The uncertainty around the 2020 football season hasn't slowed the Jaret Patterson hype train.

The rising UB junior running back is a preseason All-American and a sneaky pick to be a Heisman finalist, but if you think any of that is going to his head, you don't know Jaret Patterson — who’s still grinding to take a bite out of that chip on his shoulder.

"Trying to get faster, stronger, just everything about my game, change of direction. In the first week up here we've been doing a lot of acceleration in the weight room and stuff like that. I am just really preparing for this upcoming season,” said Patterson.

That preparation is centered on expanding his repertoire. Patterson is coming off a season with 2,000 total yards and 20 touchdowns, but he wants to ensure he's a three-down back.

"It's huge. You look at today's game, they call those guys 'one-trick ponies.' You want to be versatile. You want to catch outside the backfield, you want to block, you don't just want to run the ball, but really show our value,” he said.

Patterson also said he wants to improve his balance. One guy he could learn from is Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders — who happens to be checking in on Jaret, with Sanders showing love to the First-Team All-MAC back on Twitter.

"I teared up,” said Patterson. “That was an honor. That is one of the greatest to play my position and just for him to acknowledge my game motivated me even more, this sounds crazy, but to be better than he was. That just made me more motivated. It was just a blessing to keep getting better each day. It was an honor and words can't explain what that meant to me. Hopefully I can meet him one day in real life."

Right now, real life for Patterson involves trying to lead UB to a MAC championship, which would further fuel that hype train and put Jaret closer to joining Sanders as an NFL running back.