TCU’s Gary Patterson talks staff updates and his vision for 2020 and beyond
TCU coach Gary Patterson finally lured his best man to Fort Worth.
Patterson spent half of his signing day press conference on Wednesday talking about his coaching staff changes this off-season, raving about veteran head coach Jerry Kill joining the program as a special assistant.
Patterson also formally announced the additions of Doug Meacham returning as inside receivers/tight ends coach and Bryan Applewhite as running backs coach. Jarrett Anderson moves back to coaching the offensive line.
On the defensive side, the only change is safeties coach Paul Gonzales earning another title as “passing game coordinator.”
But Kill is the most-talked about addition and will oversee the offense. Patterson went as far as describing Kill’s role as an “offensive head coach,” although Kill is in an analyst-type position so he is limited in his responsibilities.
“I’ve been trying to get him to come this direction. We were finally able to get that done,” said Patterson, who had Kill serve as his best man in his wedding.
“Between him and I, you’re talking 75-80 years of college football experience. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s made it better.”
In an analyst-type role, Kill can’t go on the road recruiting and can only wear a “headset without a microphone” on game days. But he will have significant input in how TCU’s offense should be run throughout the off-season and into next fall.
That includes everything from personnel packages to play-calling duties. Patterson was not ready to anoint a play-caller for the 2020 season, a role that offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie has held since 2017.
Asked if Cumbie would remain as the play-caller next season, Patterson said: “I don’t know that. We’re going to find out what’s the best thing that works.”
Patterson went on to reflect on the previous stint with Cumbie and Meacham on the staff from 2014-16 as co-offensive coordinators. TCU had one of the most successful offensive runs in program history in 2014-15 when the team went a combined 23-3 and ranked among the top offenses in the country.
For now, as far as official titles, Cumbie remains the offensive coordinator and Meacham is the inside receivers/tight ends coach.
“When those guys were together before, it was a conglomerative effort,” Patterson said. “For us, nothing’s really changed from that standpoint.”
In Kill, Patterson has an additional set of trusted eyes overseeing the offense. Both grew up in small towns in Kansas and are members of the Dennis Franchione coaching tree.
Patterson called himself and Kill a “two-headed monster” with what each brings defensively and offensively.
Kill’s track record speaks for itself, compiling a career record of 152-99 as a head coach with stints at Saginaw Valley State (1994-98), Emporia State (1999-2000), Southern Illinois (2001-07), Northern Illinois (2008-10) and Minnesota (2011-15).
Among his accolades, Kill was the Big Ten’s coach of the year in 2014 and was the FCS Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 2004.
“He’s a deep thinker, how he does things,” Patterson said of Kill. “Kids love him. He’s always a very-detailed guy. To have a guy who’s going to overlook the offense is going to be good for us.”
Patterson described Kill’s specialty being the running game, along with Applewhite’s, and Meacham provides another passing expert alongside Cumbie.
“We feel like we’ve gained in both ends of the street,” Patterson said. “One that has an expertise in running, one that has an expertise in throwing the football.”
Patterson is already starting to see a positive impact with the new additions, particularly with Kill’s willingness to mentor less-experienced coaches.
Patterson’s long-range vision is to build a program that develops coaches on both sides of the ball.
Patterson doesn’t feel like he has to go outside his coaching tree for defensive coaches, bringing in former players such as Jeremy Modkins and Zarnell Fitch.
With Kill’s presence, he hopes to see similar strides on the offensive side. For instance, Patterson called outside receivers coach Malcolm Kelly a rising superstar in the industry.
“In this day and age, where everybody wants the new gun, the young gun, not a lot of those guys are getting any training in how to handle people, how to handle problems, how to handle players,” Patterson said. “To have a guy like that on both sides of the ball ... defensively, no matter who left, our defense never changed.
“Once we get it the way we want to get it, that’s the same thing that our offense is going to be. We’re going to put a situation where we can grow young coaches, so we get to the point where someone leaves here, we can bring someone up within the ranks instead of going outside and change how we call things, how we do things.
“It’s going to be a great deal.”
Getting to know TCU’s new coaches
Jerry Kill, special assistant to head coach
Role: As Patterson described it, Kill will be TCU’s “offensive head coach” overseeing that side of the ball. He won’t be able to call plays or recruit on the road, but he’ll be a strong voice in how the offense should be run.
Past stops: Compiled a career record of 152-99 as head coach with stints at Saginaw Valley State (1994-98), Emporia State (1999-2000), Southern Illinois (2001-07), Northern Illinois (2008-10) and Minnesota (2011-15).
Notable: Named the Big Ten’s coach of the year in 2014, and was the FCS Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 2004.
Doug Meacham, inside wide receivers/tight ends
Role: Meacham rejoins the staff as an assistant and will play a role in turning the passing game around. He also has play-calling experience should TCU opt for a change from offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie.
Past stops: Most recently served as offensive coordinator for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks in the off-season. Prior to that, Meacham was Kansas’ OC from 2017-18 (being fired in the middle of the 2018 season). His first stint with TCU ran from 2014-16.
Notable: Meacham was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2014, which recognizes the nation’s top assistant coach. TCU was the most improved offense that season, averaging 188.2 more yards per game and 21.4 more points per game.
Bryan Applewhite, running backs coach
Role: A 21-year veteran who brings recruiting chops as well as on-field smarts. TCU would like to maintain its running game presence, as it had the Big 12’s third-best rushing attack in 2019 (204 yards per game).
Past stops: He spent the past five seasons as Colorado State’s recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. Prior to that, he coached at Louisiana-Monroe for five seasons.
Notable: He was a fullback at Northern Colorado when it won back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships in 1996 and 1997.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:06 PM.
