In one of the more surprising hires of the college football coaching carousel, Ryan Day and Ohio State Football is finalizing a deal to bring former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia to Columbus as the Buckeyes' next defensive coordinator. ESPN's Pete Thamel was the first to report the news on Wednesday.

Ohio State is hiring former Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement had not been announced.

Matt Patricia is expected to be named Ohio State football defensive coordinator. Patricia was head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2018-20.