Rivals100 QB has visit plans

Shreveport (La.) Calvary Academy Rivals100 quarterback Shea Patterson had no problem staying busy this summer between camps, 7-on-7, and unofficial visits. Such is life fora highly coveted quarterback with scholarship offers from across the country.

He was able to take in college campuses at several national powers, worked with and learned from some of the best college coaches in the business, and competed against elite prospects every step of the way.

Out of it all the opportunities one experience stands above the rest.

"Definitely I think the Rivals experience was the best," Patterson said. "It was cool and I loved the camp and what we did and all the gear as well."

Patterson won the quarterback MVP award at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge, and then it was time to hit the road again. One of the last stops of his summer schedule was to Baton Rouge, where he worked with the LSU coaching staff. The experience was also a positive one.

"It was awesome," Patterson said. "I got to go out there for two or three days. Being there for the weekend was really cool, just being able to hang around the office and talk to the coaches all weekend, it gave me a better feel of LSU. And being able to go there and throw with their top recruits it was awesome. It definitely got me a lot better. My brother is there right now. He's in Quality Control there and that definitely plays a role in my recruitment. I definitely had a great experience at LSU."

One big question is how big of a role Patterson's brother Sean Patterson, Jr., will play in his recruiting process.

"Like I said he's going to play a big role on where I go," Patterson said. "You never know. It's his profession and wherever he wants to end up. If he ends up at a Division II school at a position job I'm definitely not going to go there. But he's going to play a big role and he's at LSU right now and I'm not too sure. But at the end of the day we're going to do what's best for both of us."

Patterson also forged a strong relationship with 2016 Rivals100 wide receiver Mykel Jones over the summer months. The duo played together with the Louisiana Bootleggers 7-on-7 team, and quickly formed a bond on and off the field.

"Me and him are just so tight," Patterson said." He's one of my best friends. We have such a strong bond on and off the field. We really want to play together, but at the end of the day you have to do what's best for you. If Mykel feels that another school, if it's not the school I'm at, he's got to do what's best for him and I have to do what's best for me. But we really want to play together. On the field we have such good chemistry. We know what each other is thinking before the play starts. We look at the coverage and I don't even have to tell him what to do we already know. It would just be awesome to go to the same college and have that chemistry already down."

Not everything this summer was a fun experience. Before attending camp at LSU, Patterson made the tough choice to decommit from Arizona. The Wildcats offered him as a freshman and he spent almost two years as an Arizona commitment. It was not an easy call to make, but it was a decision he knew he had to make.

"I ultimately made that decision just to open it up really. I had all these offers and it was just hard to go to these schools and really consider them all the way because in the back of my mind I was always thinking about my commitment to Arizona and just trying to stay loyal. So I just wanted to open it up. It was difficult decommitting and calling Rich Rod myself because they were the first school to look at me. I'm just so thankful for them and what they did. I still like Arizona. They're still recruiting me and you never know."

Since his decommitment Patterson is taking a long look at his options. He has plenty with Arizona, Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State a sampling of his options, and he does have a few schools who are standing out.

"I don't have a top list or anything but some of the schools I've been in close contact with are Alabama, USC, LSU, Auburn, Notre Dame, and Texas," Patterson said. "Those are the main schools I've been in contact with recently."

With the season approaching Patterson's busy schedule continues with a few plans to visit some of his standout schools in the near future.

"I will be at the Notre Dame/Michigan game (September 6). I think it's the home opener at Notre Dame, so I'll be there," Patterson said. "I'll be at the LSU/Wisconsin game (August 30). During my bye week I'll be at the USC/Colorado game (October 18)and at USC. I'll be out there. That's what I have listed on my schedule."

Patterson will also likely be attending a few more LSU games over the course of the season with the LSU/Alabama contest on November 8 already circled on his calendar.

As for making another college choice, Patterson does have a plan.

"I will be committing before I go into my senior year. So in between now and the end of spring, I'm pretty sure that's when I'll be committing. That could be a week from now and it could be in January or February. But I definitely will make a decision before my senior season.

Recruiting is definitely a big part of the picture right now for Patterson, but he has not let it distract him from his junior season. He helped Calvary Academy capture the Louisiana Division III State Championship in 2013 and threw for 2,655 yards and 34 touchdowns while completing 62-percent of his paasses.

With the 2014 season just a few weeks away, Patterson and Calvary are ready for another title run.

"Yes, definitely, the best time of year," Patterson said. "I just feel like we're a lot more prepared than we were last year. I feel like this team is going to be better than last year's. I feel like we work very hard every single day, day-in and day-out, and I just feel like our coaches prepare us for anything. Last year I feel we didn't start off well but I can tell you that it will be a much different story starting off. Our first few games are going to be tough. We have a couple of top 5 teams in Louisiana so it's going to be tough. We have a target on our backs but I feel pretty confident."

Patterson is currently ranked No. 40 in the 2016 Rivals100, No. 1 among dual-threat quarterbacks, and No. 3 in the Rivals.com Louisiana Initial Top 30 for 2016.