Quincy Patterson will participate in Elite 11
Virginia Tech fans were excited - but not blown away - when Chicago Solorio Academy quarterback Quincy Patterson committed to the Hokies. The excitement level has racheted up as Patterson's Summer performances have confirmed what the VT coaching staff saw in him earlier than just about anyone.
Most recently, Patterson impressed enough at the Elite 11 Finals to be one of 12 passers elected to move on to Nike's The Opening, June 28-July 3 in Beaverton, Ore. Patterson becomes the first VT-bound quarterback since Tyrod Taylor in the 2007 class to earn an invitation to the event.
Patterson's performance at the Elite 11 Finals drew praise from observers. SBNation's Bud Elliott had plenty to say:
"This was my first time seeing QB Quincy Patterson, the Virginia Tech commit from Chicago," Elliott wrote. "And I came away impressed by a player with a strong arm, paired with a smooth release. He's a shotmaker and will get better as his footwork becomes more consistent. He could be dangerous in Justin Fuente's offense."
"Virginia Tech commit Quincy Patterson had [the] second or third best day [among QBs] so far," added colleague Morgan Moriarty. "He showed great anticipation and accuracy on intermediate throws, and he had no interceptions. He had some great ball placement, as well."
"Quincy Patterson was a pleasant surprise," said the outlet's Mike Felder. "Big arm with control to push it everywhere he wants, and got better as the day went on getting more reps. The deep ball is easy, hits seam with power and accuracy. Eye discipline is there. Footwork is coming."
Patterson is just a three-star and the No. 24 dual-threat quarterback nationally, but had the event happened before the latest round of rankings updates for Rivals.com, there's a good chance it would have been enough to bump him up just a bit. With the trajectory that Patterson's Summer is on, he's likely to impress in Oregon, and prove that he deserves to keep moving on up.
The Hokies are comfortable in their ability to hold onto his commitment, and he should be an important piece of the program going forward.