Hi Mandy!!
You share both my daughters name and the home city to my BEST friend, Ocala!!!!! It really is a very small world...
I would ask the young man for color choices...personal or school colors. If he chooses school colors, you should find tons of fabric at your local stores with the school mascot on it. Now, the pattern depends on your quilting skills. If you are a total beginner, keep the pattern very simple. I like to have beginners start with a checkerboard pattern...one dark square, one dark square, just like a checkerboard!! If you keep your squares cut about 3 1/2 inches, you will have a very nice sized quilt in no time and the quilitng can be a simple stitch in the ditch or you can stitch on the diagonial....again, very easy and nice eye candy.
jodi