Miami tops Florida State, Auburn for top-100 safety recruit Zaquan Patterson

The Miami Hurricanes celebrated a big victory on the recruiting trail Saturday when Zaquan Patterson, a four-star safety from Hollywood, Fla., committed. Here’s what you need to know:

Patterson is ranked No. 77 overall and the No. 3 safety in the 247Sports Composite.

Patterson, who plays at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, picked Miami over Auburn, FSU, Michigan and Ohio State.

He is the 22nd commitment and fourth top-100 recruit in Miami’s 2024 class, joining five-star receiver Joshisa Trader, four-star edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot and four-star running back Kevin Riley.

Miami’s class is ranked 14th nationally.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What does this mean for Miami?

Rival Florida State was thought to be the leader down the stretch before Patterson’s announcement Saturday. Chalk this up as a surprising and important win for Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes, who had been finalists for other top-100 prospects over the past couple of months but hadn’t been able to close the deal and land a commitment. In addition to Patterson, the Hurricanes have commitments from three-star defensive backs Ryan Mack, Romanas Frederique, Isaiah Thomas and Dylan Day in this class.

“I feel like I’ll have the biggest impact there,” Patterson said. “I have the best opportunity there. There’s no place like home.