Jeremy Patterson hired as new Rust College athletic director
Photo: New Rust College athletic director Jeremy Patterson (Courtesy photo)
Feb. 5, 2025-Rust College is excited to announce it has hired seasoned coach and former multi-sport collegiate athlete Jeremy Patterson as its new Director of Athletics.
Patterson brings over a decade of experience to the role. Notably, last year, he was selected as one of 25 (out of 1,500 applicants worldwide) for the inaugural, weeklong Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy.
Following the academy, Patterson was one of only five fellows selected by the Buccaneers to continue working with the Bucs’ coaching staff while the team prepared for the 2024 regular season.
In 2023, he served as Assistant Head Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, and Linebacker Coach at Mississippi Valley State, where his unit led the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in kickoff return yards and ranked among the best nationally in multiple categories.
In 2021, he was Special Teams Coordinator at Lane College where his unit led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in kickoff returns yards, touchdowns, and blocked punts. Several of his players also received All-Conference and All-American honors.
Coming to Rust College has been a homecoming for Patterson. Originally from Cleveland, Mississippi, Patterson loves being able to easily travel there to spend quality time with family. He also appreciates the tight-knit community at Rust, having graduated from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, which is also a small, historically Black college.
“This is serious for me,” Patterson said of the move back to his home state.
“Being in the seat that I’m in now, a lot of people look like me at Rust,” Patterson said. “At the end of the day, I’m here to serve these students. I do this work for the love of the students.”
A proud alumnus of Lane College, Patterson holds a bachelor of arts in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education Administration.
“We are thrilled to have Jeremy Patterson join the Rust College family,” said Dr. Robert Dixon, President of Rust College. “His leadership, dedication to student-athletes, and record of success make him the ideal candidate to lead our athletics programs into the future.”
