Texas' Sarkisian Goes In-Depth On Gary Patterson's Role With Staff
What will Gary Patterson’s role be with Texas in 2022? Will he be more so an analyst or potential a co-defensive coordinator along with Pete Kwiatkowski.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian answered the age old question during his National Signing Day press conference on Wednesday, saying that Patterson will serve as special assistant. He will work closely with the second-year coach as he strives for better results after a 5-7 season in 2021.
“He’s got a great deal energy about him,” Sarkisian said of Patterson. “And he sees the game and he sees the staff and the team through the lens of a head coach. And so I think a lot of times when my focus is on specific things, I can trust what he sees and we can have that dialogue.
Patterson resigned as TCU’s coach after 22 seasons with the program. Helping them transition from Conference USA to the Mountain West conference and later the Big 12, the sits as the Horned Frogs’ all-time leader in wins, posting a record of 181–79.
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Under his play design, TCU finished with 11 10-plus win seasons. They were ranked inside the APs Top 25 12 times and finished ranked No. 2 in the country after a 13-0 season in 2010. Patterson was also named AP Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2014.
Sarkisian compared hiring of Patterson similar to what Nick Saban does at Alabama. Saban, a seven-time national champion, has consistently hired former head coaches to regroup before finding their next job a year or two down the road.
Prior to joining Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin spent three seasons as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator after being fired at USC. Following his firing with the Atlanta Falcons, Sarkisian landed at Alabama as the team's offensive coordinator, which ultimately played a factor into him getting the Texas job.
Perhaps Patterson is looking for something similar?
"Gary is going to offer the advice and what he thinks we can and should do, whether it’s personnel, whether it’s scheme, whether it’s game plan," Sarkisian said.
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