College football notebook: Michigan keeps quarterback, loses defensive tackle
Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson said Friday he will return to Ann Arbor next year for his senior season and will not enter the 2019 NFL Draft. Patterson transferred to Michigan from Ole Miss after the 2017 season, and the NCAA granted his waiver request to become eligible to play immediately in 2018. The Wolverines finished 10-2 and will meet Florida in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 29. Patterson finished the regular season having completed 188 of 290 pass attempts (64.8 percent) for 2,364 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. --Former five-star Michigan recruit Aubrey Solomon announced he will transfer to Tennessee. Solomon, a defensive tackle from Leesburg, Ga., was part of the Wolverines' 2017 recruiting class. At the time, he was ranked as the No. 2 player at his position and No. 23 overall in the nation on the 247Sports composite. He struggled to find playing time on a talented Michigan defensive line. In two seasons for the Wolverines, he played in 18 games and made 24 tackles, including two for losses. --Connecticut fired defensive coordinator Billy Crocker and defensive backs coach Curome Cox after the Huskies endured the worst defensive season in FBS history. The school announced the dismissals nearly four weeks after UConn finished a 1-11 campaign in which it set dubious records for points (605) and yards allowed (7,409). The averages allowed were 50.4 points and 617.4 yards per game. The Huskies also dismissed strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein and assistant strength and conditioning coach J.D. Mehlhorn. UConn also announced that offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach John Dunn will serve as associate head coach. --Field Level Media
