Ryan Day is seeing one recruiting win after another. He’s sitting comfortably in the No. 3 spot in the 2026 class, with a pair of 5-star commits booked. That National Championship trophy is attracting many more recruits from the pool. It gives Day the advantage of picking from the best in the class, and making a good impression on them, if not winning them over. However, things in Columbus are not the same as last year. A lot of those championship factors have moved on from the school. Ryan Day has a new roster and a new staff to carry on that energy into future seasons. A key 2026 commit reveals how the revamp pushed him to don the Buckeyes cap.

Ryan Day’s assistants were also a huge factor in him being able to lift that trophy. The offense was led by Chip Kelly, who left in 2025 for the NFL. Day had a defensive phenom as his DC – Jim Knowles. For 4-star 2026 commit Jordan Thomas, Knowles was once a key factor in his recruitment campaign. Ohio State had to fight off Penn State to land the CB’s commitment. However, he revealed in a June 2 interview with The Austin & Birm Show on 97.1 The Fan, that Matt Patricia, who takes over from Knowles as DC, was crucial in his final decision. Which means that Day is not just getting a good DC in Patricia; he’s also getting a good recruiter.

For Thomas, it was Patricia who was able to drive OSU’s pitch home. “The addition of Coach Patricia to Ohio State was really the cherry on top,” he said. “Coach Patricia, the way he sought after me and wanted to build a relationship with me, wasn’t like any other defensive coordinator that was recruiting me. He really wanted to coach me, he really wanted to get to know me, and he really saw me fitting really well into his defensive scheme,” Thomas revealed. He told Eleven Warriors that OSU was planning to use him as a “defensive back that can play outside or inside.” For now, Patricia plans to keep Thomas comfortable at cornerback, and then move on to nickel or star, the CB revealed.

Jordan Thomas is the 2 cornerback commit for Ryan Day’s 2026 class, joining Jakob Weatherspoon. Matt Patricia is bringing with him his ‘player-first’ approach, because he prioritizes building defenses based on the strengths of the defense. “My whole goal is to try to figure out what you do well. How do I put you in the best position to go get on the field and do that job well to the best of your ability?” the DC revealed in a presser. Matt Patricia is known for his versatility, for producing a variety of strategies often tailored to opponents. His way ahead is a mix of both Jim Knowles’ existing system and his own touch.

Matt Patricia building upon Jim Knowles’ strategy

Patricia won the New England Patriots two Super Bowl wins as DC. He comes into a blueblood program from one of the most iconic NFL teams. At Columbus, he is building a defense that combines elements of the old and the new. He said in a May 22 episode of The Bobby Carpenter Show w/ Anthony Schlegel, that he’s still relying on the things from Jim Knowles’ strategy. “We’re not trying to change that. We’re just trying to build on the things that were done previously, and I would say the biggest difference is probably just the way it was taught.”

“I’m much more of a conceptual type of teacher, conceptual learning, and where you can take bigger picture schemes. Boil them down and teach the group that way. And that’s what I think brings the multiplicity to the defense. When you can do that and packaging and calling it a little bit different.” This new method of coaching comes at a time when a majority of the defense is getting a makeover. Ryan Day was willing to gamble away 10 million for Patricia, in hopes that his novel way of coaching would bring its due results in the future.

“[The players] are fired up about the scheme they’re playing,” former LB Jack Sawyer said about Patricia’s style of coaching. Ryan Day looks well poised to recreate his defensive successes from last year in the future as well. Now that Patricia has become effective in OSU’s recruiting, it shows that the new DC is all settled in at Columbus.