The spring transfer portal officially opened today, and the Louisville football team must use this 10-day window to fill roster gaps. These next 10 days will impact the Cardinals and Jeff Brohm's ability to take the next step in the ACC.
Louisville football has been successful the past two seasons under Jeff Brohm. With the ACC wide open, this is the perfect time for the Cardinals to take control of the ACC. The spring portal will give Louisville football one last shot to fill out their roster and prepare them to take over their conference.
The secondary has been a major talking point around Louisville football, as many think the back end is what is keeping them from being a legit contender in the ACC. Brohm and company are just a few players away from being at the top of the ACC, as Louisville is projected to have the fourth most wins behind Miami, Clemson, and SMU.
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Louisville football's spring game was last week, so that was the first look at the new secondary. That being said, the back end is not by any means perfect, and they can always use a 4-star safety. Another DB could solidify this new secondary, and that is why Louisville football needs to go all in on.
Jeff Brohm and Louisville football must swipe former 4-star from ACC rival
The Cardinals starting safeties in their annual Spring game were D'Angelo Hutchinson and transfer, Jojo Evans. While both put up solid performances, Louisville must go all-in on the new transfer entry from Miami, Zaquan Patterson.
The hard-hitting transfer from Miami can fill a huge void in the Cardinals' roster, making it interesting to see how hard Louisville football pursues the 4-star. It was reported early this week that Patterson will enter the spring transfer portal after his true freshman season with the Miami Hurricanes.
The former 4-star safety earned multiple high-end offers out of high school and was ranked as a top-six safety. These offers include schools such as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State. According to On3, he was ranked as high as the No. 92 recruit in the class of 2024.
Patterson's ability to make big tackles near the line of scrimmage and his versatility between guarding receivers and tight ends is what makes him so intriguing as a prospect. His verity does not stop there, as he was a stand-out special teams player coming out of high school.
In his high school senior season, Zaquan won a third-straight state title while at Chaminade-Madonna Prep. He finished that season with 49 tackles, 10 pass breakups, seven interceptions, a forced fumble, a sack, and a blocked field goal.
BREAKING: Miami Safety Zaquan Patterson plans to enter the Transfer Portal, @on3sports has learned
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 14, 2025
He appeared in all 13 games as a True Freshman for the Hurricanes
Totaled 19 Tackles & 3 PBUs
Immediately becomes one of the Top DBs in the Portalhttps://t.co/9vtLhTHeFj pic.twitter.com/8XVo2tc9d2
As a true freshman, Patterson played all 13 games at Miami, including one start. He totaled 19 tackles and three pass breakups. Patterson was expected to compete for a starting spot for the Hurricanes in the upcoming season. He was the fourth-highest-ranked signee overall and the top defensive back in Miami's 2024 recruiting class.
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Patterson's talent shone as he took on an increased role at Miami as the season went on. He finished the season with five tackles in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He is a young, talented player and is poised to break out soon and become a top safety for the Cardinals. His versatility in the secondary can be a perfect fit for Louisville football. The Cardinals must take a chance and go all in on this 4-star. Patterson can be a key piece for Jeff Brohm and a rising Louisville football program.
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, stay tuned.