Notre Dame Sends Four Coaches To See 2018 OL Jarrett Patterson

Notre Dame conducted its final in-home visit of the 2018 recruiting cycle on Friday night. Mission Viejo (Calif.) offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson‍ hosted Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, offensive coordinator Chip Long, area recruiter Brian Polian and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn.

“I guess it means I’m a priority for them,” Patterson said of Notre Dame sending four coaches. “I know they will lose some offensive linemen this year and they want me to be part of the family.” 

It was a significant visit for Patterson and Quinn as it was the first time they had met in person. They had phone conversations over the last few weeks, but Quinn was finally able to show the four-star prospect some of the stuff he’d be doing in South Bend if Notre Dame was choice.

“He’s a really good coach,” stated Patterson. “He showed me drills they ran at Cincinnati. What people don’t realize is that he’s been coaching the offensive line for a really long time. He’s familiar with Notre Dame, the staff and what they want to do. 

“I asked him the schedule is like and what the guys do. He told me all the different techniques he will use. We got to talk a lot of football.” 

Patterson didn’t get much of a recruiting pitch from the head coach, but it was more about what life would be like at Notre Dame. 

“He was telling me what’s next,” explained Patterson. “He told me about having the guys over to the lake house in the summer and the schedule coming up. He also explained what he saw overall for the future of the program. 

“He also talked about how good the 2018 recruiting class is going to be.” 

Long was able to express the finer points of his offensive system and how it would help prepare Patterson for the next level. 

“I got to learn how he likes to run his offense,” stated Patterson. “He runs an NFL type of offense with a combination of spread and a pro-style offense. He said he would do whatever he needs to do to win a ballgame whether it’s running it 50 times in a game or throwing it 50 times in a game.” 

On Thursday night, Patterson hosted UCLA head coach Chip Kelly and offensive line coach Hank Fraley. 

Kelly hit on the changes coming and the positive momentum around the program. 

“Coach Kelly was talking about the changes he’s made in the program like the Strength and Conditioning program,” Patterson said. “He said they need some offensive linemen and that people are excited about the program right now.” 

Patterson is aware of what Kelly did at Oregon, and that’s something that has stuck with him heading into his decision. 

“I know the offense is going to be pretty explosive,” Patterson explained. “People know he was a really good college coach at Oregon and how fast he turned around that program was pretty amazing.” 

It’s now decision time for the California native and Patterson laid out the next few days. 

“I’m going to let this all digest and think hard about everything,” said Patterson. “It will be a Signing Day decision, but I’ll probably make a silent commitment to Notre Dame or UCLA before.”