Wed Feb 12 17:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Ohio State Revamps Defense with Veteran NFL Hire

**COLUMBUS, OH** – Ohio State University is making significant changes to its coaching staff, hiring veteran NFL coach Matt Patricia as its new defensive coordinator. The move, announced today, comes after the departure of Jim Knowles to Penn State following Ohio State’s 2024 national championship victory.

Patricia, who spent seven seasons as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator (2012-17), brings a wealth of experience to Columbus. He was instrumental in two Super Bowl wins with the Patriots and also served as an offensive assistant on their 2004 championship team. While his three-year stint as head coach of the Detroit Lions (2018-20) ended with a 13-29-1 record, his defensive expertise remains highly regarded.

The Buckeyes are also promoting within, elevating secondary coach Tim Walton to co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri to pass-game coordinator. Walton’s promotion reflects the strong performance of Ohio State’s secondary under his leadership, which ranked No. 1 and No. 3 nationally in passing yards allowed in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Guerrieri brings prior experience as a co-defensive coordinator at Duke and Indiana.

This defensive overhaul comes as Ohio State loses eight defensive starters, including the entire defensive line, to the NFL draft. Despite the significant departures, the Buckeyes retain key players such as safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles, who are projected to be top college football prospects. The new coaching staff will be tasked with rebuilding a defense that finished No. 1 nationally in total and scoring defense in 2024.

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