Ohio State Buckeyes DC Matt Patricia Is Teaching Rocket Science, Literally

Buckeye fans are eager to see him put those brains to work on the Ohio State defense, too.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia speaks to the meeting during a press conference before the start of spring football at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 7, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Football can be as simple or as complicated as any fan wants to see it. That’s one of the biggest reasons it’s the most popular sport in America. But no matter how deep into watching film, crunching stats, or analyzing salary caps you get, it’s never as complicated as rocket science.

That might be one advantage Ohio State holds in 2025 and the coming years: their new defensive coordinator is an actual rocket scientist. Matt Patricia graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in 1995 with a degree in rocket science. Pairing his book smarts and his field smarts, he offered some words of wisdom to Ohio State Aero Space students recently.

I think it’s safe to say Matt Patricia is one of the smartest minds in football.

The defensive coordinator is talking today with OSU Aero Space students about his experiences.

Patricia has a degree in rocket science and worked in the field for two years before coaching. pic.twitter.com/pfwsQl7GS5

— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) May 23, 2025

Patricia spoke to what appears to be a small collection of Buckeye students, discussing the importance of teamwork. 

“Great teams kind of have the freedom to put that all out there, you know,” Patricia said in the short clip shared by Adam King on X above. “They have the respect for each other, they have the same motivations and they feel comfortable enough with the relationship to be able to kind of say, ‘Hey, I need you to do more here, or we’re not doing enough here, or this is what I think we should do here.' And making sure that you’re heard, right? I think everyone wants to have their ideas heard, you know, and to have that connection between each other. I think that’s where great teams come from.”

It goes without saying, but the importance of teamwork in rocket science-adjacent work is literally vitally important in a way that football doesn’t quite replicate. But the parallels are easy to draw, and well worth respecting from someone such as Patricia.

Of course, Patricia has drawn some negative attention for his coaching decisions since leaving his first stint with the New England Patriots to be the head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2018. His time in Detroit, then back to New England, and most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t work out in his favor, but it seems he’s taking advantage of a fresh start in Columbus in new and exciting ways.

Naturally, Buckeye fans want to see positive results on the field now that the defense will be under his command. They’ll be the first to make their ideas heard to head coach Ryan Day and his team if the Buckeye defense isn’t up to snuff.