Sulphur's DaMontre Patterson explains why he committed to play football at New Hampshire

SULPHUR — DaMontre Patterson made his mind up weeks ago.

As the first few weeks of his senior season went by, one recurring catalyst in Patterson's recruitment continued to catch his attention.

A seemingly constant flow letters were left at his doorstep from the University of New Hampshire.

During this time, Patterson could feel time ticking on a decision to make as he mulled over multiple Power Five offers. However, the letters he was receiving from the Wildcats' coaching staff began to sway him. Each message painted more of a vivid blueprint in his mind of what his role would look like at New Hampshire.

Soon after, Patterson became sold on living out his dreams of playing college football in Durham, N.H. — more than 1,800 miles from his hometown of Sulphur, a town of about 4,900 people just south of Norman.

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"The fact that they cared enough to send that many letters just played a huge part in my commitment," Patterson said Sunday night. "Now I talk to the coaches every day and they've been contacting me more than all the other colleges. Also, it just felt like home when I went on my visit there."

Patterson, who is No. 6 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 rankings of the state’s top recruits in the 2024 class, announced his commitment to New Hampshire, choosing the Wildcats over the likes of Michigan State, Colorado and California.

While New Hampshire plays a level below those schools in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), there is plenty of pedigree with the Wildcats. Current UCLA coach Chip Kelly played and coach for New Hampshire before rising to fame as an offensive guru at Oregon.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, he’s a three-star prospect who lines up at both defensive back and wide receiver. After spending his first two high school seasons at Class A Elmore City-Pernell, Patterson moved to Class 4A's Ada where he showed out in his junior season. His play resulted in initial Division I offers from other schools such as Marshall and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He also visited Oklahoma State, TCU and Navy.

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While learning about the recruiting process which came new to him in the past year, he also learned a lot about himself along the way.

"I think now I can just adapt through anything," Patterson said. "I went from a well-known school at Ada and getting to know all my friends there to coming down here and not knowing anybody but adapting and being a part of a good team. That's been the biggest takeaway for me."

"I think my family and teammates have made the switch much easier for me. They're always there for me no matter what I need. Seeing them here today for my commitment meant a lot, I really love all of them. I didn't expect it to be that many people, but seeing how many people actually care about me... I love to see it."

In addition to being a standout defensive back, he's a versatile speedster who can play running back, wide receiver and returner for the special teams. Patterson, who also won a state track championship in the spring with Sulfur, made The Oklahoman’s preseason All-State team.

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The adaptation to circumstance has become natural for Patterson, as he'll be on the move for the third time in three years next summer. His patience and maturity are also something he's shown immensely in his 3-2 start with coach Corey Cole's Bulldogs.

"I'm going to be honest, he struggled a little bit at first because we do things differently. Our coaching is a bit more old school," Cole said. "But now, he's starting to really come into his own. He's fully bought into what we're trying to do and has become a great team player."

"A lot of times you get a kid that's got a lot of publicity and offers like him and it comes with ego. He came in here and all of our kids gravitated toward him because of his accountability. I've seen him take strides to becoming a great teammate and in life that turns into you being a good person. I can't wait to see what he does next."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sulphur's DaMontre Patterson commits to New Hampshire football