Following Army All-American Bowl, Who Is 2016's Real No. 1 QB Recruit?

SAN ANTONIO — It took only one drive early in the first quarter of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for quarterback Shea Patterson to introduce himself to the casual fan.

Patterson's first attempt: A screen pass to new Michigan Wolverines receiver Dylan Crawford. The second pass: A dart to Stanford Cardinal-bound wideout Simi Fehoko for 15 yards.

After an incompletion where Miami Hurricanes pledge Tyler Byrd made a great defensive play, Patterson connected again with Fehoko for a 35-yard touchdown pass.

That pretty much summed up the day for Patterson, an Ole Miss Rebels pledge who made a strong case to be the nation's top-ranked quarterback. In a contest where he split time with Stanford commit K.J. Costello and Michigan commit Brandon Peters, Patterson completed six of nine passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns and walked away with the Pete Dawkins Trophy, which is awarded to the game's most valuable player.

"I came here to compete," Patterson said. "This was a dream of mine."

To the casual fan, Patterson was impressive in the West's 37-9 win over the East squad. And what's not to like? He throws an accurate ball deep, intermediate and short. His footwork and accuracy run neck and neck for his best assets. And when it comes to pressure situations, Patterson rarely panics.

Saturday was proof of that.

To those who have followed Patterson's recruiting process since his freshman year, his performance Saturday was par for the course. Every game, the 5-star recruit plays as if he's on a mission to show everyone he's the best of a talented quarterback class.

The majority of his efforts coming in the first half. He completed five of seven passes and accounted for both touchdowns in the first 21 minutes of play.

Darren Abate/Associated Press

"I've dreamed about this since I was a little kid," he said. "I remember watching Cody Kessler and Bubba Starling play in this game maybe four or five years ago. It's just a childhood dream of mine come true. This is awesome."

Currently, Patterson is ranked the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 2016 class behind Georgia Bulldogs-bound Jacob Eason. Five of the top six pro-style quarterbacks participated in the showcase.

Eason, the top-ranked pro-style quarterback, has all the measurables coaches want, and he showed his arm strength on a few of his passes. However, Eason had troubles fielding the snap early, and he finished completing six of 13 passes for 71 yards an interception. Feleipe Franks, a Florida Gators commit, threw two interceptions and completed only one pass on seven attempts.

Costello had a decent day, completing six of 10 passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw a pick early. Peters had the game's longest completion of 39 yards, but he only completed four of 16 passes. Jawon Pass, the nation's No. 6 dual-threat quarterback, rushed for a score and completed five of nine passes for 47 yards.

In short, Patterson displayed everything necessary to put himself in position to take over the top quarterback spot. And he did it against 5-star stud defensive tackles like Dexter Lawrence and Derrick Brown.

And now, Patterson focuses on life at Ole Miss, a place where many feel he'll challenge for the starting position early in his career. If he plays at Ole Miss anywhere close to how he played Saturday, Rebels fans should be excited for what's expected to be a fantastic career.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.com's composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles