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ORLANDO, Fla. — Naturally Jim Harbaugh is a fan of Shea Patterson.
Patterson transferred from Ole Miss to Michigan in December 2017 and has been the starting quarterback for the Wolverines ever since. It’s taken him some time to acclimate both last season as well as this year, given that he had to learn new offenses both years — with Michigan’s Pep Hamilton departing and Josh Gattis taking over in 2019 — so there’s been some up and downs.
But Harbaugh has firmly remained in Patterson’s corner, even when sects of the fanbase were outspokenly skeptical. And with the past three games being the senior QB’s best as a Wolverine, his faith has certainly proven to be warranted.
With Patterson’s last game in maize and blue on the horizon, Harbaugh shared how he’s grown as a player and what he’s seen from him in his time in Ann Arbor.
“Shea’s been tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a great player, great competitor. Been a tremendous teammate. He’s just gotten better and better and better. And he came in really good. Once he got comfortable with his teammates and the new system, you always saw the growth. You always see the growth. He’s better today than he was yesterday, better tomorrow than he was today. He’s always had that mindset.
“The competitive edge, I’ve always – that just keeps coming back to me when I talk about Shea or think about Shea. His humility with a competitive edge. As Coach Saban said, Shea can make all the throws. His accuracy has just gotten better and better. His understanding is at a very high level. And he can run. He can get out of the pocket, he can create plays. He can create space. He’s effective both as a runner and a thrower.”
That’s all good, of course, but Harbaugh is biased, naturally. Of course he’s going to back his starting quarterback — even if he’s the starter for a reason.
But to get praise from the opposition? That’s another element of respect entirely.
Coming out of high school, Patterson was the top-rated pro-style quarterback in the country, a five-star according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 3 player in the country, regardless of position. The Army All-American MVP actually had an offer from Alabama and Nick Saban, with Billy Napier and now-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin working to bring him to Tuscaloosa.
Patterson initially ended up in Oxford, as mentioned, but Saban naturally has a lot of familiarity with the Toledo native who finished his career at IMG Academy, going back to before he was at Michigan.
“I’ve known Shea since he was a freshman in high school, I think,” Saban said. “He’s one of those guys that came up with a great reputation and was very in high school in Louisiana, Shreveport. I thought he played well when at Ole Miss and I think he’s gotten nothing but better as he’s played at Michigan.”
But what has Saban seen since Patterson became a Wolverine?
An excellent quarterback that can hurt teams in myriad ways.
“He can make all the throws,” Saban said. “He’s very athletic. He can pull the ball and make you respect him in all the zone-reads. But can also extend plays and has made a lot of plays this year by extending plays, scrambling, because he is athletic and a good player. I just see a growth in the guy from a maturity and experience standpoint. I think he’s playing in a system now where he’s very well-coached and he’s done a really good job for his team.”
Saban will see Patterson in his final game as a Wolverine come Jan. 1 at 1PM EST in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. The game will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.