"I mean, it's Ohio State": Matt Patricia on if he considers move to OSU from NFL a downgrade 

With success comes recognition. For Ohio State, a College Football Playoff national championship meant having to replace some important assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and defensive designer Jim Knowles. The latter migrated to Penn State for a boatload of money, leaving a large hole in the coaching staff.

Cue former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who was hired to fill that spot. A longtime assistant under Bill Belichick in New England, Patricia doesn't see it as a step back to coach on the college level.

"I mean, it's Ohio State. I'm pretty lucky to be here," Patricia said to Eleven Warriors' Chase Brown on Monday.

Ohio State, of course, is one of the premier brands in college football. The Buckeyes' fans demand excellence, putting a certain level of pressure on the coaches and players. Head coach Ryan Day dealt with the brunt of those expectations after his team lost to arch-rival Michigan for the fourth consecutive time last November.

After that, Day and Ohio State powered through a gauntlet that included Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame to take home the crown. That run will be remembered for a long time in Columbus.

Earlier this month, Patricia talked to the media as part of Day's staff for the first time. He hadn't coached on the college level since 2003 when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse. He sounded thrilled to evolve his game plan with the pool of talent the Buckeyes provide.

"My whole goal is to try to figure out what you do well," Patricia said via The Athletic.com. "How do I put you in the best position to go get on the field and that job well to the best of your ability? Because if you can play fast and you can play aggressive because I have you in your (proper) skill set, then you're going to be disruptive as a defensive player. You're going to help us win as a defense, win as a team."

Where did Matt Patricia coach before Ohio State?

Patricia took last season off before deciding to return to the sidelines with Ohio State next fall. During his sabbatical, he considered what's changed about the game, noting college football's 12-team playoff as an exciting pull.

Patricia was the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2012-17. He was the unit's playcaller without that title two years before he was officially labeled Belichick's coordinator. While with the Patriots, Patricia won three Super Bowls.

Patricia was then in charge of the Detroit Lions from 2018-20, going 12-29-1 while holding that role. With the Buckeyes, he'll aim to put that unsuccessful stint even further behind him. If it works out in the way he hopes, he'll soon have a national championship ring, too.