LSU assistant Sean Patterson Jr. leaves LSU after brother commits to Ole Miss

SHREVEPORT, La. — Sean Patterson Jr. left his job as a quality control assistant with the LSU football team last week just days before his younger brother Shea Patterson, the No. 1 high school quarterback in the nation out of Calvary Academy in Shreveport, decided to commit to Ole Miss on Tuesday.

Sean Patterson Jr., who coached his brother as a youngster, resigned his LSU offensive quality control position last week, father Sean Patterson said on Tuesday.

The father said Sean Patterson Jr. is considering several opportunities, including Ole Miss, and he hopes his sons can be reunited at Ole Miss. Shea Patterson is the nation's top quarterback for the 2016 class and No. 1 prospect in Louisiana, according to several recruiting services. He committed to Ole Miss over LSU and USC, but he can change his mind between now and national signing day next February.

"LSU obviously is in my backyard, and the majority of my friends are LSU fans, so it was kind of tough," Shea Patterson said Tuesday when he committed to Ole Miss. "I loved being around Death Valley and had a great time. But I couldn't really see myself playing there, and it didn't seem like a good fit."

LSU already has a commitment from one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in Feleipe Franks of Crawfordville, Fla. Franks committed to LSU on June 1.

The Patterson brothers hope to be at the same college.

"They've always wanted to be together, and because of the age difference, it's a little bit different than a brother-to-brother situation," Sean Patterson said. "Sean has been throwing him up against the wall since he was two. Hopefully they'll end up together."

Sean Patterson Jr., who is 26, joined Arizona's staff in the spring of 2014, where Shea was already committed at the time. Sean then joined LSU's staff last summer. Shea also de-committed from Arizona last summer and reopened his recruitment. LSU recruited Shea and offered him a scholarship as did more than 25 other colleges across the nation.

Sean Patterson Jr. was a three-year starting quarterback at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and was an All-Northeast Conference honoree twice, leading the Dukes to a conference title as a junior in 2011. He was the quarterback and offensive coordinator for a professional team in Cologne, Germany in 2013.

"I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you are qualified, and they both are," Sean Patterson said of his son Sean possibly switching from LSU to Ole Miss. "But if it doesn't work out, then they both go their own separate ways."

Matt Vines writes for The Shreveport (La.) Times.