Kentucky was always the place to be for 3-star RB Jason Patterson

Even when Jason Patterson committed to Cincinnati back in August, he never fully closed the door on Kentucky’s recruiting pitch. The three-star running back from the class of 2024 nearly chose the Wildcats the first time around, but ultimately landed with the Bearcats and first-year head coach Scott Satterfield.

A few months later, Patterson went with his gut. It took additional recruiting from the Kentucky coaching staff and some impressive early-season play from veteran running back Ray Davis, but in the end, Patterson went with the program he saw as the best fit for himself. He officially flipped from Cincinnati to Kentucky on Tuesday morning. Although he wouldn’t admit it, the Bearcats’ poor 3-7 start to the season surely didn’t help their cause.

“It was more of Kentucky than Cincinnati,” Patterson told KSR after flipping to Kentucky. “Cincinnati losing had nothing to do with it. They’re coming into a whole new conference, a whole new staff. I wanted to see how they handled adversity and they handled it well, they’re just coming off a win against Houston and I’m happy, but it was really Kentucky, the game against Florida, the game against Mississippi State. Even the game against Tennessee was a good game. Watching the games and stuff like that, I just wanted to be a part of that.”

In particular, the Florida game opened Patterson’s eyes. He watched in awe as Davis rattled off an insane 280 rushing yards — the most ever by a running back against Florida — and four total touchdowns in that win back on Sept. 30. There are some comparisons between the two ball carriers too. Davis is stockier and shorter than Patterson, both play a similar style on the field.

“That definitely pushed me over the edge,” Patterson said of Davis’ play this season. “I seen what he did in just one year at Kentucky, so I’m just imagining if I get two, three years in that system, what I can do.”

Patterson was recruited to Kentucky by a handful of coaches. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen, running backs coach Jay Boulware, and defensive line coach Anwar Stewart all played a critical role in landing Patterson, who is considered the No. 536 overall high school senior in the country by the On3 Industry Ranking. Patterson says Coen and Boulware were especially hurt when he went with Cincinnati initially.

What ended up sealing the deal for Patterson was when multiple Kentucky coaches flew down on a private jet to watch him play a game at his high school, Sneads (FL) High, back on Oct. 27 — the day before Kentucky took on Tennessee in Lexington. Sneads beat down Port St. Joe 48-21 as Patterson went for 124 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 carries. He also totaled seven tackles on defense, recorded one sack, forced a fumble that he returned for a touchdown, and blocked a punt.

“They had Tennessee the next day. I figured that they had to want me,” Patterson said. “Me and the coaches at UK kept in contact… We just kept talking each and every day”

Kentucky didn’t have to wait much longer after that. He told the staff on Thursday that he would flip to UK and informed Cincinnati of the decision on Sunday, adding that no coach was happier about this move than Coen. Two days after that, Patterson was a Wildcat. Although he wasn’t able to get to Lexington for a gameday visit this season (he did visit in 2022 when Kentucky hosted Mississippi State and then took an official in June), he tells KSR the plan is to enroll early in January.

But first, he’ll look to keep his high school career going this Friday in the playoffs. Sneads (6-4) is set to take on Blountstown this Friday in the second round of the postseason. Suiting up on offense, defense, and special teams this season, Patterson has totaled 1,124 rushing yards on 104 carries (10.8 YPC) with 16 touchdowns. He’s also thrown for an additional three touchdowns on 169 passing yards as a secondary quarterback.

Patterson joins a 2024 Kentucky recruiting class that now has 22 commits and is ranked No. 23 in the country by On3. Patterson is one of two running backs now on the board, joining fellow three-star Tovani Mizell.