Ryan Day ‘Fired Up’ After Replacing Jim Knowles With Matt Patricia originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to their first national title since 2014, head coach Ryan Day made some changes to his staff during the offseason.
He started by bidding goodbye to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who worked for Ohio State from 2022-24. According to an ESPN report from May 6, Knowles said he wanted to receive a contract extension from the Buckeyes before the national championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in January.
However, the school did not offer him an extension, leading him to explore other options and eventually become the Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator. Following Knowles joining James Franklin’s coaching staff, Day brought in Matt Patricia to replace him.
Patricia, 50, is the former head coach of the Detroit Lions (2018-20) and was a senior defensive advisor to the New England Patriots coaching staff. Day claimed he was “fired up” when he made Patricia his new defensive coordinator.
“I was fired up, but I’m more fired up now because I’ve seen him talk to the guys, to recruits, build relationships and they’re just taking ownership of the defense,” Day said during a recent appearance on “The Bobby Carpenter Show.” “I mean, when they go out there, there’s just a certain level of confidence when they break that huddle.”
Ohio State’s defense was ranked No. 1 last season because it only allowed 254.6 yards and 12.88 points per game, according to the NCAA statistic tracker. Under the new regime led by Patricia, they might be able to meet those same standards if all goes according to plan.
“I mean, they’re moving fast,” Day added. “But I’m really excited about it, and Matt has brought a lot of great experience to the table. Not just that he’s a defensive coordinator, he was an offensive coordinator [and a] GM. So now in the new age of what we’re doing with the salary cap, he brings in that experience.”
Related: Jeremiah Smith Makes Feelings Clear About Julian Sayin Amid Ohio State’s Ongoing Quarterback Battle
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
