The crop of in-state talent in the state of Tennessee is arguably the best it’s ever been right now. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, the state of Tennessee has 18 players rated as four-star prospects and a total of 23 of the top 500 overall players in the 2019 class.
Landing several in-state players in the 2019 cycle will be paramount for the Vols. And on Tuesday, they sent out an offer to the top linebacker in the state.
Kane Patterson, a four-star linebacker out of Nashville, tweeted out on Monday afternoon that he had picked up an offer from the Vols, adding to his already extensive list of offers. Patterson holds scholarship offers from Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and others.
Honored to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee. #GB? pic.twitter.com/1JDKfH5QE9
— Kane Patterson (@kane_patterson4) February 27, 2018
Patterson is rated as the No. 182 overall player and No. 7 player in the state of Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Those rankings also have him as the No. 13 outside linebacker. The regular 247Sports rankings have him rated as the No. 106 overall player, 8th-best outside linebacker, and No. 4 player in the state.
A look at Patterson’s film shows that he’s a relentless linebacker with great instincts. He’s very quick for a linebacker, and he played some inside backer as well for C.P.A. in Nashville. He’s a capable run stopper and can drop back in coverage as well. He’s very athletic, and his versatility benefits him on both sides of the ball.
As a junior, Patterson totaled 64 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a pass defended, and a blocked field goal according to Max Preps. He was also used as a running back for C.P.A, and he carried the ball 110 times for 1,003 yards and 23 touchdowns. In his high school career, Patterson has 191 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 37 total games.
Expect linebacker to be one of the biggest positions the Vols pursue in their 2019 recruiting class. And the in-state players will also be a big priority for Tennessee’s coaching staff. So Patterson will likely be one of Tennessee’s top targets in the 2019 class.
