It depends...assuming Jacob Ballard is being looked at by the
OSU staff as a possible OL, the heaviest TE
OSU is looking at is Reuland at 6-6 240. Jeff Cumberland is only around 215 at 6-6, Brett Huffman is around 200 at 6-4, Jerome Jones is around 220 at 6-7, and Andrew Fertig is around 225 at 6-5. Now, if they were to come to
OSU, I am sure that everyone of those kids, save Reuland, would be asked to put at least 10, if not 15-20 pounds on over the next few years, making them all around 230-240. Patterson would need to add quite a bit to get to that point and it would depend on what kind of body frame he has. Maybe he doesn't have the frame to carry 30 more pounds and still maintain 4.5-4.6 speed. Or maybe he does. Also, the kid may not be done growing. If he grows another 2-3 inches in the next year or so, he is likely to add some weight as well.
To me, Patterson is an extremely intriguing recruit. He is a fantastic student and is also an extremely physical football player who hasn't put up the kind of numbers some recruits have because of the system he plays in, which may be a reason why he isn't on Blustein's pre-Spring top 275 in Florida. But he could end up as a split end if he can maintain his 4.5 speed. Or he could grow and bulk up some and become a zone splitting TE. Or I could see him at his current size being a free safety, or maybe bulking up to become a OLB. I think this kid has a lot of potential, and the fact that he is flying up to
OSU's camp bodes well for us. I will be anxious to see what kind of numbers he puts up at the MSL camp.
