Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is approaching his second year in Columbus like he approached his first. And like he approached the 16 years that he was the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Belichick.
Bucknuts' Patrick Murphy relayed Patricia's muse for how he approaches having to replace NFL draft-bound defensive leaders who were the backbone of the unit: his time under the current North Carolina Tar Heels head coach in Foxborough, MA, when he routinely played with the hand he was dealt after free agency and trade season ran its course every year.
"Of course, Patricia has experience replacing players at the professional level. He spent nearly 20 years in the NFL, with the bulk of that time as the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator. Patricia wasn't able to recruit players in the NFL, and the Patriots often picked near the end of the draft and faced more competition in free agency than Ohio State does in the transfer portal," Murphy wrote.
"That time in the NFL working with Bill Belichick taught Patricia that you can't force players into a defense that doesn't fit them. Instead, you have to build the defense around the players you have. So while he may not have a Reese, Styles, Downs, or McDonald, there are still ways to be successful."
Being drained by the NFL draft is a function of working at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. Surely, Patricia knew what he was signing up for when he took the job in 2025 and then signed an extension this offseason. Still, he's translated his NFL experience working for one of the all-time great head coaches -- or one of the luckiest who happened to have Tom Brady fall into his lap -- into a successful collegiate career with the Buckeyes.
As for Belichick, he could probably take heed of what Patricia is accomplishing in Central Ohio after a disastrous first season against ACC competition. UNC ceded 337 yards per game and gave up a touchdown on 31.6% of drives. The Tar Heels gave up 37 touchdowns in 12 games.
Matt Patricia is one of the only good things people remember about Bill Belichick anymore
Of course, the Belichick of today and the Belichick Patricia coached under may as well be two distinctly different human beings. Belichick has been parading around Chapel Hill with Jordon Hudson, who is 49 years his junior, and letting the former cheerleader be a part of football decisions.
The erratic behavior from Belichick is a far cry from his stoic demeanor in New England, where he was revered as a legendary coach. Seeing him fail without Brady in the NFL (29-39 from 2020-2023) and then sink further with an embarrassing 4-8 run with North Carolina last year has radically transformed his public perception.
That doesn't invalidate anything Patricia learned or accomplished working with the now-74-year-old UNC headman. If anything, Patricia is one of Belichick's saving graces in the court of public opinion.
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