Matt Patricia helped Ohio State become the best defense in the country during his first season as a collegiate defensive coordinator, and he is coming back for more in 2026.

"He was always committed to staying here," Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told Joey Kaufman of the Columbus Dispatch while revealing Monday that Patricia reached a new agreement with the Buckeyes. "I know his family loves it. His kids have fit in well. ... We just kept a constant dialogue before we got to an agreement with him."

Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports reported Patricia received some interest from NFL teams but decided to stay in the collegiate ranks.

Ohio State's decision to hire Patricia ahead of the 2025 campaign was met with some skepticism, as he wasn't experienced at the collegiate level and went 13-29-1 as the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 until he was fired in 2020.

Yet he wasted little time proving the doubters wrong as the Buckeyes held Arch Manning and Texas to a mere seven points in the season opener. That was just a sign of things...