Well, bagging any title oomphs up your confidence game. But for Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes, things are extra special. After all, HC Day walked on thin ice and was almost on the verge of losing his job. From there to winning the National Championship title, Day turned the table for the good. However, this time he thought of experimenting a little.

The Buckeyes HC is on his way to hiring former Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia as the defensive coordinator. Now, for the ones who are excited about the hire, a former Buckeyes player came up with a harsh reality check. On the other hand, while the revelation might be haunting for some players, a New England Patriots legend gave a big thumbs up.

Will Ryan Day’s Matt Patricia hire cost heavy on the Buckeyes?

February ushered in some good news for Buckeyes fans. HC Day signed a seven-year extension that will average 12.5 million dollars per year, making his contract $87.5 million. However, it caught many side eyes. ESPN College GameDay host Pat McAfee was not okay with this fact – because the Buckeyes could dish out such a hefty amount for Day. But when it came to retaining their DC Jim Knowles, they gave up in the race and then went to Penn State after receiving a three-year deal worth $3.1 million. So, Day had to come up with a hire that would instantly turn heads. But looks like Patricia’s hire comes with a lot of clauses. 

The Chicago Sports Network podcast addressed the elephant in the room. Big Ten Network analyst Jake Butt and former Buckeyes linebacker-turned-analyst Joshua Perry discussed about Dstacify’s statement. It read, “If Day can keep the ‘smartest man in the room’ tendencies with him at bat & keep him from rubbing the defensive players the wrong way, then this could be a good hire.” Here, Perry gave some more insights on the “rubbing the defensive players the wrong way” part. 

Perry was part of Ohio State between 2012 and 2015. He recalled one instance with Patricia when the coach visited Columbus, that he still can’t forget. The linebacker shared, “I had one experience with Matt Patricia. It was in my pre-draft process… Went into the film room and watched about 2 hours and 45 minutes worth the film. He tore us down. Told us we are nothing, we couldn’t do any good… Guys were dropping like flies, two of us made it to the on-field work… He killed us. It was terrible.” So, procrastination is a BIG NO-NO for Patricia. And the players should not ignore the red flags. Interestingly, there is another story to the Ryan Day x Matt Patricia collab. 

Matt Patricia gets a clean chit from former New England player 

The 50-year-old coach is a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator in New England under Bill Belichick. He was there in New England for 14 seasons and served as the DC for six seasons. However, under him, his unit gave up 41 points and 538 yards to the Eagles. He also got a chance with the same role in the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Eagles had got rid of him a year ago after their opening-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay. And what about his Lions’ chapter?

It did not end on a sweet note either. Detroit fired Patricia during the 2020 season with a 13-29-1 record in two-plus seasons. Well, we are yet to know what Day’s program has on hold for the coach. But looks like someone is too excited for the Buckeyes program. That’s none other than the former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. The NFL legend thinks that Day and Co. are extremely lucky to get Patricia on board.

“Huge get for the program. Congrats Matty P,” Edelman posted. After all, the player has worked against Patricia’s defenses extensively as one of their longtime key receivers. Having known him for so long and knowing what Matt Patricia brings to the table, he believes that he will be able to unleash his best potential at the college level. Will this new face fuel the Buckeyes’ dominance or dull their championship glow?