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The still-fledging personnel department for the Texas Longhorns will need a new Director of Player Personnel after head coach Charlie Strong opted not to retain Patrick Suddes, according to multiple reports.
The decision was surprising because Suddes was credited for helping get the Longhorns off to a fast start in the 2015 recruiting class by holding a productive Sophomore Day for the first time in the spring, opening up the summer mini camps to provide more exposure for the prospects who attended, and organizing a late-summer recruiting event as well to ensure that the Horns were still on the radar of top prospects at a time when Texas not normally held recruiting functions.
Not only that, but Suddes handled much of the logistics for the Texas assistant coaches in terms of with coaches were on the road at which time and kept former head coach Mack Brown up to date on what prospects were saying on social media, as well as their birthdays and any other information pertinent to their recruitments by Texas.
Suddes had come from a similar position at Alabama, where he had led a much larger personnel staff. He had also spent time with Saban in the NFL, giving him an impressive pedigree.
It's not clear why exactly Suddes won't be a member of Strong's staff, but it's unfortunate for someone who worked hard, had success, and had made a lateral move from Alabama to Texas in the first place.The good news for him is that his resume is strong enough that he shouldn't have too much trouble finding another job, which makes the move all the more perplexing.
