Former Patriots Coach Enjoying ‘Amazing’ New Job Outside NFL

The move to college football is going much better for one of Bill Belichick’s former New England Patriots staffers.

While Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels are off to a rocky 2-4 start, Matt Patricia is flourishing at Ohio State. The defensive coordinator has helped the defending champions go 7-0 with an FBS-leading 5.9 points allowed per game.

Patricia seems to love his new job. The three-time Super Bowl champion gushed about Ohio State on his head coach’s “Ryan Day Radio Show,” via Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors.

“It’s been unbelievable. This place is amazing,” Patricia said on Thursday. “The fans are great, the stadium atmosphere, just all of it, the walk — my kids are in awe. They’ve seen some really cool things in sports, but this has been unbelievable for them.”

Patricia bounced around to coach Patriots offensive linemen, linebackers and safeties from 2004 to 2011 before getting promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012. They went 75-21 during his six seasons with the gig, allowing an NFL-low 15.6 points per game in 2016 en route to a Super Bowl title.

The Detroit Lions went 13-29-1 during Patricia’s far more tumultuous stint as head coach before firing him late in the 2020 season. He returned to New England as a senior defensive advisor for two seasons before working as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.

The former offensive lineman took his first college job since serving as a Syracuse graduate assistant in 2003. Ohio State’s defense hasn’t missed a beat under Patricia, allowing single-digit points in all but one game.

The Buckeyes continued their dominance by holding the Wisconsin Badgers to 49 passing yards in a 34-0 road win last Saturday. Ohio State has the weekend off to prepare for a significant Big Ten matchup against Penn State on Nov. 1.