College Football: 25 greatest head coaches of the 21st century

Best college football coaches of 21st century: 11. Gary Patterson

• TCU Horned Frogs (2000-Present)

Earning the final spot outside the top 10 is TCU’s own Gary Patterson. One thing he has going for him is that he has coached in every season in the 21st century. From coaching in just the bowl game in 2000 to today, he has been at the helm of the Horned Frogs.

Patterson benefits from the volume of his career. He has had his fair share of struggles as head coach, but he has also had 11 10-win seasons. Some coaches on this list don’t even have 10 seasons of coaching.

Some might knock Patterson for not making it to a championship, but that is nowhere near the expectation at TCU. The fact that he has been relevant for so many seasons is an amazing accomplishment, and he has won plenty of games. Fans won’t forget their 13-0 record with a Rose Bowl victory.

Patterson was also in place when TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012. TCU struggled early, but Patterson righted the ship quickly and led the team to a 12-1 season. Many believed that TCU deserved to make it to the College Football Playoff that year in 2014, but the Horned Frogs failed to do so. However, they did win the Peach Bowl.

Although TCU hasn’t been the most relevant team in college football recently, you have to respect that Patterson led the transition from a smaller conference to the Big 12. The Horned Frogs succeeded in both conferences, and that is something that few coaches could do.

Just being a head coach for almost 20 years with the same team is an accomplishment in itself. As this season starts, Patterson will only be adding to his legacy.