The 2018 Notre Dame class topped off its offensive line haul today when Jarrett Patterson signed his letter of intent. The 6’5″, 285-pound Californian chose the Irish over a late push from local favorite UCLA; Jeff Quinn deserves substantial credit here, as former OL coach Harry Hiestand had no contact with Patterson and Quinn had to start from scratch with just weeks until signing day.
Recruiting Service Rankings
247 Sports Composite — 4 star (.8912), #367 overall, #25 position, #45 in CA
247 Sports — 4 star (92 rating), #214 overall, #17 position, #32 in CA
Rivals — 3 star (5.7 rating), NR overall, #29 position, #49 in CA
ESPN — 4 star (80 rating), NR overall, #27 position, #48 in CA
Cohort
In addition to Notre Dame and UCLA, Jarrett Patterson held offers from Auburn, Michigan, Nebraska, TCU, and Wisconsin, among others.
Highlights
Patterson is an angry blocker who would like nothing more than to drive his man into the cheap seats. He plays to the echo of the whistle; I think more than a few defenders were a little upset on this highlight reel. He moves pretty well and hunts for defenders in space. I like how he sets a strong base in pass protection, which makes him very difficult to dislodge. He sometimes lapses, but generally does a good job of keeping his arms extended and controlling his man. I think he profiles as a road-grading guard, but if he improves his bend he could be a quality RT.
Impact
Patterson should follow the typical OL plan – redshirt as a freshman, threaten the two deep as a sophomore, get mop-up time as a junior, etc. At tackle I think he probably projects as a solid backup; at guard, though, I like his chances to be a starter eventually. He’ll need some time in the weight room but he definitely has some potential.
Welcome to the Irish family, Jarrett!
That’s a good get in light of the “academically oriented” Petit-Frere going to Ohio State.
Speaking of academic orientation, Stanford’s class is… uh, not great?
Wow. I hadn’t looked. They certainly aren’t. I would assume they could still have a couple west coast guys to add, but who knows? I would sure have liked to have taken Booker from them. They had an outstanding class last year, but even that class was light on numbers – making this two smaller classes in a row.
Also in the schadenfreude department, Michigan lost their only top 100 recruit to Georgia today. Their current class ranking is 19th, with a few low three-stars yet to sign.
Surprise on Petit-Frere. I admire his process though, kind of a throwback in the days of social media and all but good for him. His end result wasn’t great but oh well, it happens. At least he didn’t go to Bama.
Can’t somebody project to OC? Maybe Jones. In 2019, presumably Ruhland will start, but we need a back-up and in 2020 we need a center. Somebody has to start the play.