Ohio State's Ryan Day details reason for limited involvement with defense

Ohio State's head coach, Ryan Day is widely regarded as one of the top offensive minds in college football. However, as a head coach, he needs to be well-versed in both offense and defense. This season, though, it seems he's not dedicating much time to the defense.

Reporters asked Day on Thursday how much he's spent with the Buckeyes' defense this season.

“Not much," Day said, via Eleven Warriors Chase Brown. "Matt (Patricia) and I talk here and there just about philosophically what we’re trying to get done, but he’s doing a great job. He’s really the head coach of the defense, organizes it all, and he’s got a great staff with him.”

Ohio State hired Patricia in the offseason to lead its defense, and so far, he has transformed the Buckeyes into one of the top defensive units in college football. The Buckeyes are currently allowing just 8.1 points per game, which stands as the best in the country.

Patricia is a little different than most college football defensive coordinators, as he was once a head coach in the NFL, serving as the Detroit Lions head coach from 2018 to 2021.

Patricia finished with a 13-29-1 record, and the Lions fired him halfway through his third season.

NFL head coaching experience isn't the only aspect that stands out about Patricia. He spent several years as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick, winning a total of three Super Bowls with the team.

Since Patricia has such great experience coaching at the NFL level, he can be the head coach of Ohio State's defense and let Day be the head coach of the offense.

Following last year's defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles who decided to leave the Buckeyes for the same role at Penn State after Ohio State's national championship victory, many fans began to question whether the team's defense could uphold its high standard of excellence in 2024.

Although the Buckeyes may not have faced the most formidable opponents, their defense appears to be performing better than it did last season.

Ohio State's defense is about to face some tough challenges in the coming weeks, starting with its matchup against Michigan in the final game of the regular season. Following that, it could potentially go head-to-head with Indiana in the Big Ten championship game.

The Buckeyes need a few challenges before the College Football Playoffs, and it will be exciting to see them take on Michigan and possibly Indiana.