Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator at Ohio State University, a position he has held since 2025.

During Patricia's tenure as defensive coordinator, the Patriots won two Super Bowls and allowed the fewest points in 2016.

Patricia played at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he was a four-year letterman as a center and guard with the Engineers football team from 1992 to 1995.

[4] After graduating, Patricia received an offer to maintain nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers with the Westinghouse Electric Company,[5] but decided to return to football as the defensive line coach for Amherst College from 1999 to 2000.

[7][8][9] On January 1, 2018 (NFL Black Monday), it was revealed that Patricia was the subject of the Detroit Lions' and New York Giants' head coaching searches.

[12] His first win as a head coach came on September 23, 2018, a 26–10 victory against his previous team, the New England Patriots, with Patricia beating his old mentor, Bill Belichick, in the process.

[14] Friction with players was also well documented, especially between Patricia and the defensive backs of the Lions, notably Darius Slay, Glover Quin, and Quandre Diggs.

[16] During an all-team meeting, Patricia called up a social media post and told Slay to stop performing fellatio on a wide receiver from another team.

When the 2018 season concluded, players held a mimosa party in the locker room and were openly discussing that they would not sign back in Detroit, or were celebrating having a break from Patricia.

[34] On February 12, 2025, media reported that Patricia was in final negotiations to become the defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

[37] In March 15, 1996, a 21-year-old woman told police two men had burst into her hotel room and taken turns violently sexually assaulting her.

[38] In May 2018, the Detroit Lions' decision to hire Patricia as head coach received public scrutiny when reporters discovered his sexual assault indictment.