Matt Patricia reportedly set to be hired as defensive coordinator at Ohio State
Patricia is instead set to lead the defense of the defending National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes as their new defensive coordinator, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. The 50-year-old will replace Jim Knowles, who left Ohio State last month to become the defensive coordinator at Penn State.
Patricia began his coaching career in the college game, starting as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in 1996. He then spent a few years away football as an engineer before taking over as the defensive line coach at Amherst College in 1999 and 2000. After three years as a graduate assistant at Syracuse, Patricia got his break in the NFL with Belichick and the New England Patriots.
Matt Patricia with the Patriots
Patricia began his NFL career as an assistant offensive line coach for the Patriots in 2004, and moved over to the defensive side of the ball in 2006 when he was promoted to linebackers coach. He coached New England safeties in 2011 before getting his shot as the team's defensive coordinator in 2012.
The Patriots won a pair of Super Bowls with Patricia as their DC in 2014 and 2016. Overall, he has three Super Bowl rings from his time in New England.
Patricia was in charge of the New England defense when Malcolm Butler made his Super Bowl-saving interception against the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. The Patriots had the NFL's top defense in 2016 under Patricia, when the team held opponents to just 15.6 points per game en route to a Super Bowl comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots made the playoffs in each of Patricia's six seasons as defense coordinator.
He parlayed his success with the Patriots into a head-coaching job with the Detroit Lions, but that didn't go so well for Patricia. The Lions went just 13-29 before he was fired 11 games into the 2020 season.
Patricia returned to New England in 2021 as a senior football advisor, and then had a failed attempt as the team's offensive play-caller/unofficial offensive coordinator in 2022. His last NFL job was as a senior defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.
Patricia got into the media during his time away from football, co-hosting the web series "Coach" will Bill Belichick while also making appearances on WBZ-TV's Sports Final on Sunday nights. Now, Patricia is heading back to college to lead the defense of the defending champions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
End of the chain gang? NFL adopts virtual measurement system
The NFL introduced a virtual measurement system for determining first downs in the season's first pre-season game and it could lead to the end of the "chain gang" on the sidelines. During the Los Angeles Chargers' 34-7 rout of Detroit on Thursday at Canton, Ohio, the league gave fans a first glimpse of the future of deciding first downs with the HawkEye technology method used to make line calls in tennis. In the first half, Detroit running back Craig Reynolds carried for 10 yards. To confirm his run was a first down, the officials turned to the virtual measurement system, showing a replay that assured he had gone 10 full yards. The system, operated by NFL headquarters personnel in New York, worked smoothly and quickly, making a determination up to 40 seconds faster than before. In the meantime, the chain gang -- the officials who for decades have held two sticks with a 10-yard chain in between them on the sidelines and run onto the field as needed to measure for first downs -- was reduced to just another set of spectators, although they will be kept in position on the sidelines in case there is a system failure. The system, confirmed for the upcoming campaign last April, features six cameras at various angles around the field to determine the ball's position after every play. The NFL called the new system "an efficient alternative to the process of walking chains onto the field and manually measuring whether 10 yards have been met after the official has spotted the ball, while noting, "The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity." Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, a Super Bowl winner as a reserve with New Orleans, posted on X: "I really don't know how to feel about this... It's the new virtual measurement system for first downs... give me chain gang all day." "Before you know it they will have robots going out there and measuring it. Just stop it already," former NFL player and coach Herm Edwards said on ESPN. js/ea
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL is expected to take an ownership stake in ESPN
Walt Disney Co. is expected to announce the NFL is taking an equity stake in its sports media property ESPN, according to people familiar with the plan. Disney may reveal the deal during its earnings call Wednesday. Representatives at the NFL and ESPN declined comment Friday. In return for the equity stake, ESPN is expected at minimum to take over the NFL's cable properties including the NFL Network and Red Zone, the popular channel that continuously updates fans on the slate of Sunday contests. The NFL Network also has the rights to several regular season games late in the season. NFL also owns the league's production unit, NFL Films, and NFL+, the streaming service that enables subscribers to watch games and other related content on mobile devices. Read more: Can ESPN survive while cable TV dies? ESPN has the broadcast rights to "Monday Night Football" and two Super Bowl games in the current NFL contract that runs through 2033 but is expected to be reopened in 2029. The impending deal with Disney means the NFL's other partners — Fox, NBC, CBS, YouTube and Amazon — will be bidding against an entity that the league has a financial interest in next time the media rights come up. Discussions between the NFL and Disney have been ongoing for more than 18 months as concerns heightened about the viability of ESPN when consumers continue to bypass or cancel pay TV subscriptions. ESPN has long been the most expensive part of the pay TV bundle, currently getting close to $9 per subscriber. It is now in around 73 million homes, down from 98.5 million in 2013. ESPN is adapting to the streaming landscape, launching its first stand-alone direct-to-consumer product that will give consumers access to all of its channels without a pay TV subscription. The service will cost $29.99 a month. TV ratings for ESPN have improved and ad sales have remained strong as advertisers value audiences who watch live programming. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
CeeDee Lamb supports Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons: 'Just pay the man'
Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons wants out. Amid talks around what would likely be a near-record or record-breaking contract extension, Parsons has requested a trade on Friday, Aug. 1, bringing to a head an already contentious standoff. Parsons has been one of the Cowboys' best players since he entered the league in 2021, and another one of Dallas' stars weighed in on social media to support him. Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb posted on his X account writing, "Never fails dawg. Just pay the man, what you owe em. No need for the extra curricular 😒 [sic]." PARSONS: Cowboys star pass rusher says he wants out of Dallas Lamb and Parsons have been the Cowboys' top young players on offense and defense, respectively, over the past five seasons. Dallas drafted Lamb No. 17 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he's made four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams (two second-teams, one first-team) in his five years in the NFL. Last offseason, Lamb held out through training camp for a contract extension ahead of the final year of his rookie deal. Dallas eventually signed him to a four-year, $136 million extension that made him the second-highest paid wide receiver by average annual value (AAV) in he NFL at the time. DALLAS: Fights broke out at Cowboys camp. The punishment was brutal Dallas drafted Parsons one year later at No. 12 overall, and he's enjoyed similar success. Parsons was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Pro player in his first season. He's made two more All-Pro teams (one first-team, one second-team) in the ensuing three seasons. Only four players have more sacks than Parsons since he entered the league: Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Trey Hendrickson and Nick Bosa. Parsons is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract just like Lamb last offseason. He could similarly end up signing a deal late in the preseason that would make him one of the top-paid players in the league. Dez Bryant backs Parsons Another top Cowboys wide receiver to wear No. 88 is supporting Parsons as well. Former Dallas wideout Dez Bryant posted on X to back Parsons and his trade request. "Much respect and love brotha," Bryant wrote. "You don't know how much I really respect you for standing your ground. Do what's best for you 🙏🏿 ⭐️"
