Last offseason, the Ohio State Buckeyes had to replace a lot of talent after several players left in the Transfer Portal. Ohio State lost over 30 players in the portal, so they had to make sure they replaced that talent properly. While they didn't bring in 30 guys, they still brought in enough.
One of them is defensive end Qua Russaw. He transferred in from Alabama, joining his defensive line teammate James Smith in the process. Russaw recently revealed that he almost didn't want to play in Columbus, but Matt Patricia ended up being the difference in his recruitment.
Ohio State DE credits Matt Patricia for wanting to play for the Buckeyes
While speaking to the media after practice, Russaw detailed why Patricia was the reason he decided to play for Ohio State.
"I'm not going to lie. When I left here (on my visit), I was kind of like, 'I don't know if I want to go here'. I went to visit Tennessee, Notre Dame, and had to talk to the coaches there. I kind of like knew they had a lot of guys at the outside linebacker position, and he (Patricia) is smart enough to move everyone around. Gotta be the best feeling."
Russaw knew that Patricia was going to use him properly, which is what he was looking for. Russaw is hoping that he is going to be able to make an impact on the defense this season. Patricia likes to play multiple defenses, and he likes to rotate his guys, so Russaw will see a lot of snaps.
Even though Russaw is likely not going to start at defensive end, he will still be able to give Ohio State plenty of good snaps. Last season with the Crimson Tide, Russaw had just 13 total tackles. In 2024, he was able to double that total as a freshman.
Ohio State bringing back Matt Patricia will pay dividends
Patricia decided to return for another year after leading the Buckeyes to the best defense in the country a year ago. Ohio State only returns one defensive lineman from last year's team, and that is Kenyatta Jackson. That is also why Russaw decided to head to Columbus.
Russaw will be battling three other defensive line transfers for some playing time. Still, Patricia showed the best way to use the defensive pieces that he had last season. It's reasonable to show him doing more of the same, even though the Buckeyes lost three first-round picks from the defense.
It would be shocking if Ohio State didn't finish with at least a top-five defense this season. Still, it would be reasonable to expect a little bit of slippage from a year ago. If Patricia is able to put together a defense that is number one in the country again, he should be considered one of the best coordinators in the sport.
Ryan Day made it a priority to bring Patricia back in the offseason. Now, Patricia will have to really earn his money.
Add us as a preferred source on Google