Just as news broke that Ohio State had secured defensive coordinator Matt Patricia with a new contract, head coach Ryan Day immediately clouded the celebration.

While athletic director Ross Bjork confirmed the move in a recent interview, Ryan Day refused to discuss the details.

“No. Let Ross and everybody there handle how we’re going to move forward with all that,” Ryan Day said when asked about the details of Matt Patricia’s contract.

“But yeah, just again, got to give everybody a lot of credit involved. We wanted to make sure that his future was cemented here moving forward. That was great. I know that, you know, Matt loves being a Buckeyes family. He’s really assimilated well.”

Ryan Day’s obvious deflection to the question only added intrigue surrounding Matt Patricia’s contract.

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As expected, the full details of his new contract have not been disclosed. However, some reports suggest that he could become one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football. Before this agreement, Patricia signed a three-year deal after arriving in Columbus. That contract included a base salary of $2.5 million for the 2025 season.

While some had their doubts regarding the investment, Patricia showed exactly why the Buckeyes hired him.

Ohio State had the best defensive unit in the country last season under Patricia. The unit only allowed just 219.1 yards per game in total defense and only 9.3 points per game in scoring defense.

It was never going to be easy for Ryan Day to replace former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

After helping the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2024, Knowles made a surprising move to Penn State. His exit raised several questions. Why did he leave Ohio State? And who would replace him? Day needed to answer the latter, and the solution came in the form of Matt Patricia.

Patricia’s resume spoke for itself.

Having NFL experience with the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions, Patricia felt like the perfect replacement. His three Super Bowl wins further justified his hiring. And he showed that he didn’t miss a beat after arriving at Columbus. Despite the program losing its unbeaten streak and Big Ten title to Indiana and an upset loss to Miami in the CFP, Patricia ensured the defense remained a strength.

Now that Ohio State has secured his commitment, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes faithful can feel hopeful and encouraged heading into next season.

AD Ross Bjork’s faith in Matt Patricia pays off

While other programs focused on retaining and adding players, Ohio State prioritized keeping Matt Patricia. The reason was clear. Patricia had already proven he could deliver elite defensive results.

With rumors linking him to a potential return to the NFL, retaining him became a top priority for athletic director Ross Bjork and head coach Ryan Day. However, Bjork never paid much attention to the speculation, revealing he knew Patricia’s heart remained with the Buckeyes.

“He was always committed to staying here,” Ross Bjork shared.

“I know his family loves it. His kids have fit in well. We just kept a constant dialogue before we reached an agreement.

We wanted to make sure that we solidified Matt. He did a great job this year. He certainly, from the jump, built great trust within the building with coaches, with players. And then you saw the product in the field. And so really excited that we solidified his future at Ohio State.”

This development has made Ryan Day’s offseason preparation much smoother. With Patricia secured, the Buckeyes can now focus on their game plans and evaluating players while addressing the mistakes that cost them last season.