The OSU head coach, Ryan Day, has already lost his offensive coordinator to the USF Bulls. Now, he is pulling out all the stops to make sure that he does not lose his defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, as well. Much to the Buckeyes’ respite, the 51-year-old DC is seemingly not going anywhere.

Ohio State has lost almost a third of its scholarship players to the portal. While the present incoming class is set, Coach Day has hit the recruiting trail, with Matt Patricia in tow. On Wednesday, Ryan Day and Matt Patricia headed through Virginia, North Carolina, and Connecticut to boost Ohio State’s recruiting efforts.

At Mills Godwin HS, they visited Brody McNeel, a Class of 2027 interior offensive lineman. The 6’5, 265-pound recruit, committed to OSU in November, turned down offers from Penn State, Tennessee, and others. Following the visit, the young lineman shared a post with both coaches.

During their trip, they also met Quinton Cypher, who is ranked No. 9 as a linebacker in the Class of 2027. He had committed to the Buckeyes in December last year. Despite already securing his commitment a month ago, Quinton’s mom, Alicia, remained absolutely impressed regarding OSU’s efforts to maintain a healthy relationship.

“Do you have any idea how much I’m fan-girling right now?!?!! #InthePresenceOfGreatness @CypherQuinton @OhioStateFB,” his mom shared on X.

Not just that, Coach Day and Patricia also visited Millbrook High School to meet Mekai Brown.

Ryan Day views Matt Patricia as a cornerstone for Ohio State, who brings more than a dozen years of experience with the Patriots. Although he hasn’t announced that he is leaving Ohio State, the NFL’s increased interest sparked the rumors. However, Patricia’s decision to hit the recruiting trail may soothe those concerns.

Recruiting partly hinges on the program’s brand and opportunities, but mostly on relationships. Recruits often stress the personal relationships they have with coaches that led them to commit to their program. With that, Patricia’s presence on these recruiting trips sends a quiet, but loud message that he is here to stay.

After spending 16 seasons with the New England Patriots, Patricia is no stranger to the recruitment landscape of the Northeast, and Ryan Day is making sure that expertise benefits Ohio State’s recruiting efforts.

Patricia joined the Buckeyes last year to fill the gap left by Jim Knowles. After Knowles’ defense led the Buckeyes to winning a Natty, Day wanted someone who had championship pedigree. Patricia, having won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, appeared like a good fit. Still, there were doubts, as he hadn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2003. But to everyone’s surprise the Buckeye defense stayed as good under Patricia as they were under Knowles, some say they were even better.

However, does that mean that the NFL has stopped pursuing Patricia?

Insider gives an update on Matt Patricia’s NFL equation

Last season, Coach Day lost his best defensive mind to James Franklin’s Penn State. A year later, he is facing a similar situation. A couple of days ago, Insider Albert Breer revealed that Matt Patricia may become a potential candidate for the Dallas Cowboys’ DC position. Weeks later, that equation has completely flipped.

“If Matt Nagy had gotten the Tennessee job, I think he may have made a run at trying to get Patricia. Now, obviously, that’s off the table because Robert Salah got the job. Robert runs a completely different system than that. So, that’s not in play the way it was,” said Albert Breer. “I don’t think you guys would be surprised to hear that Patricia’s on a couple of these guys’ lists. But doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere; I haven’t gotten any sort of indication right now that he’s closing in on one of the DC jobs.”

Despite Patricia’s success at Ohio State, it is not easy to forget his disastrous Lion’s tenure from 2018, where he started the season losing 48–17 to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Under Patricia, the Lions had a 6–10 record in 2018 and a 3–12–1 record in 2019. After dropping to 4-7 following back to back losses, Patricia was fired. Like Urban Meyer, Matt Patricia is also a cautionary tale on the differences in skills required to excel in the college game and the NFL.

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For now, Ryan Day catches some respite. Breer’s update gives some relief, but it’s still up to Patricia if he wants to go to the NFL. However, given that Patricia has been accompanying Coach Day on recruiting trips, it seems rather unlikely.