Shea Patterson got an up-close look at Arizona in the past few days. Photo by Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times
The Arizona Wildcats had an interesting visitor at practices since arriving in Shreveport, La., for the AdvoCare V100 Bowl. That would be quarterback commit Shea Patterson from the Class of 2016.
The Wildcats worked out at Patterson’s high school, Calvary Baptist.
The quarterback made a surprising decision in December 2012, when he committed to Arizona soon after his freshman season.
As a sophomore, he led the Cavaliers to the Division III state title, finishing with a 62-7 win over Hannan. Patterson was 13 of 20 for 285 yards in the championship game.
Patterson, according to MaxPreps.com, completed 138 of 223 passes for 2,655 yards, with 34 touchdowns and four interceptions, as a sophomore.
After the title game, Patterson told reporters that he’s “100 percent committed” to Arizona, adding “it’s a long process.”
A lot of things could happen with Patterson’s recruitment with more than two years before he is able to sign a letter-of-intent. Clemson is among the schools who recently offered him a scholarship, and SEC schools have taken notice, too.
Here is a story on Patterson from the Shreveport Times, our Gannett partner:
Calvary quarterback Shea Patterson could just look to the Cavaliers’ football field this past week to possibly get a glimpse of his future.
The sophomore is an Arizona verbal commit, and the Wildcats have been practicing at Calvary ahead of Tuesday’s AdvoCare V100 Bowl in Independence Stadium.
“It’s awesome,” Patterson said. “Of course it’s tough because I can’t talk to them with the dead period, but it’s still cool to see them in person.”
Patterson said he’s going to be cheering for the Wildcats on Tuesday, but he’s also going to be watching Arizona’s spread offense carefully.
“I’m going to take it all in, watch every little thing,” Patterson said. “I love Arizona’s system in the spread and the no-huddle. They like to throw and pass. The matchup with (Boston College) is really good, and I expect a high-scoring game that’s going to be very fun to watch.”
Arizona’s coaching staff isn’t new to the Louisiana recruiting game. Former John Curtis standout Jonathan McKnight is a junior cornerback.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez, a former Tulane offensive coordinator (1997-98), said Louisiana is a place the Wildcats will continue to recruit.
“Our recruiting is really Arizona, California, parts of Florida and a little bit of Louisiana,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve kind of narrowed it down to those areas. We know there are enough players there to fill our rosters up.
“This place has been good to us throughout years. (Co-offensive coordinator) Calvin Magee is from Louisiana, and I’ve been in this state before. There’s really good football in this area here and obviously down south in New Orleans.”
Patterson said he sent out highlight film after his freshman season, and Rodriguez wanted him to visit the Tucson campus.
“I really liked the atmosphere, so I committed,” Patterson said. “I haven’t watched them play a game yet, so I am looking forward to that.”
Magee, a New Orleans native who also recruits the Miami area, said playing in a Louisiana bowl could open future doors.
“We’re just getting our feet wet in Arizona and getting our base of recruiting down,” Magee said. “It’s good to be here, especially when you kind of already have a presence in the state.”