Gary Patterson, Baylor reportedly mutually parting ways after months-long analyst gig

Gary Patterson, the former TCU head coach who was earlier this year hired to work in an off-field role for the Baylor football program, is parting ways with the Bears, according to a report from ESPN’s Dave Wilson. The decision for Patterson to cut ties with Baylor was apparently jointly reached between him and the program.

Patterson worked with the Bears, presumably, since his reported hire in early February of 2024. His role was reportedly “Senior Level Strategic Consultant.”

“We are truly grateful for everything he has contributed and wish him all the best as he embarks on the next chapter of his storied career,” an announcement from Baylor said.

Patterson is best known for his more than two decades as the head coach at TCU, one of Baylor’s Big 12 rivals. He later spent the 2022 season as a special assistant to the head coach with Texas.

Patterson’s reported role apparently had him breaking down upcoming opponents and self-scouting the Baylor team for head coach Dave Aranda and the on-field coaches.

Patterson became one of the most successful coaches in the history of the TCU Horned Frogs. There, he compiled an 181-79 career record while leading the Horned Frogs from the WAC, to C-USA, to the Mountain West, and eventually to the Big 12. Along the way, he picked up six conference championships and led the Horned Frogs to three major bowl games while being known as one of the best defensive minds in the game. On top of that, he also led TCU to six AP Top 10 finishes.

Prior to being the head coach at TCU, Patterson was a defensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs as well as several other stops. He brings coaching experience on the defensive side of the ball dating back to his career starting in 1982 after playing at Kansas State before that to Aranda and Baylor.

Baylor will be breaking in a new quarterback in 2024

The Baylor quarterback room has gotten very friendly with the transfer portal over the recent years, whether that’s guys coming or going. This offseason, the Bears sent a starter out and got back another.

That new starter is former Toledo star Dequan Finn, who is of course an unknown at the Big 12 level coming from the MAC, but is no-doubt a terrific football player and could offer upside no other Dave Aranda QB has. On Friday morning’s On3 YouTube live show, Andy Staples and Cody Bellaire examined Finn’s ceiling in Waco and what the portal turnaround means for Baylor.

“The have been three really good quarterbacks who have played for Baylor, that have gone on now to be potential starters or current starters at other schools at the Power Four level,” Bellaire pointed out, in reference to Blake Shapen (Mississippi State), Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech) and Gerry Bohannon (BYU).

“I still think Dequan Finn might be the best one of the bunch,” Bellaire added. “To your point Andy, is he good enough to save Aranda’s job? I want to say maybe, he just might be. What do you think?”

Following a rough ’23 season, Aranda needs to come through in ’24 or that Big 12 title goodwill could soon run dry.

“We shall see,” says Staples, who is curious if the new OC plus QB combo could spark a better result this fall. “It’s a different offense. Jeff Grimes was the offensive coordinator, he’s now at Kansas. Jake Spavital comes in.”

Staples sees some key differences between Spavital and Grimes.

“One of the issues I think they have, and Dave Aranda pointed this out, he didn’t feel like the offensive line was old enough, mature enough, ready to play, that they should have hit the portal harder.”

Staples added that Grimes’ outsize zone scheme demanded terrific play and elite athleticism on the OL, which was there in 2021, but not so much in 2023. Under Spavital and a different system, that’s not the case for the ’24 Baylor squad.

“You can work and function without a bunch of studs up front,” said Staples of Spavital’s system, “and I think that probably helps Dequan Finn this year as well.”

Plus, Finn is the modern quarterback and plenty capable on his legs and can be a spontaneous playmaker when the situation calls for it.

“He’s creative. If things do break down, he’s able to make things happen outside the pocket, inside the pocket, he can create on his own, you can do designed runs with him if need be,” added Bellaire.