Oct. 31, 2008
By JERRY HILL
Special to BaylorBears.com
With a "Who's Who" list of suitors that included Nebraska, LSU, Miami, Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Clemson, Earl Patin "shocked" the people back home in Baton Rouge, La., when he signed with Baylor.
"It was real crazy, because everyone thought I was going to go to LSU," said Patin, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore from Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge. "But I shocked them with Baylor. There was a time when I had to really rethink everything, but I'm really glad that I chose Baylor. And it's definitely working out for the best now."
You might say it's working out pretty well for both parties. A 4-star recruit who was rated the sixth-best linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com, Patin is starting to live up to his blue-chip reputation, making eight tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble in Saturday's 32-20 loss at Nebraska.
"He came in as a highly touted recruit, and he showed right away that he knows how to play football," said junior free safety Jordan Lake. "He didn't have that reputation as a 4-star recruit for no reason. Every time he gets in there, he makes plays."
The funny thing is, Baylor wasn't even on Patin's recruiting map until a chance meeting with then-linebackers coach Gary Joe Kinne at the 2007 East Meets West All-American Game in Orlando, Fla. Kinne's son, G.J. Kinne, was the quarterback on Patin's all-star team.
"Not at all. I hadn't heard from Baylor at all before that East Meets West All-American game," Patin said. "I connected fairly well with Coach Kinne. And his son was our quarterback, so I got a chance to talk to him. And he talked about Baylor. He said it was one of his choices, too. So when (G.J.) chose Texas, it kind of threw me off for a minute. But at the same time, I wanted to be a Baylor Bear."
Patin's physical talent has never been questioned. He was a Class 1A all-state pick as a senior at Southern Lab, making 144 tackles and five sacks for a 10-4 team that lost in the state semifinals.
Couple that with his 4.5 speed, and you can see why he was able to step on the field as a true freshman last year. Getting in for 291 snaps while playing behind starters Nick Moore and Joe Pawelek, Patin made 29 tackles and a sack to earn Freshman All-Big 12 honors from The Sporting News.
"I chose Baylor, really because I thought I'd have a great chance to come in and play," he said. "So last year, as a freshman, I was able to play. They gave me a time to come in and find out how the Big 12 was. And it was just great that I had a chance to play last year, because it's given me more opportunities this year."
But Pawelek saw the frustration in Patin last year, as the 4-star recruit was relegated to a backup role.
"From the second he stepped on campus, there was no doubt that he was physically ready," Pawelek said. "He had some pretty high expectations, and I think it was kind of frustrating for him coming in and expecting to get on the field quickly. But he's really growing into a complete football player in terms of the whole other side of football that everyone seems to overlook - watching film, knowing your opponent, being that kind of studious football player."
Those are the steps that he's taken this year as a sophomore. Even with the switch from middle linebacker to an outside spot, where he rotates with junior Antonio Jones, Patin has become a much better student of the game.
"I think with youth, it's not just the athletic part of the game, but the mental part of the game and learning how to be a complete player," defensive coordinator Brian Norwood said. "He's got a good example to follow in Joe Pawelek and a guy like Antonio Jones that's doing a nice job and paints a good picture. You see improvement from him each time, and you see that he's getting comfortable with the position. It's a growing thing, and we're excited about his future."
"I've learned a lot from Joe Pawelek," Patin said. "He's a great linebacker, and he's so smart in the game. We'll watch film together. And then just being able to listen to a veteran linebacker who can tell you how it goes throughout the game and throughout a season, it's great having him around."
Although he's listed as Jones' backup at the "Sam" or strongside linebacker spot, you wouldn't know it by his stats. Patin is sixth on the team with 39 tackles, first with 2.5 sacks and has added another stop behind the line, three quarterback hurries and the forced fumble on the goal line at Nebraska.
"I think I'm coming along well," he said. "It's a new position for me, and I'm just trying to get better every week and prepare myself to make more plays. But you can't ever be satisfied with what you're doing. You've always got to strive to be better. And that's what I'm doing."
Like senior offensive tackle Dan Gay from Lafayette, La., and junior receiver Ernest Smith from New Orleans, there are times when Patin (pronounced Pa-TAN) misses his home state. But most of all, he misses mama's home cooking.
"She makes gumbo and jambalaya, things like that," he said. "She brought me some gumbo (after the Iowa State game). And I was dying for that. I couldn't see her before the game, but I would have loved to have squeezed some time in for that. You know, a little pre-game meal."
A sophomore business major, Patin wouldn't mind putting that on the backburner until after his playing career is over.
"I have expectations to go to the NFL. I think every player should have that if they want to be on the next level," he said. "I'll just try to use my ability to get there, take in what the coaches are telling me and just use it on the field."
The Bears (3-5, 1-3) will host 14th-ranked Missouri (6-2, 2-2) for Homecoming at 2 p.m. Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium. For ticket information, call the athletic ticket office at 254-710-1000.
