Noah Patterson building his recruitment
Virginia Tech's coaching staff has made a concerted effort to increase presence in Ohio. At Ironton (Ohio) High, there are a number of targets with offensive line coach Joe Rudolph in hot pursuit.
2024 offensive lineman Noah Patterson is one of those targets. While he doesn't yet hold an offer from the Orange and Maroon, he took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg over the weekend, and got the chance to continue getting to know the town - and program - better.
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"Coach Rudolph had visited our HS to check us out," Patterson explained. "The invite came from him to my HS coach. I've always loved Virginia Tech, after I seaw a highlight of the 'Enter Sandman' entrance - also the lunch pail "blue collar" hard-work approach that VT is known for."
The Hokies have offered Class of 2023 teammates Trevor Carter (who has since committed to Cincinnati) and Ty Perkins. They've hosted Perkins and fellow Class of 2023 prospect Jaquez Keyes for visits already this Spring. There's no question that Rudolph - who recruited Ohio during his long stint at Wisconsin - is looking to build a pipeline at Ironton High.
Patterson could be the next to benefit, and carry a torch for the Class of 2024. His opportunity to take in a spring practice and experience the town was an important one.
"We got to campus a little early so we drove around basically the whole campus for the most part," he said. "Probably the best part was getting to see all the beautiful buildings and academic and athletic sides of each one."
There's more that Patterson wishes he'd had the opportunity to experience, though. While he had a chance to catch up with Rudolph, his conversations with the coaches were limited - understandable, given that they led a practice session on Saturday (in a snowy Lane Stadium) - and he'd like to continue building bonds with others.
He met with non-coaching staffers, and exchanged a brief greeting with defensive line coach JC Price, but there's more to come n the future.
"Coach Rudolph is the one who has recruited me," Patterson explained. "I was also able to say hi to coach price and no other [on-field] coaches, but [I got to talk to] the staff that was holding the tours and everything."
The 6-3, 250-pound Patterson participated in camps at Cincinnati, Kentucky, Marshall, and Ohio State last Summer. While he's still seeking his first college scholarship offer, he's hard at work in the weight room and on the visit trail to prove himself worthy.
The Ironton program may be based in a small town on the Ohio River (near the tri-border with Kentucky and West Virginia, just outside Huntington - which is a city the Hokies have some connections to), but has produced plenty of top talent over the years. A big season in 2022 should see Patterson begin to build major buzz in the recruiting world.
Up next, though, he has a return trip to Virginia scheduled, taking in a visit at FCS Virginia Military Institute soon.
"The next upcoming visit, as of right now, is VMI," he said. "Haven’t yet got any other word from other coaches yet, but will be into contact with more very soon."
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