Shea Patterson, a four-star Class of 2016 quarterback and the No. 28-ranked prospect in the ESPN Junior 300, committed to Ole Miss Rebels over LSU and USC on Tuesday.
The No. 3-ranked pocket passer in the 2016 class is a huge coup for Hugh Freeze since the future of the quarterback position is wide open in Oxford.
While Ole Miss signed expected two-year starter and junior college All-American Chad Kelly in the 2015 class, the next signal-caller in line is up for grabs.
The 6-foot-2, 183-pound Patterson originally committed to Arizona as a freshman in December 2012 before opening up his recruitment in late July 2014.
After playing his freshman season at Hidalgo High in South Texas, Patterson transferred to Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, La. Patterson passed for 5,083 yards and 72 touchdowns with only seven interceptions the past two seasons, leading Calvary Baptist to back-to-back LHSAA Division III state championships.
After signing the No. 19-ranked class in 2015, Ole Miss has the early makings of a potential top-five class in 2016. Patterson becomes the ninth verbal pledge for the Rebels, including seven ESPN Junior 300 commitments.
Along with No. 28-ranked Patterson, the Rebels' class is headlined by No. 17 Benito Jones, No. 37 Denzel Mitchell and No. 47 DeKaylin Metcalf, the son of former Ole Miss and NFL offensive guard Terrence Metcalf.
Ole Miss remains in the hunt for several more highly coveted prospects in the junior class, including No. 15 Brandon Jones, No. 100 Brittain Brown, No. 147 Justin Madubuike and No. 210 Andraez Williams, a teammate of Patterson at Calvary Baptist Academy.