Sophomore cornerback Darius Patterson has been difference-maker for Seton Hill defense

As much as he enjoys his football teammates and other friends at Seton Hill, sophomore Darius Patterson admits he enjoys his alone time just as much. The serenity and solitude that can be found on the Greensburg campus played a large role in luring Patterson more than 700 miles from his Georgia home.

That Patterson enjoys being by himself is fortuitous, considering he plays field corner for coach Kevin May. The position requires him to cover a large portion of the secondary, often without help.

In his first season as a starter, Patterson hasn’t needed much help. His interception in the Griffins’ Oct. 4 upset of then-sixth-ranked Cal (Pa.) was his fifth of the season, and he entered Saturday’s game against No. 24 Slippery Rock with two more INTs than anyone else in the PSAC.

But in his typical low-key style, Patterson deflected the credit elsewhere.

“It felt like everybody was just on a string,” he said. “Everybody was just making the plays that were presented to them. Everybody was doing their job to make sure the next person can make that play.

“We executed at a high level and came out with the win against a pretty good team.”

Patterson’s performance is even more remarkable considering he is in only his fifth year of organized football. He played basketball in his youth until, at the behest of his older brother, he tried football during his sophomore year in high school.

“Because of that, he’s very moldable and very coachable, and he buys in,” said May, in his first season as Seton Hill’s coach. “As good as he is, he doesn’t have an arrogance about him. He has a confidence about him, but he doesn’t think he has all the answers.”

Patterson (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) spent the bulk of his freshman season playing special teams. It was good on-the-job training, he said, because it helped him to understand the speed of the college game and how much stronger the players are compared to high school.

So he spent this past offseason putting in the required weightlifting and working on his skill set. Over the first two games of 2025, he came in as a reserve, and in Week 2’s nonconference game at West Liberty, he made the most of his chances.

He had two interceptions — one of which he returned 74 yards for a touchdown — against the Hilltoppers.

“Leading up to that game, I was in my mind a lot, in my head a lot,” said Patterson, who has 27 tackles for the Griffins (3-4, 1-2 PSAC). “I prayed to God, and He showed up. That game, that’s when I probably got the most comfortable with playing college football. I started to kind of get a groove.”

The following week, in his first collegiate start, Patterson’s fourth-quarter pick set up the game-winning drive against Bloomsburg.

His theft against Cal came late in the first quarter. He picked off the Vulcans’ Roman Purcell at the Seton Hill 11-yard line to potentially prevent a score in a game the Griffins won 16-7.

“I don’t think of him as young,” May said. “There are certain people you have to protect or call things differently. … Darius is not in that category for me. The playbook is wide open. …. In my mind, he’s a fifth-year senior.”

Patterson’s growing confidence has mirrored that of the team. The Griffins followed up consecutive losses, including a 40-13 throttling by IUP, with the upset of Cal.

It could prove to be a watershed moment for a program that has struggled to keep up with the PSAC’s heavyweights.

But Patterson said Seton Hill won’t rest on the laurels of that victory. He said the Griffins — much like himself — have only scratched the surface.

“We don’t want to get complacent,” he said. “Complacency kills. … I think people know now we are a legit team. We just have to get out of our own way. We can’t beat ourselves. We have to play good football and do what we know we can do, and we can compete with anybody.”