Michigan Football: Will Shea Patterson leave early for the NFL?

Michigan football quarterback Shea Patterson was asked if he would be back next season and while he didn’t answer, it’s a good question.

There are a lot of reasons why Michigan football is 9-1 and on the cusp of a Big Ten championship. One of the biggest though is quarterback Shea Patterson.

To put it simply, Patterson has been spectacular for Michigan football. He’s been everything the Wolverines could have hoped for and more. In 10 games, he has thrown 17 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, while also completing better than 66 percent of his passes.

Patterson threw too many interceptions during his first two college seasons at Ole Miss, but at Michigan, that hasn’t been an issue. He’s throwing for 192 yards per game, which isn’t eye-popping, however, the Wolverines are more of a running team.

Last Saturday, against Rutgers, without a running game to lean on, Patterson threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, completing 66.7 percent of his throws. It was the fourth 3-touchdown game of the season and the seventh time he has thrown multiple touchdown passes.

Patterson has also shown he can win big games, beating Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. This Saturday, Michigan football hosts Indiana in the final home game of the season and it’s worth asking, will it be the final home game for Patterson too?

Shea was asked that question this week and his response sounded like something you would channel directly from Jim Harbaugh. He said the team was focused on Indiana and practicing Wednesday to prepare for Indiana.

It was the answer you wanted to hear as a Michigan football fan. But it still made me wonder, will this be the only season that Patterson wears Maize and Blue?

If it is, so be it. I am still going to love the kid, especially if he delivers a win over Ohio State and a Big Ten championship. If he does those things, my guess is that he goes. I am not a draft expert, but he has all the qualities you want in an NFL quarterback, especially accuracy and a nice deep ball.

Patterson also just loves to win. His competitiveness is another key part of what makes him great. He and Harbaugh share that quality, which has made Patterson the perfect guy to lead this team on the field. He’s an extension of his coach and in my opinion, he is ready to play on Sunday’s.

At least he will be next season. That being said, I still don’t think his decision is going to be easy or clear. Rashan Gary knows what he’s doing. He’s going pro at the first possible second and anything less than that would stun me.

That doesn’t mean he’s not giving his all, he just has a pro career to think about and he’s not alone. Outside of Patterson, others will have to have decisions too, such as David Long, Lavert Hill and Khaleke Hudson.

Chase Winovich was faced with the decision to turn pro last season and he decided to stay and you can bet he’s glad he did. Well, he is Shea’s roommate, so if Winovich has any influence Patterson might just be back.

At this point, it’s way too early to tell. With Gary it’s clear. In the case of Shea, not so much. But all that matters right now is what in front of the Wolverines, because right now and for the rest of 2018, Patterson is the quarterback and that’s all that matters.