Ole Miss is blocking Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson‘s appeal for immediate eligibility, Dennis Dodd of CBSSports reported Monday evening. The Rebels had three options in regards to Patterson’s transfer: to support the move, to oppose it or to remain neutral.
The Rebels are not blocking Patterson’s transfer -- Patterson is enrolled at U of M and practicing with the Wolverines -- but instead his appeal to skip the requisite year-in-residence so he could compete immediately. Patterson’s grounds for immediate eligibility is that he was lied to by former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze about the nature and seriousness of the NCAA violations Ole Miss committed under Freeze.
One source close to the case said, according to Dodd, that the scope of the investigation as characterized by Freeze was “a flat-out, deliberate lie.” Patterson is one of six former Rebels seeking a waiver, but he is viewed as the most significant because of his talents to play the position and Michigan’s subsequent title hopes for 2018 should Patterson obtain immediate eligibility. A former 5-star recruit, Patterson threw for 8.7 yards per attempt on 63.8 percent passing with 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions as a true sophomore in 2017.
Wilton Speight has opened the possibility of reversing his transfer should Patterson not gain eligibility this fall.
Should Patterson lose his appeal, he would be guaranteed eligibility for the 2019 season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.