OXFORD, Mississippi -- The path was set for Shea Patterson.
After spending a year at IMG Academy, the ESPN 300 quarterback enrolled early at Ole Miss. The Rebels were coming off a 10-win season in 2015 and a victory in the Sugar Bowl. They also had defeated Alabama back-to-back years. They were on the cusp of playing in the SEC Championship Game for the first time in program history.
There wasn’t any pressure on Patterson, though. That first season in 2016, he was supposed to redshirt and play behind senior Chad Kelly -- a darkhorse contender for the Heisman Trophy.