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Goal No. 7: GREAT EFFORT.

#7 Kaleb Patterson

Redshirt Senior* | 6-1 | 192 lbs. (+6) | Jackson, Mississippi

• Position: Cornerback
• Previous Colleges: Pearl River (Miss.) Community College; University of Illinois
• Projection: Second-String
• Remaining Eligibility: 1 year
• Status: On Scholarship

Kaleb Patterson (b. Dec. 14, 2003) is a cornerback transfer from Illinois who is majoring in sociology and has one season left to play. I am projecting him as the primary backup to both Donovan McIntosh and Zashon Rich.

Here’s what defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson had to say about Patterson following spring practices:

In the back end on the outside, cornerback Kaleb Patterson has done a really nice job of being Mr. Consistent and pushing that envelope a little bit. His maturity is really, really good.

He was considered a significant catch for a FBS team, as the highly ranked defensive back garnered a transfer rating of 86.50. In 2024, he earned a top-5 tackling grade among cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus:

I’m a smart, physical player, and I’m someone who’s going to get to the ball and be around the ball and make plays. …

(Coach Klein) is a great head coach for sure. I like everything he stands for, what he believes in, and how he pours into the team. You couldn’t ask for anything better from a head coach. He’s the same guy every day. He’s just going to give you his all.

Sports Illustrated broke down his game and the value he can provide to the K-State defense in 2026 thusly:

Patterson provides K-State (with) another long corner who brings a level of physicality to the boundary for the Wildcats. His proven ability to be a solid tackler on the outside will be a welcome addition for the K-State defense.

Patterson redshirted* but saw time in four games for the Illini in 2023, playing as a reserve defensive back at Iowa, while he also played on special teams against the Hawkeyes, Maryland, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In 2024, he started all 12 games he played, tallying 31 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery over his 564 defensive snaps. Patterson also saw time on 31 special teams plays.

He had a career-high five tackles against Kansas, while he had four apiece against Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina, the latter coming in the Citrus Bowl; recorded a tackle for loss and fumble recovery against Eastern Michigan, while he had another tackle for loss at Nebraska; broke up a pair of passes against Purdue; and forced a fumble against South Carolina.

Last season, Patterson played in 10 games — with starts against Western Illinois, Duke and Indiana — as he saw time on 216 defensive snaps and 11 special teams plays. He totaled 15 tackles, a pass breakup and two fumble recoveries, the latter of which tied for 14th in the nation.

Patterson carded a season-high four tackles at Duke, while he had three at Indiana and two apiece against both Western Illinois and Purdue; recovered fumbles in each of the first two games against Western Illinois and Duke; and broke up a pass against Rutgers. His three years at Illinois coincided with Thad Ward’s three years there, too.

Prior to transferring to Illinois, Patterson played as a true freshman in 2022 under head coach Seth Smith at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi, where he was rated the 38th-best overall community college prospect in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports, while he was ranked No. 42 by ESPN and No. 32 by Rivals.

He also was regarded as the fifth-best community college safety in the class by 247Sports and ninth best by both On3 and ESPN. Patterson played in nine games and recorded 12 tackles to go along with four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

He tallied a season-high four tackles against Copiah-Lincoln, which included a forced fumble; also forced a fumble the week prior at Jones; and had two pass breakups at Southwest Mississippi, and one apiece against both Northeast Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Patterson prepped under head coach Kris Thigpen at Terry (Miss.) High School, where he was named the 2022 Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Class 6A Defensive Back of the Year, while he picked up all-region and all-district honors after tallying 35 tackles, two pass breakups, and one pick during his senior year.

Prior to his transfer, he committed to Illinois over offers from Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Coastal Carolina, Indiana, Jacksonville State, Kent State, Liberty, Memphis, South Alabama and Troy, as well as interest from Southern Miss. Patterson also had interest from Jackson State and Mississippi State coming out of high school.

*K-State has recently announced a new classification scheme that designates players by their year of eligibility regardless of whether they have “redshirted,” a term that will go out of use with the new “5-for-5” rule. Thus, the KSU SID lists Patterson as a “fifth year” even though he barely played in 2023. For the sake of consistency with past posts, I will continue to designate redshirts based on their playing history, but also note their remaining eligibility to stay consistent with the new designations as well.

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