Gary Patterson has earned his reputation as one of the more outspoken coaches in the Big 12. With media days upon us, it should not be surprising that the TCU Horned Frogs football coach is at it again. He discussed all things related to his team for the upcoming season. He also went on a somewhat unexpected diatribe about the state of college football in his state of Texas, which was once the hotbed of the sport, but has fallen on some tough times.
Texas football takes some heat
Some of the best schools in the history of college football reside in Texas. The Longhorns have prestige for years, the Texas A&M Aggies have moved up to the SEC, and the high school pipeline is unlike any other in the entire sport. Yet when the season-ending poll came out last season, not a single team from the state ranked in the poll. Patterson expects better of his state's brethren - and of his own TCU squad.
He claimed that Texas should be "embarrassed" about their omission from the Top 25 at the end of the 2016-17 season. Patterson boiled it down simply to a need for better play to come out of the state's many schools.
Just a year before, three teams from the state finished in the top half of the Top 25, so the decline from a year was pretty shocking. The TCU coach believes that the departure of Texas A&M for the SEC may have resulted in more athletes looking at different opportunities across the country. He sure hopes it's not going to happen again this year, though.
More interesting Patterson quotes
Patterson had plenty of interesting things to say on Monday outside of the status of Texas football. In regards to incumbent quarterback Kenny Hill, the coach claimed that the team needed to do more to help him develop, as well as give him some assistance on the defensive side. He had some praise - but also some concerns - about TCU offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, one of the highest paid coordinators in all of college football.
Patterson also took some time to reflect on the Big 12 conference in the wake of Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops' sudden retirement. He claimed that Stoops' departure could hurt the conference, but hinted that he may find himself back in the sport at some point in the future. He also pumped up the Big 12 in the face of the admonishment it sometimes faces in the media, claiming that TCU and the other schools in the conference are in great shape for the future and that supporters of the conference have nothing to worry about.