The only thing that could tear Patrick Suddes away from his beloved Crimson Tide was a splash of burnt orange. 

The former associate director of football operations at Alabama was hired as director of player personnel at Texas, Mack Brown announced Thursday.  

Suddes will juggle Texas Football camps, the High School Coaches Clinic and recruiting efforts in his newly created position with the Longhorns.

He wasn’t necessarily on the hunt for a new job, but after Texas posted the job opening Feb. 22, Suddes said he decided to go for it. 

“When I was growing up, the University of Texas was always one of the programs that I thought about as a great place to be,” he said in a press release Thursday. “This is the only job I would have left the Alabama program for. I think being able to grow within a system and building something new here is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Suddes brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. He jump-started his career as a recruiting intern at LSU and spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to 2006. The past six years were spent at Alabama, his alma mater. 

“He’s a guy that is very passionate about recruiting and building a team,” Brown said in the press release. “Everyone we talked to said he’s the guy you need, and then Patrick knocked us out in his interview. I think he’s the perfect fit to build and lead our player personnel department.”

Nick Saban, whom he worked under for eight years, has been a teacher and key figure in the shaping of Suddes’ career, Suddes said.

“I worked for Coach (Nick) Saban for years and learned everything I know from him,” he said in the press release. “I can’t thank him enough for all of the great opportunities he gave me. But, when this came up, I was really interested in using what I learned and taking it somewhere else and trying to help out in whatever way I can.”

Described by those he’s worked with as ambitious, talented and tirelessly dedicated to his work, Suddes said he is thrilled to work under Brown.

“First of all, when you think of Coach Brown, you think ‘great coach,’ but what you hear all the time is great character, great leadership and I think that’s important,” Suddes said in the press release. “This is someone you can really rally behind. He’s won before, he knows what it takes, he knows the system and what it takes to get there. That’s exciting to go from one winning coach to another.”

Suddes also said he’s ready to use his skill set to impact the lives of the players he’ll recruit to Texas.

“I’m really passionate about not just helping to find and recruit the best prospects, but getting to know the kids,” Suddes said in the press release. “When they get to the NFL, they’re pretty much set in their ways, but in college, you can really make an impact in a kid’s life, especially coming to a place like this with so much pride and tradition.”

Published on March 8, 2013 as "Suddes hopes to point Texas in right direction".