Elite 11 MVP, 5-Star QB Shea Patterson Transferring to IMG Academy

Fresh off a stellar performance at the Elite 11 competition, Shea Patterson has made a move that he hopes will continue his rise as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

The 5-star Ole Miss commit announced via Twitter that he will play his senior year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The sports academy will be Patterson's third high school, following one year at Hidalgo (Texas) and the past two seasons at Calvary Baptist in Shreveport, Louisiana.

"It's an opportunity I cannot pass up," Patterson said in his tweet. "I look forward to taking the lessons I've learned at Calvary and working hard to try to be a better player. ... I'm constantly challenging myself and this is my next challenge."

The 6'2", 195-pound Patterson is rated as the No. 9 overall player in the 2016 recruiting class and the second-ranked pro-style passer.

Those rankings were last updated on July 9, prior to Patterson claiming MVP honors in the Elite 11 Finals held at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon—a competition that featured 18 of the top quarterback recruits in the country.

"He joins a list of Elite 11 alumni that includes eventual No. 1 overall NFL draft picks Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston and Andrew Luck," Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue wrote.

Patterson has been committed to Ole Miss since February, a few months after he backed out of his initial pledge to Arizona that he made in December 2012. That was prior to shifting from Hidalgo to Calvary, where he threw for more than 5,000 yards with 72 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in two years.

At IMG, though, he'll be surrounded by one of the most talented lineups in the country. That includes 5-star prospects in defensive end Shavar Manuel, cornerback Saivion Smith (an LSU commit) and tight end Isaac Nauta (a Florida State commit).

Patterson essentially fills the roster spot left open after 5-star Florida State commit Malik Henry left IMG in early June despite never playing a game at the school.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.