ACU football coach Keith Patterson inks 3-year contract extension
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ABILENE — Fresh off a second straight trip to the FCS Playoffs, Abilene Christian and ACU head football coach Keith Patterson have agreed to terms on a major contract extension that will keep the Wildcats head coach in the Big Country through the rest of the 2020s.
Abilene Christian announced in mid-December that Patterson signed a three-year contract extension to remain ACU’s head football coach through the end of 2029. Patterson’s extension will officially kick in after the Wildcats’ 2026 season.
"I have said it many times: Abilene Christian University is a special place," Patterson said in a statement.
“I am thankful our administration and leadership have trusted and supported our vision for what this program can become. We have enjoyed some success, but we are driven to achieve even more and bring a national championship to ACU.”
Financial details of Patterson’s contract extension have not been made public.
Abilene Christian, however, has confirmed the extension includes commitments to further investments in the Wildcats’ roster management and assistant coach salaries to make ACU more competitive with its FCS counterparts in the era of NIL and the transfer portal.
"This extension is a sign of our continued, aggressive investment in ACU football to be the best on the field, while also living out our university's mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world," ACU Vice President for Athletics Zack Lassiter said in a written statement.
"We are thrilled that Coach Patterson will continue to lead our football program for several years to come."
Since coming to Abilene from Texas Tech in 2022, Patterson has elevated ACU football into the top tier of the FCS college football landscape.
Patterson boasts a 30-20 record through four seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach, including a 29-14 record against fellow FCS programs and an 8-5 mark against opponents ranked in the FCS Top 25.
ACU has also been dominant at home during under Patterson, racking up an 18-4 record at Wildcat Stadium during that time, which includes a 6-0 mark in 2025 — Abilene Christian’s first season with zero home losses since moving to Division I in 2014.
Patterson and the Wildcats have reached new heights with historic 2024 and 2025 campaigns that netted ACU back-to-back UAC conference championships.
In 2024, he helped lead Abilene Christian to its first FCS Playoff berth in school history.
Now, ACU boasts two consecutive trips to the second round of the FCS Playoffs after clobbering Northern Arizona and Lamar in 2024 and 2025, respectively, in opening-round FCS Playoff games hosted at Wildcat Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abliene Christian football coach Keith Patterson inks 3-year extension
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