Ohio State fans wondered what the defense was going to look like, losing a good portion of the players to the NFL Draft as well as losing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Penn State. However, they never thought they would luck out as much as they have with the hire of Matt Patricia as the new defensive coordinator.
Ohio State currently has the No. 8-ranked defense in the country, according to NCAA rankings, which happens to be the second-highest among Big Ten behind Indiana, which is ranked No. 5. Patricia has certainly made this Ohio State defense look really good in its first four games, especially the first week against then No. 1-ranked Texas.
In Ohio State's most recent win against Washington on Saturday, there was an awesome moment caught on camera between Patricia and defensive lineman Kayden McDonald, who led the team with seven total tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for a loss.
After the game, Patricia comes up and bumps McDonald and then wraps him up in a big hug, congratulating him on the big game, and then talks to him a bit in his ear.
Cool moment as Matt Patricia comes out of no nowhere to congratulate Kayden McDonald on his two sack, three TFL performance against Washington. Also his seven tackles were second most on the team, which is saying something for an interior defensive lineman@nbc4i pic.twitter.com/CA3F16ul3b
— Joe Nugent (@joenuge) September 28, 2025
This interaction clearly shows the type of relationship that Patricia has with his guys and that he was the best choice for Ohio State at the defensive coordinator position. Not only has this defense thrived under Patricia, but it seems like the guys just truly want to play under him and produce for him.
Ohio State still has some of its toughest tests coming up later in the season defensively, with Illinois, Penn State, and Michigan still on the docket, and this defense will need to stay healthy and ready to go for each game.
Patricia will almost certainly have his guys primed and ready to go and hopefully have some big games in store as the Buckeyes continue to try and run it back this season.