Follow Coach Patterson on Twitter: @znpatterson
Recruiting Area: Dallas, Northeast Dallas to Mesquite, South Dallas
Zack Patterson begins his third season on Sam Houston football staff as running backs coach.
Under Patterson's guidance, Bearkat running backs have flourished, receiving three-all-conference nods in his tenure. That included the 2016 season when the Kats placed a pair of running backs on the all-conference teams with Corey Avery getting a first-team nod and Remus Bulmer being named to the second team. The Kats' running game helped pace a Sam Houston offense that led the nation in scoring with 49.5 points per game in 2016 and a No. 1 national ranking for the final six weeks of the regular season.
He helped the Kats reach the FCS semifinals once again in 2017 and in 2018 helped tutor sophomore Kyran Jackson who became the first Bearkat back since 2015 to total 800 rushing and 250 receiving yards in the same season.
Prior to Sam Houston, Patterson served as offensive coordinator at Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania where he coached the number one scoring offense in NCAA Division II football in 2015.
Slippery Rock finished the 2015 season ranked No. 7 nationally after advancing to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. Patterson has been a member of the football staffs at Slippery Rock that have made three consecutive national playoff appearances. He served as quarterback coach in 2013 and passing game coordinator and QB coach in 2014. He has also served as the university's recruiting coordinator.
Patterson helped direct Slippery Rock to its second consecutive conference championship. The team ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II total offense (490.3 yards per game) and No. 11 in rushing offense (257.7). The team also led the nation in first downs.
Running back Shamar Green rushed for 1,545 yards to ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II. Quarterback Dante Nanai was responsible for 210 points and threw for a school record 31 touchdowns.
The 2015 offense set the following single-season program records at SRU: rushing yards (3,608), rushing attempts (741), rushing TDs (46), total offense (6,864), all-purpose yardage (8,599), scoring (633 points) and total TDs (87).
Patterson's wife, Kelly, currently works for the Student Activities Department at Sam Houston.
