Ohio State Football: Four-star safety has OSU in top five

The Ohio State football team is still working on adding more defensive players to its 2024 recruiting class. Right now, they have just two of their 12 recruits on that side of the ball. They currently have the number one class in the country right now despite this.

Still, diversity is always needed in a recruiting class. Ohio State is striving for that diversity. A four-star safety has just put the Buckeyes in his final five schools. Zaquan Patterson out of Miami Gardens, Florida has Ohio State among his five finalists. The others are Florida State, Michigan, Auburn, and Miami.

Patterson stands at 6’1 and 195 pounds so he has good size for a safety. Looking at his tape, he is someone that can really get downhill and stop the run. He is also someone that excels on special teams, which is something Ohio State loves. They love guys who will play hard with that unit.

Patterson needs some work in coverage as far as his ball skills are concerned. But his speed is not an issue and he can stay with his man. I think the Buckeyes would be a nice place for him to land because of Jim Knowles’ three-safety system. Patterson wouldn’t have to be the primary defender in coverage.

It’s unclear when Patterson might make his final decision, but it’s good to see that the Ohio State football team is a finalist. We all know that they need help in the secondary. The more four and five-star prospects that they can get on the roster, the better.

I’d love to see the Buckeyes add Patterson and keep their great recruiting class going. It’d be really nice if they could end the cycle with the number one class when it’s all said and done.