Report: TCU's Patterson Officially To Texas?

Gary Patterson is inching closer to agreeing to terms with the Longhorns

Gary Patterson wants to coach again and Texas needs help defensively. Who says no to a deal like this? 

As of now, not Patterson. 

According to reports from 247Sports, Patterson met with Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwitkowski Thursday to discuss joining the staff in 2022. Patterson was considered a hot name this offseason to be in the running for another program after over two decades with TCU. 

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has been linked to Patterson for several weeks since his departure from Fort Worth. According to the initial report, Patterson would serve a role similar to that of Jerry Kill, who was hired in 2020 by TCU as a defensive analyst and later took over as the interim coach to close out the regular season. 

“I've got, obviously, a great deal of respect for Gary,” Sarkisian said Wednesday at his Early Signing Period press conference. “He’s done a fantastic job. Really built that program into what it is and to make it one of the more desirable jobs in the country. 

"I know that he's trying to figure out in what capacity does he want to continue this profession. We have not made any determination on if we would want him here or if he would want to be here, but the reality of it is there's definitely a level of respect for the job that he's done at TCU.”

Patterson, who was hired by TCU in 1998 as defensive coordinator, took over for Dennis Franchione in 2000. Under his direction, the Horned were able to move four conference from the WAC all the way to the Big 12. 

In 22 seasons with the program, Patterson held a 181-79 record. He won six total conference championships and had the Horned Frogs ranked in the AP Poll 11 times. 

Texas' defense was its downfall in 2021. Despite the addition of Kwitkowski and his pass coverage success in Washington, the Longhorns struggled to keep opponents out of the end zone, primalry in the second half of games. 

The Longhorns allowed 425.6 yards per game and 31.1 points per game, both ranking bottom five in the Big 12. Texas' run defense also allowed 201.6 rushing yards per game and 5.15 yards per play, both third-most in the conference. 

Texas finished 5-7 in 2021 and will not head to a bowl game later this month. 

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