LOOK: Gary Patterson decked out in Texas gear, flashes Horns Up at recruiting event
Just two days after joining the Texas football staff, former TCU head coach Gary Patterson was seen throwing Horns Up in full Texas gear during a recruiting visit.
After spending two decades at the helm of the Horned Frogs’ organization, Patterson seems all in on Texas.
Patterson is joining Texas as a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns confirmed Friday. He recently left TCU after 21 seasons with the Horned Frogs.
The winningest coach in TCU history, Patterson mutually agreed to part ways with the program in October. He amassed a 181-79 record as the Horned Frogs head coach after spending two seasons as their defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 1998-2000.
During his extended tenure in Fort Worth, Patterson became the first coach in BCS history to win Coach of the Year in 2009 as a part of a non-Power Five conference (at the time, TCU was a part of the Mountain West).
During this time, the Horned Frogs program reached a level it never has before, contending for national championships during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. A Rose Bowl win over the Wisconsin Badgers was the peak under Patterson, finishing with a perfect 13-0 record and No. 2 in the AP poll after Oregon lost in the national championship to Auburn.
Patterson has widely been known for his intense defensive scheme. He has put countless players into the NFL, especially in the secondary. Now, he will work with Texas, a school that has struggled to cover receivers in the Big 12 for years now.
If the role Patterson assumes is an on-the-field one, he will face off against TCU for the first time in his career on Nov. 12 in Austin. His Fort Worth homecoming will have to wait until next season, barring the Longhorns prematurely jumping to the SEC beforehand.
Texas was ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll coming into the 2021 season, but finished a disappointing 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
It was certainly a disappointing first step for Sarkisian in his first season as head coach of the Longhorns, but he knows what success looks like in an organization. He’s been a part of two national championship-winning coaching staffs (2003, USC. 2020, Alabama) and with Patterson by his side — who knows what winning looks like in the Big 12, Texas fans have reason to be optimistic heading into 2022.