With Steve Patterson's firing all but confirmed, the University of Texas (UT) football community is rallying for Mack Brown to take up the soon-to-be-vacant position of athletic director.

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman cited unnamed sources who told him Tuesday that the former Longhorns head football coach is not going to take the AD job. Even still, Texas Longhorns boosters, fans, and even former players want to see it happen.

"Not sure it'll go through, but there will be a big push for Mack (Brown) to become the next AD at Texas," the source told Feldman.

The Austin Statesman-American first learned of UT President Gregory Fenves' decision to fire Patterson, citing an unnamed source of its own. In the report, the newspaper's source also said Brown was on campus to meet with Fenves last week, but not to discuss a permanent post at AD.

Since The Statesman's report, several publications like ESPN, USA Today, and The Houston Chronicle cited sources of their own that confirmed Patterson's firing. The Statesman even learned Fenves named Mike Perrin, a former Longhorn football player, the interim AD. All that remains is for UT to formally address the matter.

Backing up both The Statesman and Feldman's reports was 247 Sports, which cited an unnamed source that stated Brown becoming UT's AD is "not going to happen."

Brown coached the Longhorns from 1998 to 2013, winning the Big 12 Conference in 2005 and 2009, as well as one BCS National Title in 2005. Still a beloved figure to the UT community, Brown serves as a special assistant to Fenves.