Michigan Football: Shea Patterson is favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year

Michigan Football quarterback Shea Patterson was named one of five early candidates to win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Saturday tradition put out a list of five potential candidates for the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and named Michigan football quarterback Shea Patterson as one of them.

The other candidates include Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez, Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor, WR Rondale Moore from Purdue, and the untested QB from Ohio State Justin Fields.

Here’s what Saturday Tradition had to say about Shea:

"Maybe it’s the excitement of Josh Gattis running the offense or perhaps it’s Patterson’s drive to return to Ann Arbor with a chip on his shoulder that gets him on this list. He isn’t the sexiest pick to win the award at the end of the 2019 season, but if Gattis’ offense utilizes Patterson’s skills the right way, he has the potential to lead an explosive Michigan offense and contend in the B1G East. There are a ton of great offensive players returning in the B1G, but Patterson might be the most intriguing considering the changes the Wolverines have made in the offseason."

Career at Michigan

Shea Patterson threw for 2,600 yards under a conservative offense and now even he acknowledged, the handcuffs are off. The reinvigorated offense under new coordinator Josh Gattis should give Patterson the tools he needs to dominate the Big Ten and make their way down to Indy for the title game and ultimately, their first playoff appearance.

The five-star Ole Miss transfer is as excited about this new offense as anyone can get and as teammate Nick Eubank puts it, Shea is ‘acing’ the upgraded scheme.

"“(Patterson) is acing the offense right now,” Eubanks said. “That’s who most of the guys go to if they need help with the concepts of the offense. Yeah, he’s acing it.”"

Shea himself loves the no-huddle run-pass-option which looks to be a polar opposite to the typical Michigan football gameplan.

"“It just feels natural out there,” quarterback Shea Patterson said. “(I have all these) playmakers around me and all (these) different ways we can get what we want.”"

Why Shea Patterson will take home the title

This is the perfect year for Michigan to start and finish strong. Ohio State lost their head coach and the newly hired Ryan Day is losing QBs faster than he can recruit them.

Further, OSU’s QB Fields had an awful showing at the spring game, throwing 4-13 and 131 yards – 98 of those yards coming off one play.

On top of that, barring injury, Michigan football has the most talented group of receivers in the Big Ten and quite possibly the best in all of college football.

From a Michigan perspective, Patterson is in the lead and the other guys are trying to catch up.