The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 55 BY JOHN BORTON S hea Patterson breathed deeply and smiled. He stood literally thousands of miles from home, and figura- tively thousands of miles from pos- sibly stepping behind center under the lights in Notre Dame Stadium. Still, relief flooded in. Freed by the NCAA from 2018 purgatory regarding his immediate eligibility status with Michigan, the junior transfer quarterback felt like revel- ing in the moment. France appeared as good as anywhere to count one's blessings, or s'estimer heureux in the local rendering. "Just being here is a blessing," he mused, during Michigan's overseas trip to Paris and Normandy. "It's my first time out of the country. What better way to celebrate it, than getting your eligibility and coming to Paris with your teammates? That's awesome — a once-in-a-lifetime deal." Michigan fans might feel the same about seeing a former five-star prep quarterback with two seasons of Southeastern Confer- ence experience arriving in the biggest free- agent move of college football's offseason. Patterson, out of Florida's IMG Academy, threw for 3,139 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games over two seasons at Ole Miss, completing 60.7 percent of his passes. In his first start ever, he directed a 23-point fourth- quarter comeback for a win at No. 8 Texas A&M, shattering SEC freshman records with 338 yards passing and 402 total yards. Last season as a sophomore, he threw for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns in seven games, completing 63.8 percent of his 260 attempts before an injury against LSU ended his season. Soon enough, troubles at Missis- sippi — not of his own making — ended his career there. The school got itself into NCAA hot wa- ter for rules violations, the governing body increasing sanctions on the program last De- cember. That hammer included a bowl-ban extension to include 2018, freeing current players to transfer elsewhere. The question became, would those players become eligible to perform immediately this season? Patterson received the answer just prior to leaving for France and grew emo- tional over the decision. "It's a feeling of relief," he assured. "It's been on my mind ever since I transferred. This is the first day where I could wake up with a clear mind, not thinking about what if? "If your university's situation changes drastically, like mine did, with a bowl ban and two different coaching staffs, it's obvi- ously not the situation I wanted to be in originally. I think players should get the op- portunity to leave that situation. That wasn't what they thought they were going to get themselves into." Patterson knows what he's getting into coming to Michigan. He got to know Jim Harbaugh a bit during his initial college recruitment. Instead of sitting out in the coming bowl season, he gets to see how high he and the Wolverines can reach. "I get to go out there and play football," Patterson said. "I don't have to worry about what if I don't get the opportunity and have to wait another year? I'm one step closer to my dream." Patterson spent spring practice impressing observers, including Harbaugh, who praised his arm and his ability to escape would-be tacklers. "He's got a lot of special qualities," Har- baugh said. "There's plenty of attributes he has in the arm talent department. He is really talented when it comes to throwing the ball. He's really good and elusive, and has a really good feel for the game." Patterson impressed spring practice ob- servers with his check-down abilities, ac- curacy on back-shoulder throws and overall poise. The newcomer in a winged helmet even appreciated those who spent the spring chasing him around. "They're the best," Patterson said of Mich- igan's defense. "Going against them, day-in and day-out at practice, I think they'll be the best defense we face all year." One of the leaders of that defense, junior end Rashan Gary, smiled when he succinctly summed up his appreciation for Patterson's confidence. "Shea?" Gary mused. "I like him. He's swaggy." Nationally, pundits like him as well. Even dogged Harbaugh critic Paul Finebaum from ESPN noted Patterson could make the Wol- verines an instant national contender. More recently, Rivals.com analyst Mike Farrell weighed in on offseason player movement in college football. "No one will have a bigger impact than the former No. 1 quarterback in the country," Farrell wrote. "Is the former five star worth a few more victories for Michigan? Can his elusiveness help the offense and offensive line? "As a high school prospect, we loved him, from his arm strength and accuracy to his moxie and ability to make big plays when it mattered. He should excel at Michigan." Of course, Patterson has to win the start- ing job first. Harbaugh took extreme caution when talking about his quarterbacks in the spring. He pursued a nothing-given, everything- earned mantra that in no way discounted the opportunity for redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters — who started four games late last season — redshirt freshman Dylan McCaf- frey or even true frosh Joe Milton. Others took Harbaugh's cue, hailing all of GAME-CHANGER Junior Shea Patterson Throws Another Dimension Into The Quarterback Mix Former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said of Patterson, after he directed the Rebels to a win at No. 8 Texas A&M in his college debut during the 2016 campaign: "I've recruited this kid since he was a ninth-grader, and I've always known that he has that 'it' quality. The guy just makes plays. He doesn't get rattled a lot." PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY "He's got a lot of special qualities. There's plenty of attributes he has in the arm talent department. He is really talented when it comes to throwing the ball. He's really good and elusive, and has a really good feel for the game." JIM HARBAUGH ON PATTERSON