Zaquan Patterson Could See Himself At Ohio State

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Ohio State fans are well aware of offensive players Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader for Chaminade-Madonna Prep but there is a top-100 level defensive player on the roster too with Zaquan Patterson.

And yes, the Buckeyes are in his top cut of schools as well.

The 6-foot, 185-pounder is being recruited as a safety and has more than two dozen reported offers, including the Buckeyes.

Granted, with the amount of time that Ohio State has recruited his school through the years, there is little doubt that any player would not be missed by the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail.

Patterson has had a chance to check out the Buckeyes in the past and an official visit will be coming as his top five of Ohio State, Auburn, Florida State, Miami and Michigan will all get visits and with the new rules opening visits beyond five, Alabama and Georgia could get looked at as well.

You have to remember we are talking about 17-year-olds at this point and what catches a player’s eye on a visit may differ from player-to-player.

“One thing that shocked me, it doesn’t really have anything to do with the program is I (got to see) the unreleased LeBron cleats they have,” Patterson said. “I was like ‘Wow!’”

But even after that, there is more than cleats or football when it comes to making a college decision and Patterson really liked how Ohio State sets players up for life after football, whenever that day may come.

“I love how they have this thing called Real Life Wednesdays,” Patterson said. “Where (the players) get to talk to a lot of business owners, they can try and get endorsement deals and things like that. That helps you build communications and relationships for the future. So even if I don’t make it football-wise, I still have something.”

Perry Eliano has taken a big lead in this recruitment and the relationship between Patterson and Eliano is strong, and the talented safety is aware of what Eliano has done at previous stops.

“He’s a great guy,” Patterson said., “I love his energy that he brings to the game. I love what he can do with kids like Sauce (Gardner). He’s one of my favorite guys in the NFL right now.”

What else did Patterson have to say about the Buckeyes? You are only going to find out if you check out this exclusive video below. It is all part of our Southern Swing tour of Georgia and Florida, something that you will only get at BuckeyeHuddle.com. Be sure to keep it locked in here as we have several more big stops planned here in week two of the Southern Swing.