Ole Miss Football: Shea Patterson to be one of SEC's best in 2017?

The SEC should have plenty to offer fans in the way of good quarterback play in 2017, but one name not mentioned enough is Ole Miss football"s Shea Patterson.

When you think of SEC quarterbacks heading into the 2017 season, the names most thrown around are Jalen Hurts, Nick Fitzgerald, Jacob Eason and Jarrett Stidham. While all of these players certainly deserve the offseason praise they are receiving, there is another quarterback who deserves to be talked about just as much and that is Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson.

Sure, it's easy to overlook Ole Miss this year coming off of a 5-7 season in 2016, and the fact that the team is under constant national scrutiny for the NCAA investigation that seemingly never ends. The fact that the school has already self-imposed penalties on itself, including a self-imposed bowl ban for 2017.

Even with the off the field issues, the Rebels could possibly pose a threat to SEC West contenders in 2017, and Patterson is a big reason why.

Patterson initially redshirted the 2016 season, learning under then starting quarterback Chad Kelly. The latter suffered an ACL injury towards the end of the season which meant that the redshirt would have to come off. Patterson earned his first start on the road in College Station against Texas A&M, a game in which he would lead Ole Miss to victory and showed off Johnny Manziel like abilities on the field in front of over 100,000 Aggie fans.

Patterson was rated the number one overall quarterback prospect for the recruiting class of 2016 by 247Sports. He came to Ole Miss with high expectations and his first game against Texas A&M showed flashes of that talent and what he could become.

The final two games in 2016 against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State were both loses for Ole Miss. Regardless of the outcome of those games, Patterson still looked impressive despite the lack of experience against SEC competition. For the season, Patterson finished with 880 yards passing six touchdowns and three interceptions. Not too bad against SEC defenses and the first three games of your career.

The former Elite 11 MVP can make every throw on the field. He's smart with the ball in his hands. He has enough mobility to make the offense varied and exciting. He has an incredible wide receiver group, full of playmakers to throw to.

The Rebels offensive line should be better this year which always adds to good QB play. If the spring game was any indication, the Rebel offense is alive and well. Will Patterson have some bumps along the way? Sure, thats normal. But the immense talent that he possesses, should go a long way in getting Ole Miss back to winning games.

So why should you pay attention to Patterson this season? Because he's exciting to watch. With perceptions of an uneventful year for Ole Miss football, Patterson could be the spark for the team. And for the future of the program. So pay attention to Patterson in 2017. He could be the next great one in a long list of excellent Ole Miss quarterbacks.

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