Had a quick chat with the Alabama linebacker, who visited Cal on Monday. Here are the notable tidbits:
Patterson comes out to the Bay Area about once a year, as he has family in Oakland. This was his first visit to the campus though.
He loved it. The campus tour (where the coaches acted as his tour guides), as well as practice and a sitdown with Kaufman were the highlights.
He wants to commit August 19, but also mentioned that he's planning to take an official visit to Cal for likely early in his season.
Academics will matter, though to what extent...hard to say.
He'll visit UCLA, Louisville, Georgia, Alabama and Florida this spring as well.
Cal likes him as an OLB/rush end type, primarily as a passrusher. Schools are divided as to liking him as a pure linebacker or more of passrusher.
I think the family nearby and Cal's academic profile, as well as the impression that the staff made on him, will keep Cal in the conversation. Hard to know if they can hang with some of the local SEC schools in the end though.
