Report: Texas interviews Louisville's Strong, Vanderbilt's Franklin

New Texas athletic director Steve Patterson reportedly isn't wasting any time in the Longhorns' search for a new head coach with Mack Brown officially stepping down after the teams' 30-7 loss to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Monday.

According to Orangebloods.com, Patterson flew to an undisclosed location Tuesday to interview Louisville head coach Charlie Strong for the Longhorns' vacant position.

If Texas is serious about bringing Strong to Austin, it will come with some stiff competition from the Cardinals, who are determined to keep their head coach, according to a report by Yahoo Sports. Louisville signed Strong to an eight-year contract extension that bumped his annual salary to $3.7 million in early 2013 after the coach was approached by Tennessee about it's then-vacant head coach position.

Patterson has also reportedly already interviewed Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and would like to talk with Michigan State's Mark Dantonio.

Patterson stated prior to the Longhorns' appearance in the Alamo Bowl that he would like to have a new coach in place before Jan. 15, making his schedule a busy one to start the new year.

Follow Shawn Ramsey on Twitter: @ShawnPRamsey