The last coaching vacancy that needs filled for the Ohio State football program is defensive coordinator. This position has been vacant for almost three weeks now after Jim Knowles left the Ohio State Buckeyes for Penn State. He will coordinate their defense.
Ohio State has hired their new offensive coordinator and a new offensive line coach as well. Despite being the first vacant position, it's now the last vacant position. There is a new person who is rumored to be in the running for the position now that the NFL season is over.
That person is Matt Patricia. The former Lions head coach and Patriots defensive coordinator had been rumored to be a person of interest for Ryan Day in recent days. Now, those rumors have been confirmed because Patricia reportedly made a trip to Columbus to talk about the job.
Matt Patricia reprotedly is meeting with the Ohio State football team
According to Will Backus of CBS Sports, Patricia traveled to Columbus to talk with Ryan Day about the open defensive coordinator position. Patricia does have a wealth of experience in the NFL, but spent this past season completely out of football. Now, he's interviewing with Day.
Hiring Patricia would be a horrible idea for a lot of reasons. His failures in the NFL are one thing, but he would be a disaster on the recruiting trail. Day needs to have someone who can connect to young people and want them to play for the Buckeyes. Patricia likely isn't that guy.
No offer has been made yet. Patricia is just in Columbus to talk about the specifics of the job and if it would make sense for them to come together. There are better options out there for Day to hire, so hopefully, he decides that is the case and he looks for another candidate.
It's unclear who the favorite is for the job at this point. There have been a lot of rumors regarding this vacancy over the last few weeks. Patricia is just the latest guy who has indicated interest in the job. We'll see if he ends up getting it.