Kentucky remains in good spot with 3-star RB Jason Patterson ahead of August decision

In just a few weeks, three-star class of 2024 running back Jason Patterson will make his college decision. The 6-foot, 205-pound product of Sneads (FL) High is down to a list of five finalists that includes Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Boston College. Patterson officially visited all five schools during the month of June and is now coming down the home stretch of his recruitment.

He has a commitment date currently scheduled for Tuesday, August 1 — 10 days sooner than he was previously expecting.

“I was gonna do August 11th but I felt like the quicker the better,” Patterson told KSR on Sunday.

When we last spoke with Patterson, he was coming off his mid-June official visit to Kentucky. At the time, he indicated that the Wildcats were in his “top two”. That was before he took two more official visits to Cincinnati and Vanderbilt though. But even after those trips, UK is holding firm as one of his preferred destinations.

“Nothing changed,” he said of where Kentucky ranks in his mind.

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As Patterson winds down his process, he’s still mulling over his options. He briefly broke down all five finalists with KSR to explain why they all made his top schools list.

Kentucky: “They one of the top teams in the SEC. They battle every year in their conference. And (Mark) Stoops, he’s known for running the ball, so that’s really why.”

Vanderbilt: “We all know they on the come up. They got a new running back coach, Coach (Jayden) Everett from Tulsa. Me and him have been kicking it ever since. I just feel like I can start a blueprint at Vanderbilt.”

Rutgers: “With the whole coaching staff, from defense to offense to special teams to the GAs, everybody. I feel like I’m comfortable around them.”

Cincinnati: “My reason is Coach (De’Rail) Sims. They are a team I’m very high on.”

Boston College: “The running back, Coach (Savon) Huggins, I’ve got a good relationship with him.”

Kentucky’s new running backs coach Jay Boulware has been leading Patterson’s recruitment. The staff as a whole has been making him a priority in the 2024 class, but Boulware in particular has been in his ear the most.

“He just tells me that he wants to coach me,” Patterson said.

Boulware has already successfully landed a running back in this cycle with the addition of three-star ball carrier Tovani Mizell, who committed to the Wildcats in June. Boulware could be on the cusp of bringing in another with Patterson, who says he’s not worried about the idea of potentially joining Mizell as the program’s two future running backs if he were to pick Kentucky.

“I don’t really know much about him. I heard about him,” Patterson said of Mizell. “They said he’s got speed, they say he’s a power back. They say we would work good together and stuff like that but they’re losing three backs (to graduation after the 2023 season) which is the reason why they bringing in two.”

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Kentucky holds a sizable lead to land Patterson’s commitment with an 88.2 percent chance. Two RPM picks have already been logged in favor of the Wildcats. With his official visits wrapped up and a commitment date on the horizon, UK is in good shape as we inch closer to a decision, but anything can happen in three weeks.

During his junior season at Sneads, Patterson registered over 2,700 rushing yards (which led the state of Florida) and 35 touchdowns on 206 carries for 13.1 yards per rush. He is considered the No. 519 overall rising senior and a top 40 running back in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Kentucky currently has 14 commits locked in with the 2024 class.