Gary Patterson, the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs, is returning to collegiate football as a staff consultant for the Baylor Bears.
Senior level strategic consultant will be his formal title with the Bears. After serving as special assistant to Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian in 2022, Patterson took a year off in 2023. According to an article from 247Sports, Patterson gained a lot of knowledge from Sarkisian while he was at Texas.
“For my time at Texas this past year, I’m so grateful to Steve Sarkisian, the players, and the fans,” Patterson said to Horns247. “My stay in Austin was fantastic. I took on that role immediately after graduating from TCU, and because I wanted to be a sponge, I put off doing a lot of foundational work. I was interested in observing the recruiting processes, practices, and handling of NIL (name, image, and likeness) by the Texas staff coaches, who have experience at places like Alabama and Washington.
“I thoroughly loved the players and gained a great deal of knowledge and respect for players like Jeff Choate, Bo Davis, and Pete Kwiatkowski. Who knows? Perhaps by August, if Sark will allow it, I’ll want to return. But for the time being, I think I should prioritize spending time with my wife, children, and grandchildren while simultaneously trying to figure out how I can support college football more broadly.
Patterson worked at Texas under Sarkisian’s supervision from 1998 until 2021. At TCU, Patterson began his career as the defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach in 2000.
Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is the winningest head coach in TCU history
Gary Patterson led the TCU Horned Frogs to 181 victories and 79 defeats in his two decades as head coach. He only missed four bowl games throughout his career at TCU, but in 2021, after posting a 3-5 record, he was dismissed, so he didn’t have a fair shot.
At TCU, Patterson had ten seasons with eleven or more victories. There were only two seasons between 2002 and 2011 when the Horned Frogs failed to win ten games or more.
Some claimed that in 2014, Patterson’s Horned Frogs ought to have qualified for the College Football Playoffs. TCU was rated third in the CFP standings, but after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones 55-3, they fell to sixth place. The Ohio State Buckeyes, who went on to win the national championship game, took their place.
Bill Hancock, the executive director of the CFP, provided an explanation of TCU’s exclusion from the CFP in an ESPN story.
“Well, here’s where they were the week before; they won, so they move up,” isn’t all the committee says. Hancock stated, “That’s the old poll mentality.” The committee approaches it from a different perspective. Ohio State’s resume got better. An impressive victory over a strong K-State squad enhanced Baylor’s record. And TCU was unfortunate enough to play a squad that would end up 2-10 the final weekend. It made people realize that every day is different.
Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson can help the Baylor Bears’ offense
Gary Patterson is an experienced offensive designer with a track record of generating elite players. Trevone Boykin, who placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy vote, was quarterback for the Horned Frogs in 2014 under Gary Patterson. He was named to the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year squad and made the first team.
In 2023, the Baylor Bears’ offense was far from stellar. They scored just 23.1 points per game, which put them in 101st place overall. With 263 passing yards per game and 1.3 passing touchdowns per game, their passing offense tied for 97th place in the US in terms of both scoring and yards.
Due to COVID-19 and his subsequent termination, Gary Patterson’s offensive ended the 2019 season ranked 56th in terms of scoring. They were second in the country in scoring during the 2014 campaign, a season that Patterson and the Horned Frogs believed they should have been considered for a CFP bid.
Although Patterson’s best years as the head coach of one of the strongest offenses in the country were a decade ago, the Baylor Bears will benefit greatly from his depth of knowledge and experience.
