Ohio State Finalizes an agreement to make the NFL Matt Vetal coach Patricia, the new defensive coordinator of the school, sources said in ESPN on Wednesday.
The decision to call on Patricia comes with the corresponding internal promotion of the secondary coach Tim Walton to the role of co-defensive coordinator, sources said. The Ohio State will also promote the security coach Matt Guerrieni for the passing game coordinator, according to sources.
Patricia comes to Ohio State to replace Jim Knowles, who left for Penn StateJob of the defensive coordinator following the 2024 national title of Buckeyes.
In Patricia, Buckeyes obtain a veteran defensive game player who worked like the New England Patriots“Defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. He started calling defensive games without the official title in 2010, which was a device that Bill Belichick used to break new coordinators and keep pressure on them.
He was the defensive coordinator of two of the Victories of the Super Bowl of New England and was one of the staff as an offensive assistant for the title of the 2004 Super Bowl of the Patriots.
Patricia spent three seasons as a chief coach of the Detroit lions From 2018 to 2020, he was dismissed with a record of 13-29-1 in his third season there.
The promotion of Walton comes after his arrival in Ohio State in 2022 of the NFL, where he led for four teams from 2009 to 2021. This included a job as a Rams“Defensive coordinator in 2013.
His new title is a nod to the solid game secondary to Ohio State under his watch, while Buckeyes finished n ° 3 in the country in the passing sites authorized in 2024 and n ° 1 in this category in 2023.
Guerrieri is a former co-defensive coordinator at Duke from 2018 to 2021 and was the co-defensive coordinator at Indiana in 2023.
They will all be accused of regaining a defense of the Ohio State which returns only three starters of a unit which finished n ° 1 at the national level in total defense and by marking the defense. The eight starters, including the whole defensive line, project to be chosen in the draft of the NFL this spring.
Ohio State returns high -end talents, including security Caleb DownsWho projects as one of the best university football players next year. Junior Sonny styles will be another high level hope and the senior corner half Davison igbinosun Honorable mention of honors all-big ten.