Goal No. 5: BE TOUGH. Mentally and physically.

#5 Da’Quan Patton

True Junior | 6-2 | 220 lbs. | Cedar Park, Texas

• Position: Linebacker
• Previous College: Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College
• Projection: Second-String
• Status: On Scholarship

Da’Quan Ryland Patton (b. Feb. 4, 1997) is a dynamic linebacker who was a community college All-American in 2016. He will compete for immediate playing time in 2017, helping to fill the void of three departed linebackers, and has three years to play two.

Patton lettered three years under head coach Vincent Rooney at Vista Ridge High School, where he recorded second-team all-state honors as a senior in 2014 from the Texas Associated Press Sports Writers, while he was named the District 25-5A Defensive Most Valuable Player and also tallied all-district honors as a sophomore and junior.

Patton tallied 157 career tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks. He helped the Rangers to earn an 8-3 record as a senior in 2014 by totaling 100 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks; collected 75 tackles and three picks as a junior; and had 28 stops as a sophomore.

Patton then played two seasons under head coach Brad Smiley at Trinity Valley, where he was rated the fifth-best community college outside linebacker in the nation in the Class of 2017 by ESPN, while he also was regarded as the 13th-best community college prospect in the state of Texas by 247Sports.

He capped his career by earning second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors as a sophomore in 2016, in addition to Southwest Junior College Football Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference accolades.

Patton recorded 89 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception as a sophomore.

He carded four double-digit-tackle games, including a career-high 11 stops with a sack at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, and also had 10 tackles and a sack against Navarro College, plus another 10 stops, a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception at Tyler Junior College.

In all, Patton totaled 123 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in his career, helping his teams to compile an 18-4 overall record, a pair of league titles and a C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl victory in 2016.