Matt Guerrieri | Safeties Coach / Pass Game Coordinator

Matt Guerrieri

Title:
Safeties Coach / Pass Game Coordinator

Matt Guerrieri was hired as Ohio State’s safeties coach in February 2024 by head coach Ryan Day and added pass game coordinator to his tile and responsibilities ahead of the 2025 season. In his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, he helped guide Ohio State to the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff national championship in 2024 and a return to the CFP in 2025, while his unit played a major role in two of the nation’s top defenses.

In 2024, Guerrieri’s safeties unit anchored Jim Knowles’ Ohio State defense that finished No. 1 nationally in total defense and helped the Buckeyes win the national championship. He followed that with an even stronger 2025 season, working under Matt Patricia as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, as the Buckeyes again ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense, passing defense and scoring defense. Individually under Guerrieri’s direction, Caleb Downs became a unanimous All-American for the second-straight year, won the Jim Thorpe Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, earned Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was later selected 11th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Lathan Ransom was a key contributor in 2024 before being selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Guerrieri came to Ohio State after serving as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Indiana in 2023 and as Ohio State’s senior advisor and analyst on defense in 2022.

The Willoughby Hills, Ohio, native and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School graduate has deep ties to the state and to the Buckeyes, and the program has reached the College Football Playoff in each of his three seasons on staff.

Prior to his first stint in Columbus, Guerrieri spent nine seasons coaching safeties at Duke, where he developed a reputation as one of the nation’s top young defensive assistants and helped mentor All-American Jeremy Cash and NFL safety Michael Carter II.

A three-year letterman and starting safety at Davidson College, Guerrieri graduated in 2011 with a degree in sociology and later earned his master’s degree in Christian studies from Duke in 2014. He is married to the former Alex Thompson, and the couple has two sons, James and Max.

Ohio State (2024-Present)
In his first two seasons back at Ohio State, Guerrieri helped guide the Buckeyes to sustained defensive success, highlighted by a national championship in 2024 and a return to the College Football Playoff in 2025.

2024:
- In his first season as a safeties coach, Guerrieri played a key role in Ohio State’s 14-2 season and College Football Playoff national championship run – the first of the 12-team era. The Buckeyes finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (12.9 points allowed per game) and No. 1 in total defense (254.6 yards allowed per game) under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
- Individually, he mentored Lathan Ransom to the best season of his Ohio State career as he ranked fourth on the team with 76 tackles and nine tackles-for-loss, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. His senior year also included three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception against Purdue and two pass breakups. Ransom was selected in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Not to be outdone, Caleb Downs made an immediate impact in his first season at Ohio State under Guerrieri’s leadership as he ranked third on the team with 82 tackles and added eight passes defended, including interceptions against Michigan and Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, along with six pass breakups. Downs capped the season as a unanimous first-team All-American, earned Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year honors and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. Downs was also a finalist for the Thorpe Award, Nagurski Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy while earning OSU Scholar-Athlete recognition.
2025:
- Guerrieri developed a historic safeties room in his second season as the position coach and helped oversee a historic passing defense after adding pass game coordinator to his role in 2025, as Ohio State posted a 12-0 regular season and earned a second straight CFP berth.
- As a defensive unit under the coordination of Matt Patricia, Ohio State finished No. 1 nationally in total defense (219.1 yards allowed per game), No. 1 in passing defense (129.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 1 in scoring defense (9.3 points allowed per game). The last team to allow fewer points and yards per game in a season than the 2025 Buckeyes was the 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State also led the nation in opposing red-zone percentage (66.7 percent) and first downs allowed per game (13.1).
- Under Guerrieri’s guidance, Downs delivered one of the most decorated seasons in Ohio State history in 2025. The true junior was widely regarded as the nation’s top defensive player, earned unanimous All-America honors for the second-straight year, and won the Jim Thorpe Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy, Big Ten Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year awards. Downs joined Mike Doss (2002) as the only two safeties in the history of the Big Ten to win the league’s DPOY award. Downs served as a team captain and finished third on the Buckeyes with 68 tackles, including 45 solo stops, along with five tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
  - Downs concluded his college career with 44 starts, 257 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
- Downs became the highest drafted Ohio State safety since Malik Hooker was taken 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 when he was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Additionally, he became the first safety in the Ryan Day Era (2019-Present) to be selected in the top 13 picks of the NFL Draft. His selection was tied for the highest a safety has been drafted since 2017, as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick was taken 11th as well in 2018 by the Dolphins.

Indiana (2023)
Guerrieri spent one season in Bloomington as the Hoosiers’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. During that campaign, Indiana defeated Wisconsin for the first time since 2014. Defensively, Indiana held the Badgers to just 101 rushing yards and 344 total yards, and the unit generated multiple defensive touchdowns throughout the season.

Ohio State (2022)
Guerrieri’s first stint in Columbus was as a senior advisor and analyst for Ryan Day’s staff. Ohio State finished the season 11-2 and ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll after reaching the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes opened the year 11-0, with ranked wins over No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 13 Penn State, before falling to No. 1 Georgia, 42-41, in the CFP semifinals.

Duke (2012-21)
Guerrieri spent 2012-21 at Duke, where he worked his way from graduate assistant to co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. He joined the Blue Devils in July 2012 as a graduate assistant, was promoted to assistant coach in January 2015, and after the 2017 season was elevated to co-defensive coordinator while continuing to guide Duke’s safeties.

Over his time in Durham, Guerrieri helped Duke win the 2013 ACC Coastal Division title, reach six bowl games and compile 59 victories. His safeties unit developed into one of the program’s strengths, highlighted by the play of Jeremy Cash, DeVon Edwards, Jeremy McDuffie, Dylan Singleton and Michael Carter II. Cash and Edwards became two of the most decorated players in Duke history, while Carter II went on to become a fifth-round NFL Draft pick of the New York Jets after earning third-team All-ACC honors in 2020.

Guerrieri’s impact was especially strong in 2017, when Duke’s defense ranked among the ACC leaders in opponent pass completion percentage, scoring defense, pass defense and total defense, and the Blue Devils allowed 25 or fewer points in 11 of 13 games. The back end remained a strength in 2018 and 2019 as Duke continued to produce all-conference performers and one of the league’s top pass defenses. In 2020, Guerrieri was a finalist for the AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year award after helping guide a unit that featured Carter II, Marquis Waters, Leonard Johnson and Jeremiah Lewis.

Background
Guerrieri spent the 2011 season as a defensive graduate assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne after a three-year playing career at Davidson, where he was a starting safety, senior captain and three-time All-Pioneer Football League honor roll selection. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Davidson in 2011 and later completed a master’s degree in Christian studies at Duke in 2014.

Family
Guerrieri is married to the former Alex Thompson, from Asheville, N.C. The couple has two sons, James and Max.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Miami	L, 24-14
2025	Ohio State	Big Ten Championship Game	Indiana	L, 13-10
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff National Championship	Notre Dame	W, 34-23
2024	Ohio State	Cotton Bowl	Texas	W, 28-14
2024	Ohio State	Rose Bowl	Oregon	W, 41-21
2024	Ohio State	CFP Playoff First Round	Tennessee	W, 42-17
2018	Duke	Independence Bowl	Temple	W, 56-27
2017	Duke	Quick Lane Bowl	Northern Illinois	W, 36-14
2015	Duke	Pinstripe Bowl	Indiana	W, 44-41
2014	Duke	Sun Bowl	Arizona State	L, 36-31
2013	Duke	Peach Bowl	Texas A&M	L, 52-48
2013	Duke	ACC Championship Game	Florida State	L, 45-7
2012	Duke	Belk Bowl	Cincinnati	L, 48-34

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2025-Present	Ohio State	Safeties Coach / Pass Game Coordinator
2024	Ohio State	Safeties Coach
2023	Indiana	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
2022	Ohio State	Senior Analyst, Defense
2018-21	Duke	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
2015-17	Duke	Safeties
2012-14	Duke	Graduate Assistant
2011	Lenoir-Rhyne	Graduate Assistant