Patti lands his first offer

Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips quarterback Nick Patti finally got the call this past week, to notify him that he had his first verbal offer. It came from the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

"They offered me verbally on Wednesday," Patti said. "It was huge. It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders. I plan to keep working and keep going and get many more but to get the first one meant a lot."

Upon receiving the offer, he spoke with offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.

"That was pretty much the first time I talked to him," Patti said. "He said he likes me as a player, as a quarterback, and he thinks I can play in that system well. We run that offense, the Tony Franklin system. It was a good talk."

Patti hasn't previously visited the Ruston, La. campus but hopes to in the near future.

He recently took a trip to an in-state school and plans to return again in the near future.

"I went to USF recently for a Junior Day," Patti said. "I liked it a lot. The practice facility was really impressive. The coaching staff is great, a great bunch of guys. I got along with them really well. I have been talking with them a lot lately and I may go up there next weekend for a visit to check it out again."

South Florida has yet to offer, but made it clear to Patti that they are very interested and will be keeping a close eye on him throughout the process.

"We are taking it slow," Patti said. "They want to have me come up and throw. They want to watch me a bit more. They just said we will take it step-by-step and that they are very interested in me."

While the first offer took some time, Patti believes that a pair of schools are close to pulling the trigger in the near future.

"Right now I am hearing a lot from Hawaii, I think they are going to offer soon, and I also think Indiana is going to offer soon," Patti said. "Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Clemson are also talking to me a lot."

Patti will participate in the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp at UCF on March 12th as well as participating in BadgerSports 7-on-7 events, including the Florida event to be held at USF on the weekend of March 12th and 13th.