solomon patton.zip

Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton gets away from the Tennessee defense during an SEC game in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 21, 2013. (AP Photo)

MOBILE, Alabama - Solomon Patton and his parents decided they were probably equally excited when the Florida wide receiver was invited on Tuesday to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl, because it'd be hard to top the excitement level each of them felt.

For Patton, the Senior Bowl will be a homecoming game because he was a standout in football and track at Murphy High School.

"I was pretty excited. They were excited. Everybody was excited," Patton said. "We had been waiting, and I finally got that call Tuesday night, so I called them even though I think it was about 11 o'clock at night."

Solomon Patton breaks away for a Murphy touchdown against Foley during a high school game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 27, 2009. (Press-Register file)

Solomon Sr. and Stefanye Patton didn't mind.

"It's going to be great," dad said of seeing their son play in the Senior Bowl. "It's something we've dreamed about since he started playing football. It's always been a dream of ours and his for him to make it back here."

Before going to Florida, Patton piled up 2,686 receiving yards and 28 touchdown receptions in three seasons with the Panthers. He earned All-State selection at wide receiver as a sophomore and a junior and filled the athlete slot on the Class 6A All-State team selected by the Alabama Sports Writers Association after his senior season.

Patton hasn't played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium since the 2009 Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star Classic, where he caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the home state's 21-13 victory.

"I have a lot of good memories at Ladd," Patton said. "I definitely plan on making a lot of them this Saturday."

Patton was mainly a special-teams contributor - returning kickoffs and blocking three punts - during his first three seasons at Florida. Just when he was becoming a regular weapon for the Florida offense as a junior, he suffered a broken arm against Georgia. He picked up where he left off in his senior season, leading the Gators in receptions (44), receiving yards (556) and touchdown receptions (six) and setting a school-record with a 29.2-yard kickoff-return average. For his performance, Patton was named Florida's MVP for the 2013 season. Patton's career kickoff-return average of 27.7 yards is the Florida record for any player with at least 30 returns.

"It's something that I wanted since I've been there -- to make those type of plays and be able to help my team as much as I can," Patton said, "and I did it this past season.

"I think it was a matter of them getting me more involved in the offense. I worked hard in the offseason, and I definitely think that had a lot to do with it."

Patton earned the MVP award in the American squad's 20-3 victory over the National team in the inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl, an all-star game played on Jan. 11 in Charleston, S.C. Patton had three catches for 50 yards and a 33-yard run in the all-star game.

Three days later, he got the call to come home to Mobile for the Senior Bowl.

"Living here and watching all the big-time players come here and play in that game," Patton said, "I always dreamed as a little kid that I'd be able to come back and play. I'm pretty excited to show everybody what I can do."

It'll be like old times for Patton, playing in front of family and friends. But this time, they'll be anxious for him to do well not just for the sake of the Murphy Panthers, but for his pro future.

"I don't think they'll be much pressure," Patton said. "Like my dad always tells me: Just stay relaxed. That's all I'm going to do."

Patton has a roster size of 5-foot-9 and 169 pounds. He said he understands that could be a mark against him in the eyes of the NFL talent evaluators.

"A lot of people look at my size," Patton said. "Hopefully, the game last week made them look at that totally differently. I showed them I might be small, but I can make big-time plays regardless of my size. I'm just going to go in relaxed and do what I've been doing all year."

Patton starts practice with the South team at 1 p.m. Monday at Fairhope Municipal Stadium. The Senior Bowl kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.