Defensive back Mykel Patterson-McDonald commits to Sooners
For years Oklahoma fans have watched recruiting wins and losses and there’s been a question that has always lingered.
What would it be like recruiting as an SEC program?
Now that the Sooners are landing prospects who’ll only ever know life in the SEC perhaps that question can be truly answered. What’s interesting is one of the first commitments to be very clear about his interest in being in the SEC is Oklahoma’s newest commitment Mykel Patterson-McDonald.
The interesting thing about Patterson-McDonald is that he’s a local guy who is a Sooners legacy. But still, there’s no denying what drew him to Oklahoma.
“(I’m committing to) the University of Oklahoma,” Patterson-McDonald said. “I made that choice because I felt it was the best place for me. It’s close to home and it’s an amazing program – it’s a top 10 program, a top five program. That’s what I want to be a part of.
“I want to go and play against the best of the best in the SEC. They are taking that step my freshman year, the opener we play ‘Bama and I want to be able to step on the field and play against the best team out there.”
For the No. 7 player in OKPreps, according to On3 Industry rankings, there was a moment recently when it clicked. And for the Moore (Okla.) Westmoore product there was no doubt what pushed him to his final realization.
“I had the moment about two weeks ago, knowing that I want to go and play against the best of the best. I want to play against the best people out there,” he said.
Patterson said: “I also am going to play against some amazing people as well, some great people as well. Some of the great teams playing against each other, that’s something I’d love to be a part of. [We can] go and get (a championship) together.”
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Could the SEC Move Reflect Well on Brent Venables?
And though it’s impossible to know whether Oklahoma staying in the Big 12 would have been surmountable for the Sooners, for Patterson-McDonald the SEC entry says not just a lot about the program but the man in charge – Brent Venables.
“(The move to the SEC) plays big, it boosted my interested, it let me know they want to go play against the best,” he explained. That’s what I’m into and that’s what I want to do. It shows me what type of head coach, coach V is. He has a lot of trust in his players to go out and play against the best people.”
The timing of Patterson-McDonald’s decision was largely about turning his focus to his senior season for the Jaguars. But it also was about him taking the time he needed to do his due diligence on the Sooners. He grew up with a special affection for Oklahoma but wanted to make sure that wasn’t a deciding factor.
“I had to make sure that I wasn’t just going to go to the school because of the name and how big the program was,” he said. “I had to make sure it was the right fit for me and if it was good for me. If it’s not good for me and I’m not comfortable then that’s not the place for me. I want to be comfortable and know I’m taken care of.”
Patterson-McDonald is Oklahoma’s second in-state commitment joining friend, and Carl Albert star, Xavier Robinson.
