The Ohio State football program brought in Matt Patricia to be the defensive coordinator following the decision of Jim Knowles to leave for Penn State. It was a controversial decision at the time, both because of what Patricia has done on the field and off it.
While the Buckeyes haven't played a game with him coaching yet, the early returns have been good. Patricia not only has the respect of the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he has the adulation of the defense, as well. He's also taking on an unexpected duty because of the ineffectiveness of one other coach on staff.
Patricia has surprisingly taken a much larger role in recruiting than anyone thought he would. In fact, he was the one who was primarily recruiting Jamir Perez, the in-state defensive lineman who the Buckeyes lost out on to Florida. In fact, he was the one who offered him, not Larry Johnson.
Matt Patricia is taking a much bigger role with recruiting for the Ohio State football team
It's good that Patricia is being more involved in recruiting than people thought he would. Still, it's concerning that Johnson isn't being more active. It certainly seems like he is slowing down on the recruiting trail, which is a concern that Ohio State football fans had.
Time will tell how good a recruiter Patricia is. It has been over two decades since he coached in the collegiate game, so this is something new that he is dealing with. The Buckeyes are hoping he can help the defense add some more recruits, because they have several positions on the defense that need more depth.
Defensive line is one of those spots. Fans were hoping that Johnson could fix that. It seems like Patricia will have to be the one who picks up the slack.