Former Patriots Assistant Named As Possible HC Candidate For Penn State

Former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is in the middle of an impressive first season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.

The Buckeyes boast one of the strongest defenses in college football, and Patricia has done an outstanding job, positioning himself as a strong candidate for a head coaching role.

While a majority of college football head coaching jobs have been filled as of Thursday, Penn State is still looking for a head coach. Centre Daily Times Jon Sauber named Patricia as a possible candidate for the Nittany Lions head coach.

“Patricia is a Bill Belichick disciple who spent most of his career in the NFL with the New England Patriots,” Sauber wrote on Thursday. “He was a position coach until becoming their defensive coordinator in 2012, a role he held until 2018 when he became the Detroit Lions’ head coach. Patricia spent three seasons with the Lions, going 13-29-1 and dealing with locker room issues during his tenure.”

While Patricia could be a candidate for the Penn State head coaching job, he might also be out of the running. On Thursday night, On3 reported that Penn State is focusing on hiring Iowa State’s head coach, Matt Campbell.

There’s a chance that other college football teams might try to bring Patricia on board as a head coach, or he could be considering a return to the NFL next season.