I served with Patrick when we were field grades, and I am certain he is going to be an amazing Commandant.
He is not only a combat arms guy with 3+ deployments (2 x Iraq, 1 x Afghanistan in battalion-level command), he is probably the smartest, most innovative and strategic-thinking officer I know. He understands training and leadership at every tactical level, and has also served in the political levels of the Army -- so he is equipped to manage the political dynamics of the position.
He commanded at the O6-level in Recruiting, and commanded Fort Jackson as a 1-star -- the primary initial entry training base for the Army. So he has recent practical experience in attracting and retaining this generation of young people.
I feel like he is going to inherit a lot of goodness from the previous team, along with a lot of University investments to help with recruiting -- the Patriot Scholarships, the Murray Scholarship, etc. In addition, the Corps has the full backing of University leadership, and that has not always been the case.
IMO he was a home run hire.