The Ohio State football program has decided to hire Matt Patricia as their defensive coordinator. It's a hire that is very polarizing among Ohio State fans. Some people love it while others hate it. You know my take on the situation, but Ryan Day has earned the benefit of the doubt after winning a national title.
Now that the Buckeyes have their defensive coordinator, they can start recruiting defensive players more aggressively. The 2026 recruiting class doesn't have very many commitments early, which is fine. They have just four commitments for that class so far.
Of those four commitments, only one is a defensive player. That is Jakob Weatherspoon, a corner from the state of Ohio. That means they still have a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail. What does the hiring of Patricia do for Ohio State's recruiting efforts on the defensive side of the ball?
What the hiring of Matt Patricia does for the Ohio State football team's recruiting efforts
Patricia has not coached in college in over 20 years. A lot has changed since he last coached in the college ranks. The Buckeyes are the defending national champions, so that should help the cause. At the same time, being likable is a massive part of being a successful recruiter.
Patricia has not been known as a likable coach at any of his stops. Because of that, it seems likely that Tim Walton will be spending the majority of the time as the primary recruiter for the Buckeyes. Quite frankly, most of the position coaches will be used as the primary recruiters instead of Patricia.
That is the best way for this marriage to work. If Patricia is going to be in Columbus for more than one year, the rest of the coaches have to make up for his lack of personality. Of course, the results on the field matter. If Patricia is able to put a top-ranked defense out there, the results will speak for themselves.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the programs that is in the top five in recruiting every year. We'll see if that sustains with Patricia leading the defense.