obviously hoping to being proven wrong, but this is about as polar opposite to what I was hoping for as you could possibly get. https://t.co/rTlnRCDB3H
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) February 12, 2025
I don’t like this hire at all. Respectfully, I think Matt Patricia is a bad football coach. I thought he was a detriment to the Patriots defense for years while overseeing a unit that continuously got worse. His time with the Lions was a disaster (not long after he left they… https://t.co/z9ZuEVB9rg
— Mark Dondero (@MarkDondero) February 12, 2025
The Patriots didn’t punt in the Super Bowl with Tom Brady at quarterback and they lost. Wonder who the DC was! https://t.co/X9AxUwHfBL
— Matt Spalding (@MattJBasketball) February 12, 2025
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022