Story by
FAMU football defensive coordinator Milton Patterson set to join New England Patriots staff
- Story by
- FAMU football defensive coordinator Milton Patterson set to join New England Patriots staff
Milton Patterson is going to the National Football League.
Florida A&M's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach is joining the New England Patriots ' coaching staff as the inside linebackers coach.
Advertisement
NFL reporter Joseph Pasteris first reported Patterson's move to New England .
Patterson has been with the Rattlers since the 2021 season, becoming the defensive line coach on former FAMU head coach Willie Simmons' staff. In 2024, Patterson got promoted to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach on FAMU head coach James Colzie III's inaugural staff.
"This talks about how great of a job he did and will continue to do. It's a great opportunity for his family," Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat. "This guy has gone through the ranks and has made many sacrifices for his family. Seeing him reap the benefits and get an opportunity to go to the NFL ― that's what you dream of.
"He's been a pro with me every day I've been around him. I hope the FAMU Rattler Nation wishes him well."
Advertisement
Patterson was the co-defensive coordinator for FAMU's Black College Football National Championship team in 2023.
FAMU defensive line coach Milton Patterson watches as players prep to hit the sled during the first football practice of the year Wednesday, March 3, 2021.
In his four-year tenure, Patterson has developed many FAMU star defensive players, most notably Isaiah Land , who won the 2021 Buck Buchanan trophy , given to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Land just completed his second NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts .
Other Rattlers standouts Patterson had a hand in were Anthony Dunn Jr., Gentle Hunt, and Kamari Stephens, who all moved on to Football Bowl Subdivision teams after FAMU.
Patterson's hire to the Patriots places him on head coach Mike Vrabel's inaugural staff . New England hired Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion linebacker with the Patriots, on Jan. 12 to replace Jerod Mayo after one season.
Florida A&M Rattlers Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Line Coach Milton Patterson, second row, fifth from right, spent his summer in Nashville to work with the NFL's Tennessee Titans as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
Patterson has a prior connection with Vrabel. During Vrabel's tenure as the Tennessee Titans head coach, Patterson spent the 2023 offseason on his staff as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship .
Advertisement
Patterson will also reunite with former FAMU running back Terrell Jennings , who was a rookie for the Patriots during the 2024 NFL season.
Patterson, a former four-year letterman linebacker for the Jackson State Tigers , has had coaching stops at Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Alabama State, Clark-Atlanta, Fayetteville State, and FAMU.
He's from Atlanta.
Patterson is scheduled to speak at the Glazier Football Coaches Clinic in Indianapolis from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Advertisement
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football DC Milton Patterson joining New England Patriots staff
