On December 11, 2017, Patterson announced he would be transferring to the University of Michigan to play for the  Michigan Wolverines.

Normally, NCAA football student-athletes who transfer schools with more than a year of eligibility remaining must sit out a year before being eligible to play.
Patterson sought a waiver in order to be eligible for play immediately at Michigan, claiming that he had been misled by Ole Miss coaches during his recruitment regarding the ongoing NCAA investigation.
Ole Miss formally objected to Patterson's waiver appeal, saying they did not agree with Patterson's stated reasons for transferring.
On April 27, 2018, it was announced that Patterson would be immediately eligible to play for Michigan.
A new amendment to transfer waiver guidelines approved by the NCAA led to the withdrawal of Patterson's first waiver application and the submission of a new application supported by both Michigan and Ole Miss, which was approved by the NCAA.

Patterson was named the starting quarterback going into Michigan's 2018 season opener against Notre Dame.
He struggled to get the Wolverine offense moving in that game, as Michigan scored only one offensive touchdown in a 24–17 loss to the Fighting Irish.
Patterson threw for 227 yards and one interception in the game.
Following the loss, Patterson's fortunes improved along with the rest of the Michigan team, as the Wolverines won the following ten games and rose to fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings.
In a 45–20 victory over SMU on September 15, Patterson posted a career high in passer efficiency rating (232.3) to go along with 237 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
On November 3, Patterson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another on the ground in a blowout 42–7 victory over then-No.
14 Penn State.
He was named Big Ten Player of the Week by the Rose Bowl Game Football Committee following the win.
In a regular season-ending loss to rival Ohio State that knocked Michigan out of contention for a Big Ten title, Patterson threw for 187 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
In the Peach Bowl against Florida, Patterson posted a season-low in passer efficiency rating (114.2) as he threw for 236 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 15–41 loss for the Wolverines.

During the 2018 season, Patterson recorded 2,600 yards passing and 273 yards on the ground.
He totaled 24 touchdowns with 22 passing scores and two rushing touchdowns and had a 64.4 percent completion rate.
He generated a pass efficiency rating of 149.4, second in the Big Ten in 2018.
Following the regular season, he was named to the All-Big Ten offensive third-team by the coaches.

On December 21, 2018, Patterson announced that he would be returning to Michigan for his senior year.
On December 11, 2017, Patterson announced he would be transferring to the University of Michigan to play for the  Michigan Wolverines.
Normally, NCAA football student-athletes who transfer schools with more than a year of eligibility remaining must sit out a year before being eligible to play. Patterson sought a waiver in order to be eligible for play immediately at Michigan, claiming that he had been misled by Ole Miss coaches during his recruitment regarding the ongoing NCAA investigation. Ole Miss formally objected to Patterson's waiver appeal, saying they did not agree with Patterson's stated reasons for transferring. On April 27, 2018, it was announced that Patterson would be immediately eligible to play for Michigan. A new amendment to transfer waiver guidelines approved by the NCAA led to the withdrawal of Patterson's first waiver application and the submission of a new application supported by both Michigan and Ole Miss, which was approved by the NCAA.
Patterson was named the starting quarterback going into Michigan's 2018 season opener against Notre Dame. He struggled to get the Wolverine offense moving in that game, as Michigan scored only one offensive touchdown in a 24–17 loss to the Fighting Irish. Patterson threw for 227 yards and one interception in the game. Following the loss, Patterson's fortunes improved along with the rest of the Michigan team, as the Wolverines won the following ten games and rose to fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings. In a 45–20 victory over SMU on September 15, Patterson posted a career high in passer efficiency rating (232.3) to go along with 237 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On November 3, Patterson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another on the ground in a blowout 42–7 victory over then-No. 14 Penn State. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week by the Rose Bowl Game Football Committee following the win. In a regular season-ending loss to rival Ohio State that knocked Michigan out of contention for a Big Ten title, Patterson threw for 187 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. In the Peach Bowl against Florida, Patterson posted a season-low in passer efficiency rating (114.2) as he threw for 236 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 15–41 loss for the Wolverines.
During the 2018 season, Patterson recorded 2,600 yards passing and 273 yards on the ground. He totaled 24 touchdowns with 22 passing scores and two rushing touchdowns and had a 64.4 percent completion rate. He generated a pass efficiency rating of 149.4, second in the Big Ten in 2018. Following the regular season, he was named to the All-Big Ten offensive third-team by the coaches.
On December 21, 2018, Patterson announced that he would be returning to Michigan for his senior year.
Shea Patterson