After visit, OL Jarrett Patterson adds Notre Dame to top list

Jarrett Patterson had been mainly focused on UCLA and Michigan as his recruitment took a turn after he backed off his pledge to Arizona State.

And then Notre Dame offered in early January and the Irish definitely started to interest him a lot more. The three-star offensive lineman from Mission Viejo, Calif., visited this past weekend and had an excellent time.

“What stood out about Notre Dame is how high of a percentage they graduate their players and how many they have drafted,” Patterson said.

“It is the perfect blend of academics and football. Coach (Brian) Kelly’s message is their mission is to graduate first and then win a national championship. He feels they are very close to doing so and have the team to do it.”

UCLA and Michigan remain as the two frontrunners and now Notre Dame joins the top group - even though the Irish are still without an offensive line coach.

After a stretch with Notre Dame, Harry Hiestand left the Irish recently to be the offensive line coach of the Chicago Bears.

It is an unfortunate development for Patterson but certainly not a deal breaker as the Mission Viejo standout considers his top schools.

“I was concerned about no offensive line coach but then I realized even without one, I still really like the school and the guys I would be around,” Patterson said.