Shea Patterson gets ranked among top 100 in college football – 247Sports

Shea Patterson projects to be in for a massive senior season for Michigan. Sports Illustrated, in a list revealed this week, views him as the No. 90 overall player in college football this season. Is that underrated?

It likely would be if Patterson and Michigan hit the expectations projected for them this season. As a team, Michigan is a common pick to win the Big Ten title, including ESPN’s Football Power Index that projects wins in all 12 regular-season games.

“The arrival of Patterson in Ann Arbor after the NCAA approved the Ole Miss transfer’s waiver for immediate eligibility helped the Wolverines improve their scoring average by 10 points per game last fall,” says Sports Illustrated in this week’s top 100 breakdown. “Patterson threw for 2,600 yards, with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions, putting Michigan in position for a Big Ten East title that was ultimately foiled by some late-season defensive collapses. Those in maize and blue are hoping that new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’s ‘Speed in space’ offense can take Patterson to new heights.”

On an individual level, Patterson combined with the new direction under Gattis and a series of wide receiver weapons have high expectations in Las Vegas. Oddsmakers at Sportsline, have over-unders set at 3,000 passing yards and 30.5 touchdowns on a schedule that includes Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and an underrated Army team in nonconfernece play.

For context, Jake Rudock and John Navarre are the only 3,000-yard passers at Michigan dating back to 2000. Navarre holds the Michigan single-season record with 3,331 yards in 2003. Patterson is a former five-star recruit out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and transferred into the program in 2018 after two years at Ole Miss. Patterson threw for 2,600 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven picks in his first season as Michigan’s starter.

“I was just excited,” Patterson said when Gattis left the SEC for Michigan. “I watched Alabama a lot last year. As soon as he came in, Day 1, just got with the installs and looked it over with him and couldn’t wait to get on the field. I feel like a natural out there.”

Of the 75 players revealed so far, two Wolverines join Patterson in the rankings. Lavert Hill (67) and Khaleke Hudson (40) as top stars on the Michigan defense.

“Hudson is a hybrid between a linebacker and a safety, which Michigan calls the ‘Viper’ role,” SI writes. “Roaming all over the field in the Jabrill Peppers mold, Hudson is a playmaker more than anything else, both near the line of scrimmage and deep in the secondary. His numbers saw a sharp decline in 2018 from his breakout 2017 season, but he’s still a highly-talented, highly-versatile player who will be the unquestioned leader of Michigan’s defense with Devin Bush off to the NFL.”