Kane Patterson eager to visit Stanford after offer

Kane Patterson of Christ Presbyterian in Nashville, Tennessee has a clear list of what he wants his future college to have and before he visits The Farm he already feels confident that Stanford stacks up well.

"One is a really good education and Stanford exceeds that with it being the No. 1 education in the world," he laughed. "Also, playing for championships, which Stanford does very consistently in the Pac-12. That is super cool to be playing that high a level of football.

"And also being around the right people, because what I’ve heard from so many people is that the people you meet in college are the people … you know the rest of your life. They’re the ones you make business deals with and is someone who is there with you throughout your life -- I’m talking about weddings and stuff like that."

Patterson was excited to get the call from Stanford running backs coach Ron Gould (his area recruiter) March 16 letting him know he had an offer. Patterson has also talked to inside linebackers coach Peter Hansen, which suggests that's where the Cardinal see him fitting best, even though Patterson isn't sure himself.

It's also appropriate that Gould has been the main contact for Patterson because the four star linebacker also excels as his team's running back. As a junior he carried the ball 110 times for 1,003 yards (9.1 YPC) and 23 touchdowns.

There's no question that Patterson will play defense in college, but his high school playing experience is providing a valuable education.

"I think it helps so much because I know as a running back what I’m trying to do on a short-yardage run compared to another situation," he said. "Also, my vision on the field, knowing which hole to go in … and then putting that to defense. I know what to expect and can anticipate what the running back is going to do."

Patterson was primarily a defensive player during his sophomore season (108 total tackles, five TFL and seven sacks). Playing both sides of the ball -- and 12 games instead of 14 -- reduced some of his defensive stats (64 total tackles) but he was in the backfield more often (10.5 TFL).

What's clear regardless of the exact stats is that he brings an exciting play-making ability to the field.

Patterson wants to visit Stanford during the spring and said he'd "love" for it to be during the April 6-7 Junior Day. If the logistics don't work out for that weekend he's confident that he'll be on The Farm by the summer.

And while he knows there's plenty to learn about Stanford and the football program, he's eager to find out: "Stanford is such an exceptional school that I think there are a bunch of things that people don’t see from the outside that I’ll get to know about once I visit."

Patterson has visited Duke, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Northwestern already this spring. He expects to visit "probably five more" this spring and those 10 or 11 total schools will be the ones he focuses on as he continues his process.