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#40 Ian Patterson |
Position: Kicker Previous College: None Projection: Scout Team Status: Preferred Walk-On |
Ian Patterson (Jan. 17, 1994) is a walk-on kicker from Rock Bridge High School, deep in traitor territory, who was rated 2 1/2 stars for field goals and five stars for kickoffs by National Camp Series, which had this to say about him:
Ian is a phenomenal kicker. He has the size and strength to play division 1 football. His kickoffs are the best in his class. Look for Ian to have an outstanding senior year and earn a scholarship to a D1 program.
Well, he apparently didn't earn a scholarship (or if he did, he elected to pass in order to walk on at K-State), but I'm guessing that means we got a huge steal with this kid. How did we do it? Like most things, it's about who you know.
Former K-State kicker Brooks Rossman, who now runs a national kicking camp, had this to say about Patterson:
Ian came to me about two years ago to do a private lesson, and I saw a lot of potential. Right away, I knew he had the leg strength to play Division I football.
We have our prospect rankings, and he's our No.1 kicker out of about 29 seniors. As far as leg strength goes, he's got one of the best in the country.
And then there's this encouraging nugget from this article:
But the most important aspect of the Division I recruitment process for kickers is kickoffs. They show off leg strength and potential. Patterson averages about 65 yards, the same as, if not better than, a Division I kicker.
His hang time ranges from 3.9 seconds to 4.15 seconds. Most Division I kickers average 4.2 seconds.
Sounds to me like if Patterson keeps that up, he could earn a scholarship as our kickoff guy down the road.
In high school, he was named an all-district and all-area kicker, and he connected on all eight field goals during his senior season, including a long of 47 yards. Watch a video of him in action here.