Staff Directory

Cory Patterson

Title:
Running Backs

THE PATTERSON FILE

PERSONAL

Year in Coaching: 18th in 2026
Year at K-State: First in 2026
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Education: Lindenwood, 2002 (Bachelor's in Finance)
Wife: Tiffany
Children: Nyla, Nori

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2009-12: Christian Brothers HS (Assistant Coach)
2013-14: Trinity Catholic HS (Offensive Coordinator)
2015-17: Trinity Catholic HS (Head Coach)
2018-20: Illinois (Tight Ends)
2021-22: Illinois (Running Backs)
2023-24: Purdue (Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers)
2025: Oklahoma State (Running Backs)
2026: K-State (Running Backs)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

2019: Redbox Bowl (Illinois)
2022: ReliaQuest Bowl (Illinois)

An experienced skill position coach with eight years of work at Power 4 schools after a highly-successful stint as a high school head coach, Cory Patterson is in his first season coaching the Kansas State running backs in 2026.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Patterson most recently served as the running backs coach at Oklahoma State, where he coached five backs to a combined 1,172 yards and six touchdowns. Prior to that, he was the associate head coach and wide receivers coach at Purdue in addition to coaching five seasons at Illinois, the first three coaching the tight ends before moving to running backs for the final two campaigns.

In 2024, Patterson helped Purdue wide receiver Max Klare rank among the top 15 in the Big Ten in both receptions and receiving yards, while Jahmal Edrine was eighth in the conference with 15.9-yard average on 23 receptions. The year prior, Patterson coached Deion Burks to All-Big Ten Second Team honors after he led the Boilermakers in receptions (47), receiving yards (629) and touchdowns (7). His seven receiving touchdowns ranked fourth in the Big Ten.

During his final year at Illinois in 2022, Patterson guided Chase Brown to an All-America season in addition to being a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top running back. Brown rushed for 1,643 yards, an average of 136.9 yards per game to rank third in the country. Under Patterson’s tutelage, the Illinois running back produced a 100-yard rushing game on a nation-leading 10 occasions. Brown went on to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft by Cincinnati and has been the Bengals’ starting running back each of the last two seasons.

In Patterson’s first season as Illinois running backs coach in 2021, he coached Brown to a campaign of 1,005 yards and five touchdowns as he became the program’s 14th 1,000-yard rusher en route to All-Big Ten Third Team honors. Brown’s season total was boasted by a 223-yard output during a 20-18 nine-overtime win at No. 7 Penn State – the longest game in college football history – as he produced the most rushing yards ever by an opponent at Beaver Stadium. Paired with his career-high 257 rushing yards earlier in 2021 against Charlotte, Brown joined Illini legends Howard Griffith (1990) and Rashard Mendenhall (2007) as the only players in program history with multiple 200-yard rushing games in a single season.

The 2021 season also saw Patterson coach true freshman Josh McCray to two 100-yard games in a breakout season. McCray ran for 142 yards at Penn State to mark the most rushing yards ever by an Illini true freshman against a ranked opponent, and he had a career-high 167 yards on a career-high 24 attempts at Purdue.

In 2019, Patterson helped Illinois earn a berth into the Redbox Bowl, marking the program's first bowl appearance in five years. He also helped coach the Fighting Illini to one of the biggest upsets in Big Ten history, a 24-23 victory over No. 6 Wisconsin.

During his time in Champaign, Patterson was key to Illinois' recruiting efforts, specifically in the St. Louis area. He signed two of the highest rated Illini recruits in the modern era, including four-star prospects Isaiah Williams and Shammond Cooper, who played under Patterson in high school.

Patterson began his coaching career in the high school ranks, first as an assistant at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis from 2009 to 2012, then at Trinity Catholic as an offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 before taking over as head coach from 2015 to 2017.

Under Patterson, Trinity Catholic established itself as one of the top high school programs in St. Louis and the state of Missouri. Patterson compiled a record of 27-6 in his three seasons at the helm – earning Archdiocesan Athletic Association (AAA) Conference Coach of the Year honors all three years – while he led the Titans to the 2016 Missouri Class 2 state title game. The 2017 squad went 9-1, ending their season in the state semifinals.

As an assistant coach at Christian Brothers College High School, Patterson helped lead the team to a state championship and two district championships.

Prior to entering coaching, Patterson worked in corporate accounting in St. Louis but also spent his time volunteering as a youth football coach at a local Boys & Girls Club in the evenings. His passion to mentor young athletes drew him out of the corporate world and into coaching and teaching as a full-time profession.

Patterson is a 2002 finance graduate of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. His collegiate playing career was cut short by a leg injury.

Patterson and his wife Tiffany have two daughters, Nyla and Nori.