Top247 S Zaquan Patterson commits to Miami over Florida State
It was a battle through early Saturday morning, but Miami was able to keep one of South Florida’s best home when they landed a commitment from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep Top247 safety Zaquan Patterson during halftime of his nationally televised game against Baltimore (MD) St. Frances.
Mario Cristobal and his staff came into the week trailing Florida State and spent the week successfully chipping away at their in-state rival and closed when it mattered most.
Patterson told 247Sports by way of defensive coordinator Aaron Strumski why the Hurricanes separated themselves at the end.
“Being from Miami, you want to see Miami be great,”Patterson said. “I love what Coach Cristobal is doing with the program and the direction he’s taking it in and I want to be a part of that change.”
Considered the No. 4 safety in America, Patterson’s recruitment seemed to have multiple swings of momentum with the Hurricanes looking like an early favorite before schools like Michigan and Auburn generated some buzz over the course of the summer.
It was the Seminoles who picked up late traction, but Patterson’s process went full circle when he announced to the world that he was picking Miami during the GEICO ESPN Kickoff broadcast.
“They always had the faith in me. Even with the new coaching staff, they made it a priority to keep me as a high profile player. A lot of schools, when they get new coaches, they forget about some players. But instantly, they made sure they hit me up. [Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry] and Cristobal did a great job and especially [Jahmile Addae] when [former defensive analyst Demarcus Van Dyke] left, he did a great job too,” Patterson said of the Hurricanes earlier this month.
For Addae, Guidry, and the secondary, Patterson provides the Hurricanes with a potential immediate contributor in a room that could lose both starters to the NFL if both Kamren Kinchens and James Williams elect to forgo their senior seasons.
To open up his senior season, Patterson intercepted a pass and returned it for a score in a 35-6 win over Miami Northwestern. As a junior, he was credited with 69 tackles with two interceptions and seven pass break-ups while blocking four punts.
With Patterson on board, Miami’s class jumps up one spot to No. 14 nationally.
The Hurricanes will try to close out the day with another massive pledge from Bradenton IMG Academy five-star defensive lineman David Stone.
247Sports Scouting Report
A hard-hitting defender that has played mostly safety on Friday nights, but could eventually grow into a three-down linebacker. Made a name for himself as a youngster in the local parks for the Miami Garden Ravens before getting varsity snaps as a freshman at TRU Prep and then winning a pair of state titles as a sophomore and junior at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna Prep. At his best when he’s asked to come downhill and make stops near the line of scrimmage as he’s a natural body striker that is quick to sift through traffic and meet the football. Has gotten more and more comfortable in both man and zone coverage over the years and has shown on the 7-on-7 circuit that he can hang with most large wide receivers and tight ends. Has assembled some of the best special teams highlights we have seen in recent years as he has blocked multiple punts and kicks at the prep level and flies down the field like a heat-seeking missile in both punt and kick coverage. Limited testing data makes it hard to paint the full picture, but should be viewed as a versatile back-seven defender with tweener measurables that could do a variety of different things and serve as a potential chess piece for a defensive coordinator. NFL upside in an era where so many teams want to spread it out.
