‘Nothing official,’ but Gary Patterson’s shirt says he’s Texas Longhorns bound
Gary Patterson is wearing Texas Longhorns gear these days.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Patterson is headed to the Forty Acres.
The longtime TCU head football coach was seen with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte in a suite at the Longhorns’ men’s basketball game on Tuesday night. Patterson was donning a white pullover with the Texas logo and it seems to be just a matter of time before he officially joins Steve Sarkisian’s staff at the University of Texas as a “special assistant to the head coach.”
Patterson told the Austin American-Statesman that there is “nothing official.” At least not yet.
On Thursday, Patterson was listed in the Texas faculty directory although the school has yet to formally announce the hiring.
Patterson, 61, joining the Longhorns in some capacity has been rumored for weeks, and UT recently posted a job opening for “special assistant to the head coach.” That’s the same title Patterson gave Jerry Kill when he joined Patterson’s staff before the 2020 season at TCU.
Because it’s a state job, it has to be posted a certain number of business days before the hiring process can proceed. But all signs point to Patterson being UT’s target for that job.
Among Patterson’s duties, if he’s hired in the “special assistant” capacity, would include assisting Sarkisian with special projects, overall practice and game day preparation and self-scouting of offensive, defensive and special teams schemes.
The job description fits a similar role that Kill filled for Patterson the past two seasons.
Patterson and TCU parted ways on Oct. 31 as the Horned Frogs started 3-5 on the season. It was an unceremonious end to Patterson’s stellar tenure with the school.
Patterson is the program’s all-time winningest head coach, winning 70% of his games (181-79) over 21 seasons. He is regarded as one of the top defensive minds of this generation with TCU’s defense being ranked No. 1 in the country five times under Patterson.
But TCU regressed in recent years, posting a sub-.500 record from the 2018 season until Patterson’s dismissal on Halloween night. This year’s TCU defense ranked 119th out of 130 teams in total defense.
Sarkisian and the Longhorns would be banking on Patterson providing a fresh perspective on the program. Patterson had a 7-3 record against Texas since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
Plus, Texas’ defense reeled much of the 2021 season, ranking 100th in total defense. Pete Kwiatkowski remains the defensive coordinator with Jeff Choate carrying a co-defensive coordinator title with the Longhorns as well.
Patterson reportedly met with the staff a couple weeks ago, and the meetings went well. Texas then posted the job on Jan. 9 and Patterson has reportedly attended staff meetings since then. Now he’s attending basketball games with Texas gear in public. Again, it seems like a matter of time before it’s official.
The move would add another layer to the TCU-Texas rivalry. TCU and Texas play on Nov. 12 in Austin next season.
Barkley to portal
TCU wide receiver Mikel Barkley is the latest player to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Barkley announced his plans to transfer this week.
Barkley had a limited role with the team last season, finishing with one catch for 48 yards. He had seven catches for 33 yards in 2020.
This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 10:00 PM.
