Matt Patricia's future in Columbus as the Ohio State Buckeyes' offensive coordinator feels all but secured based on his latest comments. Patricia doesn't sound like a man who's going anywhere, and within the context of the NFL's hiring cycle, there's not an obvious role to take.
Instead, Patricia sounds like a man who knows he has it better than anyone after finding game-planning at the collegiate level a breeze and landing with one of the highest-pedigreed defensive teams in the sport, year in and year out.
"Just do everything we can to try to build the defense again. It’ll be another new set of players out there, just like it was last year, but I’m excited about those young guys. I can’t wait to get them out on the field in front of our group and go have some success, hopefully," Patricia told The Silver Bulletin's Colin Magnusson this past week.
Matt Patricia can cement himself in Columbus by replicating defensive dominance
Patricia elevated a defense that featured clear NFL players like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Kayden McDonald, and Caleb Downs far above what Jim Knowles could've ever conceived during his time in the Buckeye State.
Can he do it again, though? If he ends up replicating last year's dominance, and heaven forbid Ohio State gets back to its title-winning ways, Patricia could name his price as defensive coordinator in Cbus, or look for a return to head coaching. Colleges will come calling, but the NFL may be Patricia's ultimate goal.
While the level of talent OSU GM Mark Pantoni recruits, using the money the morally corrupt, at best, Les Wexner provides, is elite, Patricia's coaching got career years from multiple defensive studs at the same time. There are no coincidences in that.
He has to just do it again, because he was undeniably handed great players who had already gotten their feet wet and won a title. Doing it with younger, inexperienced players will prove what he's made of.
Also, not for nothing, but the Buckeyes wilted in the most important game of their season on that side of the ball. Patricia owes Ohio State fans a mulligan for that one this fall.