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:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
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.
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“I feel like I’ll have the biggest impact there,” Patterson said. “I have the best opportunity there. There’s no place like home. There’s nothing I have to worry about. Just go play ball.”
Of course, this recruitment still feels far from over. Patterson didn’t take any official visits in June, but he did make it up to Tallahassee several times this spring in addition to unofficial visits to Michigan, Auburn, Ohio State and Miami. He said in the spring he’d likely take official visits during the season when his mother could go with him. So, we’ll have to see if he follows through and makes official stops on other campuses, with Florida State, Auburn and Ohio State among the likely destinations.
(Photo: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)
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