Ex-TCU Coach Gary Patterson Joins Baylor As Adviser to Dave Aranda, per Reports

After leading the Horned Frogs for more than 20 years, the legendary coach will assist a rival school for the second time in three seasons, this time with the Baylor Bears.

Former TCU coach Gary Patterson is a bona fide Horned Frogs legend. After a stint as defensive coordinator, he became the program’s head coach in 2000, leading them to a 181–79 record over two decades before resigning midway through ’21. The school unveiled a statue of the coach in ’16, and for good reason.

Given all of that history, Patterson’s post-TCU résumé is … interesting, to say the least.

In ’22, he served as a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian at Texas, an in-state and conference rival. Patterson was out of football in ’23, but his name surfaced in connection to a few jobs as the coaching carousel turned. On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that Patterson will advise Baylor coach Dave Aranda in an off-field role this season.

New Baylor consultant Gary Patterson guided TCU for more than 20 years, leading the Horned Frogs’ rise into the ranks of the Power 5 :: Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

Per SicEm365, a website that covers Baylor athletics, Patterson will be a “senior level strategic consultant” for the Bears, helping Aranda and his staff with preparing for opponents and self-scouting on both sides of the ball.

Baylor and TCU, which are located about 90 miles apart in Waco and Fort Worth, respectively, share a heated, long-standing rivalry. In 2014, it reached a fever pitch, when the Bears sparked a massive comeback to beat the Horned Frogs in a 61–58 shootout. Both teams would finish 11–1 (8–1 Big 12), and were famously spurned by the College Football Playoff in favor of eventual national champion Ohio State. Patterson also shared a prickly relationship with former Baylor coach Art Briles (whose son coincidentally now serves on Sonny Dykes’s staff at TCU). 

These all factor in to some very mixed feelings from fans on both sides of the rivalry. One fan took things to its natural conclusion, however, putting Bears gear on Patterson’s statue on the TCU campus.

That didn’t take long. pic.twitter.com/QWelCqpxlp

— Colt Barber (@Colt_Barber) February 8, 2024

SicEm365 notes that Patterson and Aranda have a prior relationship, and it’s doubtful that the former TCU coach would ever outwardly relish the chance to beat his old program, despite an awkward midseason breakup in 2021. However, he did open up a bit about his feelings towards the program during their surprising run to the national championship game in 2022–23, telling Sports Illustrated that it was “bittersweet.”

“You put 24 years of your life into a place, you wouldn’t want something like that to fail,” Patterson said. “If you’re sitting in my shoes, yes, it is probably bittersweet. But at the end of the day, it’s good to see them get where they need to.”

While supporting the Horned Frogs during that run, he also made an interesting divorce metaphor when referencing the decision to work at Texas.

“If you went through a divorce,” Patterson said, explaining the move. “Would you want to live in the same town as your ex? I needed some space. A lot of people thought I went to Texas out of spite. No, I went to learn.”

Patterson would attend TCU’s rough loss to Georgia at SoFi Stadium to end that season, earning a warm reception from Horned Frogs fans. Even so, Thursday’s Baylor news would indicate things remain complicated between the two sides.