Michigan football QB Shea Patterson accepts 2020 Senior Bowl invite

Rainer Sabin | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Michigan's Shea Patterson and Hassan Haskins react to loss Michigan's Shea Patterson and Hassan Haskins react after the 56-27 loss to Ohio State, Nov. 30, 2019 at Michigan Stadium.

The next chapter in Shea Patterson’s football life will begin in earnest in the same region where his college career launched: the Deep South.

On Tuesday, the Michigan quarterback accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, the premier showcase for NFL draft prospects.

Patterson is the fifth Wolverines player scheduled to appear at the five-day event that attracts executives and scouts from all 32 teams, where he will reunite with linebacker Josh Uche, tight end Sean McKeon, safety Josh Metellus and guard Ben Bredeson.

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Patterson, who plans to play Jan. 1 in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama and has also committed to East-West Shrine Bowl, has completed 60.8 percent of his 669 attempts for 5,428 yards and thrown 44 touchdown passes during two seasons at Michigan. He is also responsible for 13 interceptions during his 25-game run in Ann Arbor, where he went 19-6.

In December 2017, Patterson transferred to Michigan after two years at Ole Miss. On Sunday, he was named the Wolverines' team MVP.

"From Day 1 it’s been a dream come true to come play football for the University of Michigan,” Patterson said at the end of the regular season. “I wouldn’t want to go to war with anybody else other than the guys in that locker room each and every single week, those coaches, so much respect for those guys and this university."

His impending departure from the Wolverines creates a major void at the most important position on the roster.

Patterson took 89% of the offensive snaps this season, as backups Dylan McCaffery and Joe Milton remained pinned to the sidelines.

“We’re riding him,” Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said last month.

But the Wolverines won’t be for much longer as Patterson sets his sights on the NFL.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Big Ten newsletter.