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COACHING

Milton Patterson joins the Patriots as a defensive assistant after four seasons at Florida A&M University, where he was linebackers coach from 2021-23 and defensive coordinator in 2024.

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Patterson guided DL James Ash and DB Kendall Bohler to 2024 All-SWAC Second Team honors. Bohler was also named a semifinalist for the Aeneas Williams Award, given to the nation's best defensive back in HBCU Division I college football. Additionally, DB Michael Oppong earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after a home-opener win over South Carolina State, and DB Deco Wilson was named the Aeneas Williams Award HBCU Defensive Back of the Week after a win over Alabama State.

In 2023, Patterson played a major role in a defense that ranked in the top 25 in 12 categories, including the No. 1 passing efficiency defense, the No. 2 total defense and No. 2 scoring defense. Defensive lineman Anthony Dunn Jr. earned First Team All-SWAC honors after he finished second in the league in sacks (8) and ninth in tackles for loss (12), and DL Gentle Hunt was named All-SWAC Second Team after he registered 29 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hurries and 1 forced fumble in 10 games. A year prior, Patterson developed two All-Americans, LB Isaiah Land and DL Kamari Stephens, who were also named to the All-SWAC First Team. In Patterson's first season with the Rattlers in 2021, Land led the nation in sacks (19.5) and tackles for loss (25.5) as he went on to win the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in FCS football. Land was also the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and set a Florida A&M single-game record with 5 sacks in a win over South Carolina State. In 2021, DL Savion Williams earned All-SWAC Second Team honors with 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Before Florida A&M, Patterson was the defensive coordinator at Fayetteville State for two years (2020-21). He went to Fayetteville State after serving as the defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and director of recruiting at Clark-Atlanta University from 2017-20. In 2018, Clark Atlanta University's defense ranked second in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and 10th nationally.

In 2017, Patterson was the assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at Alabama State, working mainly with Olympic sports. Prior to this role, Patterson was the co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and director of sports performance at Mississippi Valley State (2014-16), where he directed strength and conditioning for all 15 sports in addition to his roles with the football team. Patterson's first coaching job was at his alma mater, Jackson State, where he was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and defensive analyst from 2012-14.

Patterson has also completed coaching internships with the Atlanta Falcons (2018), Chicago Bears (2022) and Tennessee Titans (2023) as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.

PLAYING

Patterson was a four-year letterwinner on the football team at Jackson State as a linebacker, earning All-SWAC honors. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy in 2013.

PERSONAL

The Atlanta, Georgia native attended Banneker High School where he was an All-State honoree and a three-time All-Region honoree. He also was a three-year letterwinner and baseball and a letterwinner in wrestling. Patterson and his wife, Shae, have a son, Nolan.