ABILENE – Fresh off winning the Wildcats' second-straight United Athletic Conference championship, ACU head football coach
Keith Patterson signed a three-year contract extension on Thursday, as announced by vice president for athletics
Zack Lassiter.
The new agreement will keep Patterson with the Wildcats through the 2029 season.
"I have said it many times: Abilene Christian University is a special place," said Patterson. "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."
In addition to extending Patterson's contract, ACU Athletics has committed to further investing in the pool for assistant coaching salaries and roster management.
"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," said Lassiter. "We are thrilled that coach Patterson will continue to lead our football program for several years to come."
Patterson has compiled a 30-20 (.600) record in his four seasons, including a 29-14 (.674) mark against FCS competition and an 8-5 record versus Top 25 opponents. ACU is 18-4 at Wildcat Stadium in his tenure and finished the 2025 season with a 6-0 home record for the first time in program history.
ACU's last two seasons have been the best of its Division I era. For the second year in a row, ACU went 9-5, won the UAC championship and a first round home game in the FCS Playoffs in 2025. The Wildcats' two straight UAC titles are their first consecutive conference championships since winning the Texas Conference each year from 1950-53.
ACU's run to the UAC title was fueled by a 31-28 win over then-No. 2 Tarleton State with
Brandon Perez kicking a 47-yard field goal on the game's final play in front of Wildcat Stadium's third-ever sellout crowd on Nov. 1.
The Wildcats were nationally ranked for the entire season, were selected as the No. 10 seed in the FCS Playoffs and hosted Lamar in the first round. They jumped on the Cardinals 24-0 en route to a 38-20 victory before falling to No. 7 Stephen F. Austin in the second round.
ACU compiled a 5-2 record vs. Top 25 teams in 2025 and had its longest winning streak since 2010 by winning five in-a-row. Seven players were named to the All-UAC teams, and four were selected for all-America honors by various media outlets.
