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Michigan received a huge boost Friday afternoon when the NCAA officially ruled junior quarterback Shea Patterson eligible for the 2018 season after transferring from Ole Miss. The news that he would be ruled eligible was first reported by TheWolverine.com.
Patterson, a former five-star recruit, No. 1 ranked quarterback and No. 3 overall player in the class of 2016, will likely assume the starting quarterback position this fall for the Wolverines.
“He’s tough,” Rivals.com national director of recruiting Mike Farrell said. “He’s a kid that’s going to mix it up, he’s not going to back down. He’s a leader for sure, he’s definitely the type of guy that’s not just a lead by example guy but is a vocal leader. Very rah-rah type of guy, gets the players around him excited.”
He completed 166-of-260 passes last season for 2,259 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in seven games. That's more passing yards and touchdowns than all of Michigan's quarterbacks had in 2017 — in 13 games.
While Patterson has received a number of comparisons to former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel, Farrell sees Patterson more like former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield — who was drafted No. 1 overall last night by the Cleveland Browns.
“I compare Mayfield to Manziel, and I compare Patterson to Mayfield,” Farrell said.
Patterson is a dual-threat quarterback that has a knack for making things happen when the pocket collapses. Coach Jim Harbaugh and the U-M offensive staff should have no problem finding ways to put his talent to good use.
“They can use a lot of play-action and get him outside if they want to,” Farrell said. “He’s not your traditional guy, but Andrew Luck was a bigger version of Shea Patterson at Stanford, a mobile guy that could do a lot of different things in a pro set, so I have no doubt that they’ll be able to mold the offense around Patterson’s skills.”
Being able to escape the rush and extend plays was something Michigan signal-callers struggled with at times last year. That should change this fall. Patterson’s ability to escape is a giant plus for U-M’s offense.
“He can extend the play and they didn’t really have that, that’s kind of his forte, being able to scramble and move around the pocket to throw on the run if he needs to,” Farrell said.
There are some weak spots in Patterson’s game. He can struggle when left in the pocket too long Farrell says, and he doesn’t have typical quarterback size at 6-foot-2, 203 pounds. He tore the PCL in his right knee during the first half of a game against LSU last season, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year, so like most mobile quarterbacks, durability is also an issue to be wary of.
He’s not going to run the way former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson did, but he has good legs and can improvise, making plays happen with his strong and accurate arm or on the ground.
Patterson has NFL potential and is listed in a number of 2019 first round NFL mock drafts, including being the projected No. 1 overall pick by WalterFootball.com.
Expectations will be sky high with Patterson being ruled eligible — as they should be. However, it’s important to remember he is just one part of the puzzle.
“I know the hype is going to be there, he’s going to be expected to be the savior and be the guy that comes in and leads them to the Big Ten title, that’s what you get with a big-name guy, five-star quarterback who was No. 1 in his class and Jim Harbaugh as his coach,” Farrell said. “It depends on the other pieces.”
Michigan opens up the 2018 season at Notre Dame on September 1 — and Patterson will be there.
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