Oklahoma State Dismisses Miami Transfer Safety Zaquan Patterson

The Cowboys are losing one of their top transfer additions.

Oklahoma State safety Zaquan Patterson poses for a photograph during the Oklahoma State Cowboys football media days in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Saturday, Aug., 2, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State will be without one of its biggest transfer additions next season.

On Monday night, On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that OSU has dismissed Miami transfer Zaquan Patterson from the team. No reason was reported for his dismissal, but the former four-star recruit won’t be with the Cowboys as they gear up for their season opener next week.

Patterson was one of the top additions for the Cowboys through the portal this offseason after playing one season at Miami. A sophomore, Patterson showed promise throughout his first season at Miami, racking up 19 tackles and breaking up three passes with Miami across 12 games.

While his numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page, his production as a freshman was still more than enough for the Cowboys to get excited about going into the 2025 campaign. While the Cowboys are having to part ways with Patterson just 10 days before the start of the season, they should still be in a position to succeed at safety next season.

What it means for the Cowboys

This is undeniably a big blow for OSU’s secondary, particularly its safety spot. Patterson was expected to come in and be an instant impact player for the Cowboys’ defense.

As one of the top transfers that Todd Grantham’s unit added this offseason, Patterson could have emerged as a star for the Cowboys, considering his recruiting rankings. Instead, the Cowboys will have to find some others to make up for his potential production.

Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Todd Grantham speaks during a press conference at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater Okla., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fortunately for the Pokes, safety is one of the only positions where OSU has legitimate talent returning. With Dylan Smith, who started every game last season, set to be back in the building, there shouldn’t be any noticeable hole without Patterson.

Still, getting a former four-star recruit like Patterson in the portal from Miami showed that the Cowboys were on the level of some of the bigger schools in the country, with OSU beating out teams like Ole Miss for the safety. While this addition clearly didn’t work out as the Cowboys intended, they should still feel confident in their ability to attract some of the highly coveted talent available in the portal moving forward.

With an experienced coordinator like Grantham and Gundy heading into his 21st season as OSU’s head coach, this dismissal shouldn’t shake the coaching staff either. This is far from their first rodeo and with decades of experience, Gundy and company should be able to keep any distractions from this move to a minimum.

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