2022 LB Langston Patterson Excited About Notre Dame, Clark Lea

Langston Patterson‍ is still fired up about the offer he received from Notre Dame last month.

“It was awesome,” the 2022 Tennessee linebacker says. “I was so excited. I can’t wait to get down there once things open back up.

“They have always been the team. Their games are always on TV. We always grew up watching them. They’ve been a sports icon for the entire time of football and they’re always competing to win a national championship.”

Patterson’s head coach at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Ingle Martin, played high school ball with Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea.

“Coach Martin called me and said Coach Lea wanted to talk to me,” Patterson explains. “After I talked with Coach Lea for a while, he said I had the offer to come play for Notre Dame.

“He likes the way I play. He likes how I’m downhill and aggressive. He likes how I can cover the field. He knows my coach really well and that I’m just a smart and intelligent player.”

The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder’s initial impressions of Lea are very positive.

“I really like him,” Patterson says. “He’s a great dude. He’s very smart in what he does. He’s straight to the point. He knows what he’s talking about and he’ll say what he thinks.”

Patterson plans to get to South Bend when he can.

“I’d like to see what their facilities look like,” he says. “I’d like to see what the game atmosphere is like and I’d like to meet all of the coaches.”

Patterson expects to make multiple visits whenever the dead period is lifted, but says, “I haven’t really narrowed it down to which ones I’ll be heading toward.”

In addition to Martin, who played high-level college football before a few years in the NFL, Patterson’s older brother, Kane, currently plays linebacker at Clemson.

“He just gives me some really important advice about the relationships you have with the coaches,” Patterson says of his brother. “That’s really important with your college decision. A lot of good advice and input.”

Having been unable to make any visits in months, Patterson doesn’t have a timeline for a final decision, but does know the most important factors in that choice.

“It kind of falls into three main categories; the education you’re getting, the relationships you have with coaches and competing for championships.”