Ohio State is finalizing a deal to make veteran NFL coach Matt Patricia the school's new defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The move to bring in Patricia comes with the corresponding internal promotion of secondary coach Tim Walton to the co-defensive coordinator role, sources said. Ohio State will also be promoting safeties coach Matt Guerrieri to pass-game coordinator, per sources.

Patricia comes to Ohio State to replace Jim Knowles, who left for Penn State's defensive coordinator job in the wake of the Buckeyes' 2024 national title.

In Patricia, the Buckeyes get a veteran defensive playcaller who worked as the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2012 to 2017. He began calling defensive plays without the official title in 2010, which was a device Bill Belichick used to break in new coordinators and keep pressure off them.

He was the defensive coordinator for two of New England's Super Bowl wins and was on staff as an offensive assistant for the Patriots' 2004 Super Bowl title.

Patricia spent three seasons as the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020, getting fired with a 13-29-1 record in his third season there.

Walton's promotion comes after coming to Ohio State in 2022 from the NFL, where he coached for four teams from 2009 to 2021. That included a job as the Rams' defensive coordinator in 2013.

His new title is a nod to the strong secondary play at Ohio State under his watch, as the Buckeyes finished No. 3 in the country in passing yards allowed in 2024 and No. 1 in that category in 2023.

Guerrieri is a former co-defensive coordinator at Duke from 2018 to 2021 and was the co-defensive coordinator at Indiana in 2023.

They will all be charged with taking over an Ohio State defense that returns just three starters from a unit that finished No. 1 nationally in total defense and scoring defense. The eight departing starters, including the entire defensive line, project to get picked in the NFL draft this spring.

Ohio State does return high-end talent, including safety Caleb Downs, who projects as one of the top players in college football next year. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles will be another top prospect, and senior cornerback Davison Igbinosun earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.