Miami safety Zaquan Patterson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal

Miami safety Zaquan Patterson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported. He spent one season with the Hurricanes and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Patterson played in all 13 games with one start as a true freshman this past year, seeing his role increase as the year went on. He finished with 19 total tackles and three passes defended.

Patterson played high school football at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, where he was a four-star prospect in the 2024 class. He ranked as the No. 92 overall player and No. 6 safety in the cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Once Zaquan Patterson officially enters his name in the portal, he will become the 17th Hurricanes player to do so. Miami has also added 12 players in the portal to rank No. 5 in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

The Hurricanes are coming off of 10-3 finish this past season and nearly made the College Football Playoff before losing in the ACC title game. They’ll look to finally reach the CFP next year but will have to do so without one of their most promising young players.

The spring transfer portal window is set to open on April 16 and will close April 25. Patterson can officially enter his name in the portal any time between then. More than 2,900 players have entered their names into the portal so far this offseason.

More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.

In data gathered over the first two years with transfer windows, the NCAA found most athletes enter the portal within the first four weeks of the portal opening. The study showed that 73% of men’s and women’s basketball undergraduate athletes entered during the first four weeks. That increased to 82% for men and 86% for women in 2024.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.