Texas is hiring Steve Patterson, currently the athletics director at Arizona State, for the same position in Austin, the school announced on Tuesday afternoon.
James Rund will serve as Arizona State's interim athletic director while the school searches for a replacement for Patterson.
PREVIOUSLY: Patterson said he wasn't interested in Texas job
Patterson, who holds undergraduate and law degrees from Texas, has overhauled the Arizona State athletic department in two years at the school after previous senior positions with the Portland Trailblazers, Houston Rockets and Houston Texans.
"Steve Patterson emerged as the perfect candidate to build on Texas' athletic success and DeLoss Dodds' legacy," Texas president Bill Powers said in a statement. "Steve helped build an NBA championship team and brought the Super Bowl game to Houston. Far more important, he's run a winning program at Arizona State that places students first and is committed to their lifelong success."
Sports Illustrated reported Patterson was joined as a finalist for the position with West Virginia athletics director Oliver Luck, who also is a Texas law grad. Sports Illustrated also reported that Patterson will receive a multiyear deal starting around $1.4 million per year.
Patterson will oversee the nation's largest college athletics budget. He will replace DeLoss Dodds, who has worked at Texas for 32 years and is moving into a consultant's role.
The appointment is subject to approval from the Texas System Board of Regents, which is scheduled to meet Nov. 12 and 13. Patterson would begin at the university later this fall. Powers plans to formally introduce Patterson at a news conference on campus later this week.
ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement that Patterson leaving after less than two years as Vice President for Athletics will not "slow our forward progress in the least. ASU will be attractive to a wide range of candidates across the country."
Patterson, Crow said, "has positioned Sun Devil Athletics to continue its forward momentum well into the future. He first became involved with ASU three years ago to put the university's athletic department on a sound financial footing and that is exactly what he has done. I well understand his desire to return to his home state and wish him well at the University of Texas."
Contributing: The Arizona Republic.
