Shea Patterson to Forego 2019 NFL Draft, Return to Michigan

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Quarterback Shea Patterson will return to Michigan in 2019 for his senior season.

He explained the decision to return to school in an interview with Angelique S. Chengelis of the Detroit News.

“I think my original plan was to come here and help the team out as much as I could,” Patterson said. “The thoughts were maybe come out after one year, so I think there might have been some speculation there. At this point, I feel like everybody thinks I’m coming back. Excited to get that out there so they know.”

Patterson helped return the Wolverines to national prominence in 2018 by throwing for 2,364 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games. 

He also led Michigan to a 10-2 record and an appearance in the Peach Bowl against Florida on New Year’s Day. 

Patterson shook up the college football landscape by transferring from Ole Miss to Michigan for the 2018 campaign.

The 6’2″, 205-pound signal-caller committed to Ole Miss in 2015 as the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 quarterback in 247Sports‘ composite rankings. After seeing limited action as a freshman in 2016, Patterson appeared in seven games for the Rebels during his sophomore season.

He showed immense potential, completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,259 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

A torn knee ligament cut Patterson’s 2017 season short, but he bounced back well for the Wolverines in 2018.

On the heels of his impressive debut campaign at Michigan, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller ranked Patterson as the No. 5 quarterback in the 2019 draft class as part of his most recent big board.

While Patterson has impressive tools, he never put up huge numbers at the collegiate level, which could have adversely impacted his draft stock.

At the same time, he is now experienced in a pro-style offense, which may have been attractive to NFL talent evaluators.

Regardless, Patterson decided to build on his 2018 performance by returning next season, and that should be huge for the Wolverines in terms of once again helping them vie for a national championship.