The Ohio State football team will have a new defensive coordinator this season. Matt Patricia was brought in after Jim Knowles bolted for Penn State, meaning that the Buckeyes will have a new defensive system the year after winning a national championship.
After winning it all, the Buckeyes will have to find a way to execute the new defensive system that Patricia runs. He has some questions of his own coming in, as he hasn't led a defense as his only job in almost a decade, so he has some things to prove.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have hired a new defensive coach who will help Patricia implement the defense. Josh Boyer, the former defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, has now been hired on staff to help with the defense, just a few weeks before Week 1.
The Ohio State football team hires a new defensive coach ahead of showdown with Texas.
It's certainly strange for the Buckeyes to make a hire just three weeks before they take on the Longhorns in the first game of the season, but this move is only additive. He won't have that much say in the defense, and he will only help coach the team a little harder.
Boyer has a history with Patricia, as he coached with Patricia for several years while he was with the Patriots. He hasn't coached since 2022, which is a big concern. That's why it's good that he shouldn't have a say in how the defense is called this season.
With the new rules allowing college teams to hire as many coaches to be on the sidelines as they want, this move can only be positive for the Buckeyes. They are expecting him to just help with the secondary, as well as coaching up defensive players to be better.
This is a low-risk, high-reward move to make, even if the Buckeyes hired him just a few weeks before they open up the 2025 season. They feel like they should still be very good on the defensive side of the ball, even without Boyer. He will only help that cause.