Ryan Day’s Jim Knowles Ultimatum Triggers Another OSU Exodus Amid Looming Matt Patricia Concerns

While football Saturdays remain vacant, a couple of complementary offshoots help fill the air. Whether you’re a CFB traditionalist or someone embracing its modernization, the transfer portal at least provides a spark between January and the fall. But most programs have concluded their business, and National Signing Day is also past us. The recruitment cycle is all but over, and there ain’t much ahead of spring football. The drama in this sport never ceases, though. The coaching carousel is perpetually rotating, and picks up speed this time of year. Ryan Day and Ohio State have been riding on this proverbial carousel the longest and have yet to come off. The nature of sports fandom is such that it works in subjective hypotheticals more than objective reality. But what if the reality is so unfathomable it actually feels like a pipe-dream?

Walk yourself through this somehow true scenario you’d have never believed a month or so ago. You’re one of the top 3 highest-paid defensive coordinators in the sport. You’re with a perennial contender, a program synonymous with success. In your mid-50s as well, so comfort, job security, and continuity ideally take precedence over change and uncertainty. Oh, and you’ve just won the National Championship. Do you leave? Turns out you do if you’re Jim Knowles. But why? The primary reason for Knowles’ exit is now more conspicuous- friction with D-line coach Larry Johnson. It was as if the two couldn’t co-exist, so Knowles jumped ship. The problem for Ryan Day is Coach Johnson could also be on his way out anyway. Meaning his sacrifice could essentially be rendered futile. However, Coach Day is putting harmony within his staff first going forward.

Jim Knowles’ exit from Ohio State came with no glaring reason why. Going to Penn State is a strictly horizontal move at best, and some may even rationally suggest it’s a step-down. People have alluded to the reason being conflict and unrest within the camp. Yes, they won the Natty. But in the background, Jim Knowles was allegedly at odds with Larry Johnson throughout. Host JR of The Big Ten Huddle Podcast has relayed intel on this being the case. Without delving into the intricacies, the issues between the two essentially stemmed from wanting different strategies and schemes for the defense. Knowles wanted a front 3 at the line of scrimmage; Johnson wanted a front 4. The aforementioned podcast has now revealed that Ryan Day has given Johnson a bit of an ultimatum. Find peace with the new DC, Matt Patricia, or leave.

JR confirmed that “There was some tension this past year with [Larry Johnson] and Jim Knowles. It was part of the reason why Jim Knowles left to go to Penn State.” He proceeded to speak about what has since followed involving Ryan Day and the long-tenured D-line coach. “Larry Johnson and Ryan Day had a meeting about [whether] he would come back or not. Apparently, the way this meeting went was Ryan Day basically laid everything out there for him and said, ‘You’re welcome back if you want to. But we need full alignment with you and the rest of the staff…make your choice. Either be unified, do what we’re doing, or don’t come back.’” A bold move after all the coaching turnover that’s already ensued in Columbus. Does Ryan Day have too much dip on his chip?

The Buckeyes have already lost 2 veteran presences in Jim Knowles and Chip Kelly. They lost an up-and-coming O-line coach in Justin Frye. Someone whose position group was perhaps the most impressive through their championship run, given the injuries and makeshift nature of its construction. Now, Coach Day has opened the door for Johnson’s exit. That’s your 2 coordinators and 2 lieutenants in the trenches. Conventional wisdom would suggest the losses are too big to maintain the level from last season. To add to the doubt, OSU’s hire of Matt Patricia has also raised concerns for a prominent analyst.

Ryan Day’s hire of Matt Patricia causes CFB analyst to expect a decline in the defense

On3’s JD PicKell met the news of Ohio State onboarding NFL vet and Super Bowl-winning DC Matt Patricia with vocal uncertainty. While he acknowledges the experience and eminence Patricia brings to Columbus, he’s not buying into a smooth transition to the collegiate game. “Matt Patricia coming from the NFL level with multiple Super Bowls is great. But what has he done at the college level to get me excited about him calling my defense in Columbus,” PicKell asked rhetorically. He proceeded to elaborate.

“What am I pointing to here that says, ‘Hey, this is a home run,’? Ryan Day, I’m sure he knows his staff. He knows what he’s looking for. So more power to him. But this feels a little bit like a risk if I’m calling my shot, to be honest.” claimed JD PicKell. The series of worrisome rhetorics continued. “Is he the guy that makes a 10 to 15% difference that you need to have on the defensive side to allow you to accomplish your goals and your standards in Columbus, which is to win a National Championship?”  Begrudgingly for Coach Day, his offense is going through a major personnel shift, too. 

Coaching the Buckeyes is somewhat of a poisoned chalice. Praise is hard to come by because the benchmark for success at this blueblood is just that high. Conversely, criticism in its many forms is abundant if you fall short. The Ryan Day discourse between the Michigan loss and Natty was a microcosm of this. Patricia will seek to warm himself to the faithful before these isolated doubts transpire into prevalent scrutiny. He’ll hope Larry Johnson sticks around to aid him in settling in. Foraying into CFB from the NFL is not as linear a process as you’d think.