Ryan Day created quite the chatter after the news of Matt Patricia joining him at OSU broke out. There were mixed reactions to it because, despite his on-field results, his demeanor off the field was notoriously bad. Day will be returning to the 2025 season, riding on the success of the Buckeyes’ national championship victory from last season. Getting a controversial coach as defensive coordinator was a right gamble for him after being crowned champions.

Patricia will be following in the footsteps of Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes’ former DC, who will now coach in the big leagues. But his record isn’t overwhelmingly shining. Patricia does have three Super Bowl wins from his 15-year tenure with the New England Patriots. Under Bill Belichick, he jumped from being an offensive coaching assistant to being a defensive coordinator when he left in 2018. At Detroit, however, Patricia couldn’t make much of an impact, recording a 13-29-1 score until he left in 2021. Not only that, his rapport with players off the field also got a bad rap during his time. He also had a brief stint with the Eagles, but no noteworthy results came to improve the look of his resume.

Then there’s Ryan Day, who just won a CFB National Championship, interested in a coach like Patricia. Philadelphia seemingly did not renew Patricia’s one-year contract. Columbus was Patricia’s new home less than a month after the news became public. But now that Spring practice is underway, Patricia will be handling a team that will have some fresh faces. Safety Coach Matt Guerrieri shared some insights on how the former Lions DC was settling in as the Buckeyes DC.

Eleven Warriors spoke with him on April 1, after practice. Guerrieri was asked about the battle between Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain for starting safety. Guerrieri said, “If those guys earn the right to be on the field, we’ve got to put them on the field.” He then highlighted where Patricia’s experience was coming into play. “How do we find the balance to be able to play multiple safeties, multiple corners and packaging? Matt Patricia’s the guru of being able to do that throughout his career, what he’s been able to do from a personnel standpoint.” If, despite Patricia’s past experiences, a colleague calls him a “guru,” he’s at least doing the coaching bit right at Columbus.

Patricia will be in charge of a team that will see eight new starters on the defense. In the NFL, he was known for deploying different defense strategies and for his versatility. There are also reports of Patricia already working using Knowles’s defense as a guide. Zach Smith of Menace 2 Sports said, “They’re running the same defense. They’re just changing all the calls—changing the names. But they’re running the Jim Knowles defense.” It will be interesting to see how he shapes the defense of a team that was the best in the country last season. Day not only has to keep Patricia in line with the mindset and culture at Columbus but also address an important development at the WR room.

Ryan Day lands a 5-star commit with a legacy title

The Buckeyes HC can heave a sigh of relief because a major blue-chip just committed himself for good to OSU. Not only is he an elite prospect, but he also carries a family name. We’re talking about Chris Henry Jr., the son of former Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chris Henry. He has shut down his recruitment for the season and will be sealing the deal with Day. Hayes Fawcett announced on X, “He has also cancelled his Official Visits to Oregon, USC, & Miami.” Henry Jr. also said, “I want to be in Columbus and I want to be a Buckeye.”

Day’s latest recruit has a 247Sports Composite ranking of No. 2 WR in the 2026 class and is a 5-star prospect. He doesn’t have many of his records publicized, as he missed junior year because of a knee injury. But in 2022, Henry did make it to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American. Greg Biggins wrote for 247Sports, “He’s explosive out of the gate, can stop and start on a dime, change direction and has a huge catch radius. He has the long speed to stretch the field and hit the home run combined with the size and sure handedness to be a go to guy on key third down situations.” Henry, like his father, will also play in the WR position for Ohio State. With such a key talent on board, Day will be a little at ease.

Ryan Day will be entering this season with a new team and new staff to help shape them into the best. The question is, will he be able to match up to the bar he set for himself with last year’s result?