Oklahoma State Lands Former Four-Star Safety in Transfer Portal

The Cowboys have made another addition to the defense.

On Thursday, Oklahoma State secured a commitment from Miami safety transfer Zaquan Patterson, according to a report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Patterson comes to OSU with three seasons of eligibility remaining after playing his first year of college football with the Hurricanes.

Patterson was an instant impact player for the Hurricanes coming out of high school. As a freshman in 2024, Patterson played in 12 games with Miami and was one of their best players in the secondary in just his first season at this level.

Patterson finished his freshman campaign with 19 tackles and had three pass breakups as well. As he comes into Stillwater, Patterson will be looking to make a similar impact as a sophomore, and he could be an instant contributor for Todd Grantham in his first season as OSU’s defensive coordinator.

After winning only three games last season, the Cowboys are looking to make one of the biggest year-to-year turnarounds in school history. With so many changes this offseason, the Cowboys might be able to climb back into Big 12 title conversations despite having one of the worst years in recent history in 2024.

Of course, additions like Patterson are critical to the Cowboys’ hopes of becoming one of the Big 12’s best teams again next season. If OSU wants to rebound from being one of the worst defenses in college football in 2024, Grantham will need big contributions from all of his newcomers, including Patterson.

Before beginning his career at Miami last season, Patterson had an incredibly successful high school career. Playing for Chaminade-Madonna in Florida, Patterson helped his team to multiple state championships.

Coming out of high school, Patterson was also one of the nation’s best players. He was considered a four-star recruit by multiple outlets and had offers from many of the nation’s most prestigious schools, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas.

For the Cowboys to land a player of Patterson’s caliber is a sign of where the program might be headed. While the Cowboys will need the talent they’ve added to perform on the field, getting players like Patterson to Stillwater is a perfect first step to turning things around.