Clemson football freshman linebacker Kane Patterson could be a force at the position before it’s all said and done. Here’s a look at the talented LB.
The 2019 Clemson football recruiting class was one of the biggest, in terms of numbers, in Dabo Swinney’s tenure.
The Tigers brought in 29 signees, including 17 early enrollees, for the 2019 cycle.
Among those 29 signees were five linebackers, a position that the coaching staff needed to recruit heavily during the cycle. Kane Patterson, a 4-star LB, de-committed from Ohio State and chose the Tigers.
Here’s a look at what the talented linebacker will bring to the Tigers and what Clemson football fans can expect from him as he begins his collegiate career.
Talent Analysis:
Kane Patterson is a physical, head-hunter at linebacker. He’s a guy that has the ability to shoot the gaps and get into the backfield.
He wants to initiate contact and plays with a chip on his shoulder at the position. He’s got that ‘it’ factor when it comes to playing linebacker and that’s something you want to see from a guy that’s coming into the program.
Patterson is going to be a dominant run-stopper and he also has very good sideline-to-sideline speed and motion. Most likely, he projects inside at the MIKE position as he is already playing at that 220-225 pound weight in high school. Likely, we’ll see him inside and filling out the interior of that linebacker core.
Immediate Impact?
Patterson will have the opportunity to come in and compete for playing time in the two-deep right away. Chad Smith is the projected starter at MIKE and it’s expected that a Jake Venables or Baylon Spector could potentially move inside, but it’s certainly open right now with spaces to fill on the depth chart.
That bodes well for the true-freshman who will be on campus later this summer.