Dawgs, Vols battling for Rivals100 QB

A pair of Southeastern Conference border rivals are in the hunt for one of the nation’s elite quarterback prospects.

Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge standout Chase Patton, a member of the Rivals100 Team, says Georgia and Tennessee are very much in contention for his services.

“I like both of those schools a lot,” Patton said. “They’re definitely high on my list.”

In addition to the Bulldogs and Volunteers, that list includes scholarship offers from Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Iowa State, UCLA, Stanford, Purdue and Wyoming.

Patton (6-4, 205, 4.7) is also considering Michigan and Notre Dame, but does not have official offers from those schools to date.

Regarding the SEC programs among his favorites, Patton offered the following:

“I got to go to a camp at Tennessee. I met all the coaches and got to know them a little bit. I loved their stadium. That place is huge. I can’t imagine what it’s like to play there. All of their facilities were really nice, and I liked the way the people treated me. It’s a very impressive place. And of course, that’s where Peyton Manning played, so I know all about his career. Their coaches told me that after Casey Clausen graduates, there really won’t be another top quarterback on campus, so I’d have an opportunity to step in and compete right away. They told me how Manning and Clausen both had that opportunity to play as freshmen. That’s something that got my attention.

“Georgia is a school I don’t know a great deal about, only from what I’ve seen on TV at times and from what people have told me. But I know coach (Mark) Richt has a great background with quarterbacks. He has a nice reputation, and I like the offense they run. They always have some great talent there. Coach Bobo is recruiting me. I’ve enjoyed talking to him during the recruiting process. Now that I’ve got an offer from them, I’m going to be watching a lot closer on TV this year, and hopefully I’ll get to make a visit down there at some point.”

Last week, Patton made several camp visits in the Midwest.

“We went to Michigan on Tuesday and Wednesday, Notre Dame on Thursday, and Purdue on Friday,” he said. “It was kind of a little tour of the Big Ten area. They were all really nice schools, nice campuses. I was real pleased with all of them.”

Will a similar trip materialize for the South?

“I’m not sure I’ll have the time or money to do it this summer,” he said, “but I hope to make some visits down there during the season.”

Missouri and Purdue are expected to be the toughest competitors for Patton’s commitment, but he’s choosing not to list a top five or clear-cut favorites at this point.

As a junior, Patton threw for 2,670 yards and 23 touchdowns. It marked only his first year as a full-time starter.

Academically, he maintains a 3.8 GPA and has scored a 27 on the ACT.