Shea Patterson will be a professional athlete in 2019. It just might not be in football.
The Texas Rangers selected him in the 39th round of last month’s MLB Draft, and today Patterson signed a contract to play with the organization once his college football career ends, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant.
Martin Perez will pitch Thursday for Round Rock.... Jax Biggers No. 9 pick has signed... 39th round pick Shea Patterson has signed a 2019 contract to play after he completes his football eligibility at Michigan
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) July 3, 2018
It’s not clear if this affect’s Patterson’s eligibility for next year. The NCAA allows an athlete to remain an amateur in one sport while being a professional in another. Think Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray. Or Russell Wilson. There are countless examples.
The former 5-star quarterback of IMG Academy last played baseball his junior year of high school. He worked out at third base with the Rangers prior to the draft.
As a freshman at Calvary Baptist in Louisiana, he posted a .364 average in 77 at-bats, with one home run, six extra-base hits and 19 RBI, according to MaxPreps.
This figures to be relevant after the 2018-19 season when Patterson potentially faces a decision between returning to Michigan or forgoing remaining eligibility for the NFL or MLB.
For now, Patterson is set to start competing with Brandon Peters and the other quarterbacks for the starting quarterback job in 33 days.