ANN ARBOR -- Flanked by fellow teammates and other recruits, there sat Shea Patterson.

The highly touted Ole Miss quarterback was front and center, first row behind the basket, next to the tunnel at Crisler Center on Saturday during the Michigan-UCLA men's basketball game.

It was Day 2 of a weekend visit to Michigan, which is reportedly in the running to land the talented sophomore gunslinger.

Joining him was Ole Miss safety Deontay Anderson, who met with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh earlier in the week, and Rebels wide receiver Van Jefferson. All three have declared their intention to transfer from Ole Miss after the school was slapped with NCAA sanctions stemming a series of rule violations.

They all are considered in play for the Wolverines, who went 8-4 in 2017 and play South Carolina in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Patterson, from Shreveport, La., completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns in seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Shea Patterson on the field at Michigan Stadium this morning, via Deontay Anderson’s Snapchat. pic.twitter.com/4q939msldh — Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) December 9, 2017

Should Patterson decide to transfer to Michigan, and he's able to play in 2018 (as of now, he's not), it would likely ignite a quarterback competition between him and redshirt freshman Brandon Peters.

Peters, who cleared NCAA-mandated concussion protocol and is expected to start the Outback Bowl, appeared to solidify his standing as Michigan's No. 1 quarterback for next season after starting three of its final four regular-season games. But Patterson's arrival would change that.

Plenty of the 12,137 in attendance seemed to know what was going on, too. A chant for Patterson broke out during a first-halftime timeout, and a member of Michigan's student section came to the game carrying a sign that read, "Ole Mich #WeWantShea."

Patterson respectfully declined comment to MLive after the game, citing instructions from Michigan athletic department officials not to speak to the media during his weekend visit.