Gary Patterson is a strong candidate to become the next head coach at Houston, sources tell FootballScoop.
Other candidates could emerge as the search progresses. Dana Holgorsen was let go earlier Sunday.
Patterson, 63, built a Hall of Fame resume at TCU from 2000-21 going 181-79 with six conference championships, six AP Top 10 finishes, and two New Year's Six bowl victories. Patterson led the Frogs to their best modern-day season in school history in 2010, going 13-0, defeating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl and finishing No. 2 in the AP poll. In 2014, TCU went 12-1, shared the Big 12 championship, finished on the cusp of the College Football Playoff and waxed Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
Let go by TCU midway through the 2021 season -- the Frogs unveiled a Coach P statue in 2016 -- Patterson spent 2022 as a special assistant at Texas. He opted not to return to the role in 2023, but earlier this fall signaled his intent to return to coaching full-time.
"I still have a lot of ballgames left in me," Patterson said on ESPN Central Texas earlier this month. "I'll be a lot better at it. I've already acquired a staff, guys' names depending upon where the school might be. I haven't just been playing golf here in the last 10 months. I've been watching guys, talking to guys. If the opportunity comes along and it's the right fit, I'll be ready."
Houston struggled in its first Big 12 season, fulfilling a warning Holgorsen gave back in February.
"What we're dealing with now on a day-to-day basis is going to be dead last in the Big 12," he said. "That's just facts. We've got to progress when it comes to that. It takes time, and it also takes money. We're not quite there yet."
While struggling off the field to provide the same level of care for its athletes as its Big 12 bunk mates, Houston has struggled on the field to put together a competent defense. The Coogs have ranked 72nd or lower in yards per play defense all but once since 2017.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.