Langston Patterson and his family have a brotherhood that runs deep — so deep, in fact, that his older brother Kane Patterson transferred to Vanderbilt from a championship-winning Clemson just so the two could play on the same field. 

“[Kane] was at Clemson for three years — he was going to start the next year — and then said, ‘I have two years left of [eligibility], and I’d rather play with my brother than play here,’” Patterson said.

For the junior linebacker, this commitment started at a young age. He and his three brothers would always play football in the backyard of their Nashville home growing up. Patterson noted that he started playing at around five years old and never stopped. 

“Growing up, we were always a football household,” Patterson said. “My dad played at Alabama, my uncle played at Kentucky and my [great uncle] played at Arkansas. So we’re just a football family.”

Unsurprisingly, Patterson wasn’t the only brother to venture into football and undergo the recruitment process. He watched his older brother Kane — a four-star linebacker out of high school — visit schools, even joining him on many. That’s what helped Langston set his collegiate priorities straight.

“I went with [Kane] on visits to Alabama, Clemson [and] pretty much everywhere [else],” Patterson said. “I got to notice what some fake programs look like, some real programs, some elite programs. When he went to Clemson, [I] had to think to [myself]: ‘What do I want out of this?’”

That’s when Patterson figured out his own criteria for picking a school. He was looking for three things above all else: culture, coaches and education. No school better fit those criteria than Vanderbilt.

“[Vanderbilt] has a great education, a great culture and coaches that push me to be the best version of myself,” Patterson said. “It’s close to home, so it’s really just a perfect fit for me. I saw the vision that [head coach Clark] Lea was preaching, bought into that and here we are today.”

Patterson entered Vanderbilt as a three-star linebacker prospect, ranked the No. 14 inside linebacker in the country by ESPN. Despite mainly seeing the field with special teams as a first-year, he played snaps in all 12 games in 2022. The team finished with five wins — just out of reach of a bowl game. 

Langston’s first season on West End was also the scene of a family reunion: Kane transferred from Clemson to Vanderbilt to play out his final years of eligibility with his younger brother. Langston didn’t credit himself with any influence over the decision, though — he said that this was something Kane decided on his own.

“He made the decision for himself. He went to the national championship [with Clemson], but a door and an opportunity opened, and he took it,” Patterson said. 

Langston and Kane had chemistry together on and off the field, and it’s clear that Kane motivated Langston to be at his best. The younger Patterson led the defense in total (74) and solo (38) tackles in 2023, and nabbed his first interception, forced fumble and blocked punt. 

“It was awesome to [play] on the same team, side by side and go at it together,” Patterson said. “He’s my best friend, and there’s no one closer to me than Kane; that was something that was super special.”

Langston said that those seasons with Kane were the most special of his career.

“That was probably one of my favorite times in life, and definitely my favorite time playing football. Not that this year [2024] hasn’t been awesome, but playing beside your brother is something else,” Patterson said.

Langston says it’s been different this year without Kane by his side — but not in a bad way. The younger Patterson sibling has had to fill the captain-sized shoes that Kane left behind, and to Langston, it’s felt odd to be given such a responsibility as a junior.

“It just feels weird,” Patterson said. “[I] still consider [myself] such a young guy in the program, and having to step into a captain role is awesome, but also something that can be uncomfortable at times. Your older guys are people you pulled out of the transfer portal who you just met a week ago, and now we’re going into fall camp.”

Being a captain is different to Patterson than being just another player on the roster. Though emerging as a leader has been the “biggest blessing” for the junior, he said that leadership also comes with the burden of holding his teammates responsible.

“You’re the face of the program and the voice of the team — you’re held to a higher standard than a lot of other guys,” Patterson said. “You always have to be intentional every second of every day, especially when you need to help your brother out. Last year, I was just a player. Now, I have to worry about myself, about the team — everyone.”

The captain hasn’t just been a leader in the locker room; in just ten games this season (he missed games against Kentucky and Ball State due to injury) he matched last season’s 74 total tackles and logged a career-best 13 tackles (8 solo) versus Tennessee in the team’s rivalry week game. 

This season has also seen Patterson win more games (six) than any other year of his collegiate career. The team’s results on the field showcase a completely different Vanderbilt program than just one year ago. 

Patterson doesn’t view this success as a surprise, though — the linebacker said he’s always seen the vision of a winning Vanderbilt program, even before their wins made national headlines.

“For sure, I envisioned this,” Patterson said. “There’s even more for us out there. You look at this year, and you can play the ‘ifs, ands or buts’ game, but it’s really not true. We lost the games we deserved to lose, and we won the games we deserved to win. That’s how football is.”

This season, the Commodores secured their first bowl appearance since 2018 and their first AP Poll ranking since 2013. Not to mention taking on then-No. 1 Alabama, his father’s alma mater, and winning. Patterson doesn’t see it as a program-shifting victory, even though the game made national headlines.

“We went into that game ready to go and ready to dominate, and that’s what we did,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t a defining moment in the season for us. It definitely was for people outside of our program who weren’t expecting it.”

The win was still special to Patterson, even though he knew his team was capable of victory from the start.

“Beating the number one team is something that we’ll share as a team forever because not often [do] you have the opportunity to beat a No. 1 [team],” Patterson said. “Taking advantage of that opportunity was something that was awesome, something I’ll never forget.”

Patterson wants to make sure he puts the best version of himself on the field for every single practice and every single game. To him, that means always improving and learning. 

“There’s such a difference between me from Week One to Week Three to Week Six; all season, [I] just keep getting more experience and keep getting better,” Patterson said.

Something else that Patterson brings to the field every day is his faith. He credits his faith with pushing him and guiding him to be at his best.

“I couldn’t do this without Jesus, and I put my faith in Him and allow the Lord to guide me in every aspect of my life,” Patterson said. “I’m just so thankful for Him.”

Patterson also believes that there’s much more in store for the Black and Gold. He says the team has yet to have their perfect game.

“We’ve been talking about, as a team, how there hasn’t been a game where all three phases of our game have synced up,” Patterson said. “We’ve had games when our offense has played really well, games when our defense has saved us and games when our special teams have played really well, but we haven’t had a game yet when all three have linked up. We haven’t played our best game or even close to what we’re capable of.”

Patterson attributes a lot of this season’s changes to differences in the locker room. He said there’s an emphasis on unity and belief in the program that hadn’t fully manifested last season. That unity has made the difference between a team that now works and a team that didn’t. 

“We fell apart last year, and [the locker room was] one of the main reasons we fell apart,” Patterson said. “When you have people talking about the transfer portal in Week Four and Week Five, it’s like a cancer in your locker room.”

The ultimate key to this year’s success? Brotherhood. Patterson said it’s crucial that the team isn’t just a football team, but a family by choice. 

“Something that’s been huge for us this year is unity. This team feels like a family,” Patterson said. “You see all around college football, there are teams breaking apart [because of] NIL and the transfer portal. People come in from all over the place, and they’re not able to sync up and come together to win big-time games. That’s what we’ve been able to do, and it’s helped us to knock off some of the top teams and have a really good year.”

Even though his biological brother isn’t on the roster anymore, Patterson promotes the culture of family and brotherhood that turned Vanderbilt’s program around.

“Having a team that’s all on the same page together, and that’ll do anything for each other — that’s huge,” Patterson said. “Then taking that into the game: looking to your left, ‘He’s got my back.’ Look to the right, ‘He’s got my back.’ It allows you to play fast and play free.”

Patterson and the Commodores will have one more shot at securing their first winning season in 11 years at the Birmingham Bowl against Georgia Tech on Dec. 27 at 2:30 p.m. CST.

This story was originally published on The Vanderbilt Hustler on December 14, 2024.