Can Matt Patricia keep Ohio State’s defense elite after another rebuild?

Q: How did Matt Patricia improve Ohio State's defense in 2025?

Matt Patricia improved Ohio State's defense by implementing new schemes and achieving first-place rankings in total defense and scoring defense, despite replacing 73% of the starters.

Q: What were Ohio State's defensive statistics under Matt Patricia in 2025?

In 2025, Ohio State allowed 219.1 yards per game and 9.3 points per game, leading the nation in both categories.

Q: Who were the returning starters on Ohio State's defense in 2025?

The returning starters for Ohio State's defense in 2025 were Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun, and Sonny Styles.

Q: How did Ohio State's defense compare to the previous year under Jim Knowles?

Ohio State's defense under Patricia in 2025 improved in total yards allowed and scoring defense compared to Knowles' 2024 defense, despite having fewer returning starters.

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 11: Ohio State Buckeyes S Caleb Downs (2) with Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia during a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini on October 11, 2025 at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images *From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about hype. What are you most hyped about heading into the 2026-27 season? You can catch up on all of the**Theme Week content here**and all of our**”Hype Week” articles here**.* It’s Hype Week around these parts, and it’s time to discuss the things we’re hyped about. For me, it’s all about Ohio State’s defense under Matt Patricia. Coming off an elite defensive year under Jim Knowles that culminated in a natty for the Buckeyes, followed by mass departures of players who were out of eligibility and headed to the NFL, it was ludicrous to expect a new defensive coordinator to maintain that level. Many doubted the hire of Patricia when it was announced, and all he did was raise the base level of the defensive side of the ball with almost an entirely new group of players. Patricia inherited only three returning starters from Ohio State’s 2024 national championship defense — Caleb Downs, , and — ahead of his first season in Columbus. Despite having to break in eight new starters and adjust to Patricia’s schemes and calls, the 2025 OSU defense flourished in every imaginable way. Not only did the Buckeyes retain their ability to stop teams in the red zone, but Ohio State finished first in total defense, allowing just 219.1 yards per game. That ranking was the same, because the Buckeyes finished first in total defense in each of the last two seasons, but Patricia’s 219.1 yards conceded per game was an improvement over the team’s 254.6 yards allowed the year before under Knowles. Additionally, the Buckeyes finished first nationally in scoring defense in 2025, allowing just 9.3 points per game. Ohio State’s was the only defense in the country to allow fewer than 10 points per contest. Knowles’ 2024 defense also led the nation in scoring defense, but it allowed 12.9 points per contest. Against the run, Ohio State was seventh nationally under Patricia in 2025, allowing 89.36 yards per game — that’s slightly lower than Knowles’ third-ranked rush defense of 2024 that allowed 87.63 yards per game. However, in 2025 the Buckeyes allowed only five rushing touchdowns all season, which led the nation, after Knowles 2024 group had allowed 13 rushing touchdowns, which was tied for 13th-best the year before. Those extra two yards allowed by Patricia’s defense resulted in nearly a third of the touchdowns that Knowles’ defense allowed on the way to a national championship. Against the pass, Patricia’s group was also excellent, leading the country with just 129.7 yards allowed through the air per game. Ohio State also led the nation in fewest passing touchdowns allowed, with seven. In 2024, Knowles’ defense had given up 167 yards per game through the air, which was third best among FBS teams, but the Buckeyes gave up 10 passing touchdowns, tying for fourth nationally in that category. Ohio State also improved noticeably in third-down and fourth-down conversions allowed in Patricia’s first year, while Knowles’ group had more tackles for loss, interceptions, and fumble recoveries. In other words, both Knowles in 2024 and Patricia in 2025 had elite defenses, but Patricia had to build a defense by replacing 73% of the previous year’s starters. Knowles’ 2024 defense returned seven of 11 starters, so the elite numbers his defense posted on the way to a title had to replace only 36% of the starting lineup. The point of this article isn’t to demonstrably show one defense was better than the other between the 2024 and 2025 units, but it is remarkable that a new coach coming in had to replace so many departing starters and somehow improved on 2024’s already magnificent statistics. After all, Knowles did have some advantages in 2024 over Patricia’s first OSU defense. The Buckeyes sacked the quarterback 53 times in 2024, which was second best nationally. Last season, Ohio State posted only 35 sacks, finishing 21st. Knowles had the benefit of returning stars and J.T. Tuimoloau, with the added bonus of having Patricia’s 2025 starters as his primary backups. The defensive end position group was not quite as deep in 2025, and performance fell off late in the season — likely at least partially as a result of the depth not being quite as good. While we’re giving Knowles his flowers, his 2024 defense intercepted more passes (10) than Patricia’s 2025 group (8). Given the heavy losses after the 2024 season and a new defensive coordinator installing his schemes and calls, Ohio State’s overall defensive elevation was not only impossible to predict, but it was beyond impressive, which is why Patricia got a new deal to stay in Columbus. While it would be foolish to place all of the improvements on the development of returning players Davison Igbinosun, Sonny Styles, (former backup) Arvell Reese, and Caleb Downs, that also cannot be completely dismissed. It must have been at least a partial factor. Patricia will have an even tougher time maintaining Ohio State’s elite defensive status in 2026. While the talent will be there, as it usually is, the Buckeyes suffered heavy losses for the second consecutive season. For the second year in a row, the bulk of the starting defense has departed, and this time it included some of the country’s absolute best players, including all four mentioned in the previous paragraph, along with Kayden McDonald, who (Reese aside) was Ohio State’s breakout player on the defensive side in 2025. Starters Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Caden Curry must also be replaced Patricia will have to replace *only* seven starters in his second season in Columbus after replacing eight from the previous year. If anyone seems up for the challenge, it’s him, but it would be ludicrous to not only expect no drop in performance in 2026, let alone an improvement from the team’s 2025 defensive metrics. And yet, if the history of Ohio State fandom has taught us anything, it’s that Buckeye fans are not shy when it comes to unrealistic expectations. I can’t wait to see how the defense performs in 2026. Two consecutive rebuilds of this magnitude, while rare, are becoming increasingly more common in the modern game. Whether it’s departures to the NFL or through the transfer portal, full (or nearly full) rebuilds are the new normal for many schools. That’s why I am so hyped to see what Patricia’s defense will do in his second year, especially considering the schedule is more difficult in 2026.