A pair of former teammates were reunited and Georgia Tech added yet another offensive piece to the puzzle on Friday as receiver Dean Patterson announced his commitment through the portal to the Jackets, following his Panthers' teammate Eric Rivers pledging to Tech on Wednesday.
Patterson said the whole equation at Georgia Tech ended up the being the perfect fit for him and one he couldn't turn down which led to his commitment on Friday.
"The coaches are great. They are very genuine and transparent. They made it feel like home on my OV," said Patterson in an interview with JOL on Friday. "It's going to be fun teaming up with Eric again because now we get to show what we did at FIU but on a bigger stage."
Patterson comes to Georgia Tech as a grad transfer and will have one season of eligibility remaining following four years at Florida International where he played in a total of 39 games. He had his most productive season this past fall in 2024 as he compiled 50 catches for 685 yards and seven touchdowns for the Panthers.
For his college career, Patterson's totals include 98 catches for 1,406 yards and eight touchdowns.
Patterson was an unranked prospect according to Rivals out of Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida in the 2020 recruiting class and only received one offer from Southern Miss. He eventually chose to play at Findlay University where he redshirted for one season before transferring to Florida International.
Patterson gives Georgia Tech its fifth offensive commitment of this transfer portal cycle following fellow receivers Rivers (FIU) and Debron Gatling (South Carolina) committing this week along with offensive lineman Andrew Rosinski (UNC) and tight end JT Byrne (Cal). Patterson said he has high hopes for what the Jackets can accomplish on the offensive side of the ball with the players already in place and the additions through the portal and recruiting.
"Very explosive," Patterson described what he believes the Tech offense will be in 2025. "I feel like it was already tough to stop GT in the run game, but now you have to stop us in the pass game too."
The Jackets have also gotten three commits on the defensive side in the portal, including defensive backs Daiquan White (Eastern Michigan) and Kelvin Hill Jr. (UAB) as well as defensive lineman/edge rusher Ronald Triplette (UTSA).
Patterson had one final message for the Georgia Tech fans that might not know much about him as a player and person and what they should expect from him once he suits up in the gold and white.
"I want the GT fans to know that I'm going to give you my all," said Patterson. "I will do whatever it takes to win games and bring home an ACC championship back to Atlanta."
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