![]() ![]() "Some of the people around me knew I was thinking about transferring even before I entered the portal and one of my trainers said, 'You ever think about North Dakota State?' I know Trey from when we were at a camp together so I gave him a call and asked about NDSU. NDSU defensive coordinator David Braun had a connection with Patterson's high school coach and that helped get the Bison's foot in the door, but Patterson said he was researching the Bison even before he entered the transfer portal. (Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente speaking about Patterson when he signed with the Hokies:)įUENTE ON PATTERSON discussed how Tech's relationship began with & More #ExitLight18 /JNHSFibPUx- Virginia Tech Football December 21, 2017 "I think North Dakota State will be right for me with the way they run their offense." "I definitely improved while I was at Virginia Tech, but not in the fashion I'd hoped for," Patterson said. Patterson says he's transferring to see if he can get better and thinks he'll be a good fit for the Bison's offensive style, which mixes QB runs with its power running and passing game. Then he didn't see action for the Hokies' next six games. Patterson went 4 of 6 for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while running for another, in a big season opening victory over North Carolina State. I just never really got a chance to show it this season," he said. I'm a much better passer than I was when I got here. "I just never got the opportunity in a game this year. While acknowledging he needed work on his passing game entering college, Patterson said he's improved strongly in that area. "I didn't throw much at all in high school." "I was pretty much the biggest player on the field in every game, so it made sense to have me run," Patterson said. While he has a strong arm - Patterson threw the ball nearly 80 yards at a quarterbacks camp - his high school coaches used him mostly as a runner. ![]() Part of that likely was his unpolished throwing skills. Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente even heaped praise on Patterson after he declared his intention to transfer. In talking with others who've dealt with him, Patterson is universally described as a model citizen and team player. Patterson won the 2018 Watkins Award, given to the nation's top African-American high school senior male student athlete. Patterson graduated with a 4.5 grade-point average (on a scale of 4.0) and says he's crazy about math.Ī staple of all media stories about Patterson when he signed with the Hokies in 2017: The tale of when Patterson and some engineering classmates built an underwater robot from scratch for a competition. This was a young man who had as much happening academically as athletically in high school. Highly recruited out of Solorio Academy in Chicago, he was offered by Penn State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Illinois, Mississippi State and others before choosing Virginia Tech in large part because of its excellent engineering program (he switched majors and is now pursuing a degree in business). (Patterson's high school recruiting tape:) You're a college quarterback' without them having any college experience." We really like (freshman) Cam Miller and (redshirt freshman) Logan Graetz is showing us some things and Cole will be with us in the fall of 2021, but once Zeb is finished we don't feel it's fair to take one of those young guys and go, 'Here you go. "Zeb is rock-solid as our starter, but our quarterback room gets really young after that. "We feel really good about Zeb Noland being our starting quarterback in the spring and the plan is for him to come back in the fall," NDSU offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl said of the fifth-year senior who transferred from Iowa State before the 2019 season. He is enrolled in classes next semester and will arrive in Fargo in early January as a sophomore in football eligibility, thanks to the NCAA giving all athletes a free year because of COVID.Īfter Lance declared early for the NFL Draft, Bison coaches felt they needed to fill his roster spot with an experienced sophomore-to-be. While Cole Payton of Omaha was the prized high school quarterback recruit of this class, Patterson might provide a jolt in the meantime. Patterson was a surprise signing by the Bison this week, a transfer from an Atlantic Coast Conference school that was kept under wraps by both the player and the NDSU coaching staff. That throw should have fans, not to mention Bison quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg, drooling about possibilities. The 18-yard strike, delivered with perfect touch to the left side of the end zone to Damon Hazelton, was dropped in the exact spot it needed to be, where Hazelton could catch it with one arm while a defender grabbed the other. ![]()
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