Football
- Title:
- Run Game Coordinator, Running Backs
- Email:
- UNTFootball@unt.edu
- Alma Mater:
- UNT, 2005
Former Mean Green and NFL running back Patrick Cobbs, a member of the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame and the All-Century Football Team, was named running backs coach in February 2019. He was retained by new head coach Eric Morris in December 2022 and elevated to Run Game Coordinator in 2024.
The 2024 season saw the Mean Green finish 14th in FBS averaging 5.44 yards per carry as a team. Despite losing each of its top three rushers on the depth chart by the fourth week of the season, UNT still ranked fifth in FBS with 22.1 percent of runs resulting in an explosive play. In addition, North Texas running backs ranked second in the AAC according to PFF with 159 missed tackles forced.
In 2023, Cobbs mentored his second 1,000 yard rusher as the Mean Green led The American averaging 5.11 yards per carry. UNT finished No. 22 in FBS in rushing with an average of 191.2 yards per game.
Cobbs served as assistant head coach during the 2022 season while coaching running backs. Under his leadership, the Mean Green finished second in Conference USA (26th, FBS) in rushing, averaging nearly 200 ypg. UNT had three of the top 14 rushers in CUSA - Ayo Adeyi (807 yards, 6th), Ikaika Ragsdale (755 yards, 8th) and Oscar Adaway III (583 yards, 14th).
In 2021, Cobbs mentored one of the top running back groups in the country. The Mean Green finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally in rushing offense (234.1 ypg) as DeAndre Torrey rushed for 1,215 yards on the year, the seventh-best single season total in UNT history. Torrey was Cobbs' first pupil to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
The Mean Green rushed for 32 touchdowns on the season. That total was the second most for a UNT team and the most since 1951’s program record 33. Torrey finished his career with 36 touchdowns on the ground, equaling Cobbs’ career total from 2001-05.
Additionally, a trio of freshman rushers enjoyed strong campaigns as Ragsdale (534 yards, 5 TD), Adeyi (496 yards, 6 TD) and Isaiah Johnson (359 yards, 5 TD) all added to the potent ground attack.
In 2020, the Mean Green led Conference USA in rushing at 230.2 yards per game, a total that ranked 13th nationally. UNT's 18 rushing touchdowns in 10 games were second in the league. Torrey had 656 rushing yards and Adaway III tallied 572 yards on the ground.
Cobbs’ running backs group averaged 135.2 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry in his first season in Denton in 2019. While the group dealt with some key injuries, Tre Siggers, who shifted from safety, had a strong debut season at the position. He carried 152 times for 853 yards and six touchdowns, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Siggers earned Conference USA all-conference honorable mention status.
Cobbs joined the Mean Green staff following five seasons as the running backs coach at Denton Ryan High School, and he learned under coaching legends Bill Belichick and Nick Saban during his six-year NFL career.
Cobbs was a four-year letterwinner at North Texas (2001-2005) and graduated as the program's all-time leading with 4,050 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. In 2003, Cobbs was the nation's leading rusher, posting 1,680 yards for a national-best average of 152.7 yards per game, and earned All-America and Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was part of four bowl teams with North Texas. Although his career record was eclipsed in 2011, he remains UNT's second-leading all-time rusher.
After graduating from UNT, the Shawnee, Oklahoma, native was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Later that season he joined the Miami Dolphins, where he spent six seasons and played in 54 games. Cobbs signed with the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2011 season but did not appear due to injury.
Cobbs earned two degrees at North Texas, a bachelor's in applied arts and science and a bachelor's in sociology.
In 2010, Cobbs was inducted into the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he was named to the North Texas All-Century Football Team. CBSSports.com named Cobbs to the Sun Belt Conference All-Decade Team.
Patrick and his wife Amanda have five children: Rush, Haylee, Dash, River and Rome.
Coaching History
2014-18: Denton (Texas) Ryan HS, running backs
2019-21: UNT, assistant coach, running backs
2022: UNT, assistant head coach/running backs
2023: UNT, assistant coach, running backs
2024-: UNT, run game coordinator/running backs
