“He’s right up there with the best I’ve seen here.”
Welsh’s Troy Pattum is a young man of few words. But his game speaks loud enough for him.
“I describe myself as hard-working,” Pattum said. “Even though I’m not always noticed, I work hard every day to try to get noticed.”
“He’s definitely a leader on the team,” Welsh head coach Ronnie Courville said. “We’ve seen him step up in the last year with the young guys and show them the techniques that he learned.”
To be a great pass rusher, you must have elite footwork and active hands.
Pattum fits that mold because he also plays basketball. A sport that he once loved more than football…
“I was really a basketball player but once I got to play football, it changed my mind," Pattum said. "Basketball is mainly on footwork. It helped me with football. Some sports can help contribute with other sports.”
Last season, the senior defensive end made a thundering transition as a junior.
In his sophomore season, he only picked up one sack. But in 2022, Pattum got to the quarterback 13 times, while earning Sportsline All State honors and being named the All-Southwest Small Schools Defensive MVP.
“He had a really good offseason from his sophomore to junior season," Courville said. "He really developed in the weight room. Going into his junior year, he really started to get the hang of things, was more comfortable, and was able to go out there to play.”
His outstanding junior campaign puts him inches away from history. With four more takedowns, he’ll set the new school record for sacks.
“It would be an honor to be number one and having the sack record," Pattum said. "John Daigle was a great defensive player. It’s an honor to be alongside him with the most sacks from Welsh.”
Aside from breaking the record, Pattum desires to take the Greyhounds back to dome. But at the same time, he wants to leave an impact that speaks just as loud as his game.
“It’s very hard coming from a small area like Welsh compared to big schools, but you just got to put in the work to get noticed," Pattum explained. "When people speak on my name, I hope they see that I’m a good person and how hard I work every day to get where I’m at.”
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers