When Ohio State’s defensive tackle Kayden McDonald reflected on the mental side of adjusting to college football, his answer pointed less to pressure and more to presence. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the 21-year-old revealed how defensive coordinator Matt Patricia became someone he could lean on, offering not just his coaching expertise, but the kind of personal support that has helped him to keep moving forward.

“Really just having somebody to talk to,” said McDonald when EssentiallySports’ Tim Wood asked about how stepping into college affected his mental health. “As I said, Coach Patricia, we developed a really personal relationship.”

Stepping into the high-stakes environment of Ohio State carries an immediate mental toll, but McDonald found an anchor in Patricia, who prioritized the person over the player and served as a reliable sounding board when expectations grew too loud.

It’s been only a year since Ryan Day handed the defensive coordinator position to Patricia. The Buckeyes’ defense in 2025? A grand success. They held teams to 9.3 points and barely 219 yards a game. Only the 2011 Alabama team has done it better. At the same time, Patricia’s unit locked the No.1 rank in both scoring defense and total defense. But the backbone of it has been Patricia’s relationship-driven approach.

He ensures to mix with the players by breaking the coaching wall in between. For instance, he revealed one funny incident about when he looked in a mirror and noticed something different about his salt-and-pepper beard. Patricia jokingly said that he looked like a 30-year-old, only to realize that MacDonald had a role in it.  

“(McDonald) liked to put a lot of (eye black) on his face before the games. I give him a good ole bear hug before the game,” Patricia said. “(One side of my beard) is black, and the other is all gray. K-Mac, he hugged me, and all the stuff came off, so it looked like I dyed my beard.”

That sideline moment highlighted a rare vulnerability in big-time college football. Matt Patricia doesn’t just tolerate his players’ quirks but embraces them. For a young athlete wrestling with some unseen mental hurdles, that simple pre-game bear hug offered grounding reassurance before stepping into the absolute chaos of the gridiron.

McDonald has declared for the NFL draft, but it was his connection with Patricia that helped the defensive tackle to keep going, beating all odds in college. The 2023 recruiting class commit soon found his footing in Columbus, emerging as one of the breakout stars on the Buckeyes’ top-ranked defense in 2025. 

He broke Ohio State’s drought by being the first defensive tackle since Jim Stillwagon in 1970 to earn unanimous All-American honors. Chasing a legacy that stood untouched for over fifty years brings a massive amount of expectation and pressure, and it’s easy for a breakout star to crack under that spotlight. But Patricia’s laid-back demeanor gave McDonald a crucial, judgment-free release valve to process that mounting anxiety entirely away from the cameras.

Meanwhile, two things have now become a part of Patricia’s signature look on the sidelines: a pencil tucked behind his years and a wide smile on his face. That approachable attitude led McDonald to seek help from the coach about reaching his goals. 

“I sat with him and went through the goals I had this year. Every step of the way, he was in my ear. Even when I have a bad day or a good day, he always told me to keep working and keep going,” said the defensive tackle in an interview in December. 

Along with McDonald, other Ohio State players, too, see Patricia as a family member and not just as a coach. The fact that he does not practice favoritism is what brings him closer to the players. 

“When he first stepped on campus here, it was like a long-lost family member that just came back home,” said junior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson. “All of the guys love him, even offensive guys. He’s just a family guy. He doesn’t just talk to the starters or whatever the case may be, but he talks to everybody. I think that’s why everyone loves him.”

It’s also important to remember that, in addition to being supportive, Patricia also prepared his players for the big stage.

Matt Patricia keeps guiding NFL-bound Ohio State players

The defensive coordinator did not let the players who declared for the NFL Draft figure things out for themselves. Instead, he prepared them for the NFL beyond scheme and language. Patricia had conducted regular sessions on Zoom with every former Buckeye hoping to get their names called out in the 2026 NFL Draft. In those sessions, Patricia conducted mock interviews, preparing them for the questions they might face. 

“It’s been spot on,” defensive back Lorenzo Styles said. “Everything he’s kind of told me to do, the specific games he told me to watch that they’re going to bring up, all of the teams, those are the games they’re showing.”

So, how could Day afford to lose this gem on his coaching roster? Less out of compulsion and more out of gratitude, Day handed the hardest-working coach in the building an extension in February. Now, Patricia is set to make $3.75 million in 2026 and receive a $100,000 raise ahead of the 2027 season. With this new contract on his plate, Matt Patricia becomes the highest-paid coordinator in college football. However, he received something in Columbus that money can’t buy: strong locker-room ties and trust as the players’ mental guide.