The Detroit Lions have seen their fair share of coaches, and some were more liked than others. Dan Campbell, of course, is the Lions’ current head coach, and he’s been a favorite for Coach of the Year ever since he helped turn the franchise around.
One of the Lions’ less popular coaches, shall we say, is resurfacing at a spot not too many miles away from Detroit.
Former Detroit Lions Coach Matt Patricia is Back
Those who remember the Matt Patricia era in Detroit surely know that he wasn’t a very beloved coach. In October of last year, NFL expert and analyst Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network even ranked the 10 worst coaching hires in NFL history and put the Lions’ hiring of Patricia on the list. He came in at No. 7 on the tally.
Patricia took over in 2018 following a 9-7 season with former head coach Jim Caldwell. The team went to 6-10 under Patricia’s coaching in 2018 and won only eight games over the next two seasons. He and Lions general manager Bob Quinn were let go in 2020, and Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes took over. The rest is NFL history.
Brad Berreman of SideLion Report even thinks Patricia should have been higher on the tally of the worst NFL coach hires, stating, “There’s a case for the Lions’ hire of Patricia to be higher than No. 7. It’s hard to rank such overall ineptitude of coaching hires, but top-five feels proper even without Honolulu Blue-shaded glasses.”
Patricia’s last pro gig was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 as the team’s senior defensive assistant. After a rough season, he was let go and didn’t resurface as a coach in 2024.
But, in a report published on Wednesday, February 13, Pete Thamel of ESPN states that Ohio State “is finalizing a deal to make veteran NFL coach Matt Patricia the school’s new defensive coordinator,” per sources.
Ohio State, of course, scored the 2024 national title, so it’s a hot job. It’s also a few hours from Detroit, so Patricia is back in the area.
“The move to bring in Patricia comes with the corresponding internal promotion of secondary coach Tim Walton to the co-defensive coordinator role, sources said,” they added. “Ohio State will also be promoting safeties coach Matt Guerrieri to pass-game coordinator, per sources.”
Patricia would be replacing Jim Knowles, who left the university to be Penn State’s defensive coordinator.
Matt Patricia Comes With Super Bowl Wins
Patricia’s most successful era was when he served as the defensive coordinator for two of New England‘s Super Bowl wins. He was also an offensive offensive assistant for the Patriots’ 2004 Super Bowl win.
Brandon Little of A to Z Sports says this marriage is a “good fit.”
“Patricia likely won’t be recruiting much for the Buckeyes off campus but on campus he is a valuable price thanks to his Super Bowl experience,” he stated in a February 13 feature. “Time will tell how the hire ultimately ends up working out, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the move to Columbus.”
