The phone calls came. The interest was real. And for a few weeks this offseason, the college football world held its breath wondering if Matt Patricia’s time at Ohio State would be a one-and-done affair.
Multiple NFL teams expressed interest in Patricia following a first season in Columbus that produced the nation’s No. 1 defense. The Dallas Cowboys were among the teams expected to explore him as a defensive coordinator candidate, according to SI’s Albert Breer. Other openings materialized across the league as coaching staffs reshuffled after the Super Bowl.
Patricia never formally interviewed for any of those positions. But the speculation was loud enough that his own Instagram post in early January, thanking Buckeye Nation for “welcoming us with open arms,” was widely interpreted as a potential goodbye.
It wasn’t.
The Pull of Columbus
When Ross Bjork announced the new contract on February 23, his message was clear: this was never really in doubt from Patricia’s side.
“He was always committed to staying here,” Bjork said. “I know his family loves it. His kids have fit in well.”
Patricia echoed that sentiment in his own public comments, describing Ohio State as a place that reconnected him with his coaching roots. After more than two decades in the NFL, the 51-year-old coordinator found something in Columbus that the professional ranks couldn’t offer anymore.
“I really got into coaching when I left engineering to pursue my passion for working with young men,” Patricia said. “Really being influential in their lives and helping them grow, that’s what college coaches were for me.”
That passion showed up in the results. Matt Patricia’s defense led the nation in points and yards allowed, and his players credited him not just for the scheme but for the personal investment he made in their development. At the NFL Combine, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald called Patricia “a peoples’ coach” who connected with players off the field and helped them mentally prepare for the biggest moments of their careers.
“He helped me mentally and got me ready for this moment,” McDonald said. “Now I feel at ease, I got a smile on my face, and I’m just ready to be great.”
Culture Over Compensation
On The Pat McAfee Show during Combine week, Patricia was asked about Ohio State’s environment and how it compared to his years in the NFL. He deflected the praise toward Day and the program’s existing culture.
“You’ve got to start with Coach Day and the culture and the people that he has in the building,” Patricia said. “On the defensive side, you felt it right away when you walk in the meeting room.”
That culture clearly made an impression. Patricia didn’t just choose to stay at Ohio State. He chose it over opportunities in the league where he spent the majority of his career, including the league where he won three Super Bowl championships as a coach.
His players noticed the commitment long before the contract was signed. At the Combine, Caden Curry described the personal relationship Patricia built with his family, saying the coordinator took time to get to know the people behind the players.
“Taking the time to get to know me and my family and getting to know him and his family, he’s just such a great guy to be around and he has so much wisdom,” Curry said.
A Decision That Resonates Beyond the Field
Ryan Day acknowledged that Patricia’s success will continue to attract outside interest. That’s simply the reality of coaching at a program like Ohio State.
“He’s somebody who has a tremendous resume, but has a young family who really enjoys being Buckeyes,” Day said. “There’s still gonna be people that come after him moving forward, but that’s what happens when you do well and have success at Ohio State.”
For now, Matt Patricia has made his choice. Columbus over the NFL. The Shoe over the league. And the young men in that locker room over the next opportunity.
That tells you everything you need to know about where his priorities are.