After weeks of speculation, former Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Shea Patterson has officially announced his intentions to transfer to Michigan.
The signal-caller visited for U-M's basketball game on Saturday against UCLA, along with two of his Rebel teammates — redshirt sophomore receiver Van Jefferson and sophomore safety Deontay Anderson.
Patterson played in a total of 10 games throughout his two-year career in Oxford, and threw for 3,139 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
He missed the final five games of this season due to injury, but still threw the fourth-most touchdown passes in the conference (17), and the fifth-most yards (2,259).
Because he only played in seven games this year, he didn't qualify among the conference leaders in many statistical categories, but would have had the second-best completion percentage in the league at 63.8 percent (behind Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham's 66.7).
Patterson put on the best performance of his career Oct. 7 against the SEC West champion Auburn Tigers. The sophomore tore up the Tigers' elite secondary (No. 14 nationally, 177.8 passing yards per game allowed), completing 34-of-51 passes for 346 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.
The next question for Patterson becomes whether or not he will be eligible to play immediately next season at U-M.
It has already been announced that transferring Ole Miss players who will be seniors in 2018 do not have to sit out a season, but younger departing athletes are still in question.
IF Patterson is deemed eligible in 2018, he will likely be viewed as the leading candidate to win Michigan's starting quarterback job.
His main competitors will be Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey, who will be a redshirt sophomore and redshirt freshman, respectively, next season.
Peters has only played in five games in his U-M career, while McCaffrey has never seen game action.
Patterson was rated as a five-star prospect, the No. 3 overall player in the country and the nation's top quarterback out of high school in the 2016 class.
The sophomore spent his senior year at prep powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
He played his sophomore and junior seasons at Calvary Baptist in Shreveport, La., and his freshman campaign at Hidalgo High in Hidalgo, Tex.
The Wolverine has been following this story for weeks, and if you'd like to read more about our coverage in chronological order, click below:
Weekend Information and Discussion on Shea Patterson
Michigan Football: What we Know About the Shea Patterson Transfer Situation
Michigan Football: Ole Miss Trio to Visit Michigan This Weekend
Michigan Football: Up to Seven Ole Miss Players Interested in Michigan
Exclusive: Ole Miss Safety Deontay Anderson Talks Michigan Football Visit
Inside the Fort: Shea Patterson, Football News, Recruiting and More
Michigan Football: Scouting Report on Shea Patterson From Ole Miss Writer
Michigan Football: Shea Patterson in Town — Analyst Calls him 'Good fit'
Photo Feature: Ole Miss Transfers, Michigan Commits, Targets Enjoy Hoops
Michigan Football Video: Cesar Ruiz Talks Hosting Ole Miss Transfers
Shea Patterson to Michigan Adds Competition, Makes Perfect Sense
Michigan Football: Father of Brandon Peters Says son 'Welcomes Competiton'
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