Speedy Receiver Set for Dartmouth

Bo Patterson, a standout all over the field at South Carolina's James Island High School, has committed to Dartmouth. A quarterback last fall, Patterson is projected by Internet reports at wide receiver, the position he played as a junior and in the 2010 Shrine Bowl. At a South Carolina Shrine Bowl combine he was timed at a quick 4.48 in the 40.

Patterson's decision was reported by Athlete Vault, which called him a "sleeper prospect that is extremely under the radar.

South Carolina Scout writes:

James Island Charter High School ATH Bo Patterson is headed to the Ivy League. The gifted 2011 prospect out of Charleston, South Carolina will be taking his skill set to Dartmouth next fall. Expect for Patterson to make an impact for the “Big Green” in the years to come.

From a profile in the Post and Courier:

James Island High School standout Bo Patterson is the school's most versatile football player since NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White starred for the Trojans in the late 1990s.

Patterson, a 6-1, 185-pound senior, has a resume that includes the following positions: wide receiver, slot receiver, fullback, tailback, safety, cornerback, quarterback, return man, PAT holder and long snapper.

Patterson caught 75 balls for 1,002 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior before switching to quarterback as a senior. He had 1,755 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and 1,027 rushing yards with nine touchdowns in his final season. He also averaged 13.7 yards per punt return.

Scout.com has a thorough look at Patterson. In addition to being selected to the Shrine Bowl, he was one of eight finalists for the South Carolina Mr. Football Award and was named to the Class AAAA all-state team.

ESPN.com writes he is a ...

... deceptively fast, reliable athlete that has played just about every skill spot on offense and doubles as a safety on defense.

Find Patterson's senior highlight video here and his junior video here.

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Today's Daily Dartmouth has a listed of "the top 10 Dartmouth alumni who have had success in the four major professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL)." There's a lot to quibble with if you are so-inclined, but included on the list are football players Jay Fiedler '94, Reggie Williams '76 and Ed Healey '18.

Also on the list is former quarterback Mark Johnson '90, who played first base in the big leagues for parts of seven years. (Not sure I'd have picked MJ, who hit .232 with 38 home runs in his career over his former teammate Mike Remlinger '88, who lasted 14 years in the bigs, started a season-opener for the Reds, pitched in the All-Star game and had one year when he was 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA out of the bullpen in Atlanta and another year when he was 7-3 with a 1.99 ERA.)

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Watching the NFL playoffs yesterday I had to laugh. Do you realize there were players on the field whose football pants were shorter than college basketball players' shorts? And it was interesting to hear during the broadcast that players will be required to start wearing thigh pads again next year.

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The temperature here on the mountain bottomed out this morning at 19.3 below zero although at the airport in Lebanon it was 25.1 below. To put the latter figure in perspective, the difference between that temperature and freezing is the same as between freezing and 89 degrees ;-)