Longhorns Special Assistant Gary Patterson Stepping Away from Team

The Texas Longhorns are losing a vital part of Steve Sarkisian's staff, as special assistant Gary Patterson is set to step away from the program.

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns special assistant to the head coach Gary Patterson is stepping away from the team, per reports from Horns247 on Thursday.

“I’m so appreciative of Steve Sarkisian, the players and fans for my time at Texas this past year,” Patterson told Horns247. “I loved my time in Austin. I jumped into that role right after leaving TCU, and I put off a lot of stuff foundation-wise, because I wanted to be a sponge."

Patterson joined the Longhorns in 2021 after resigning following a 21-year run as head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs. However, his much-shorter run in Austin has come to an end as well ... for now at least. He didn't rule out a potential return to the Forty Acres.

"Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to August and I’ll want to come back, if Sark would have me," Patterson said. "But right now, I feel like I need to take some time for my wife, kids and grandkids while also looking to see if I can help college football on a larger scale.”

A defensive-minded coach, Patterson's knowledge clearly helped Texas vastly improve what was a previously poor defensive unit, as the Longhorns defense ranked 30th in the country in fewest points allowed per game (21.2) and finished with the second-fewest yards allowed per game in the Big 12 this past season.

It will be impossible to replace a football mind like Patterson, but the Longhorns will tread into the 2023 season hoping to replicate what they did last season and then some.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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