Signee analysis: 4-star DE Zaire Patterson

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Wednesday, December 16 2020

Zaire Patterson - Defensive End
TigerNet: (4.47)

Height: 6-6 Weight: 230 Hometown: Winston Salem, NC (Winston-Salem Prep HS) Class: 2021

ESPN:

#270 Overall, #31 DE, #19 NC

Rivals:

#247 Overall, #10 DE, #13 NC

24/7:

# 98 Overall, # 6 Edge, # 6 NC

Clemson signed Winston-Salem 4-star defensive end Zaire Patterson.

More on Patterson...

Zaire Patterson - 4-star WDE - Winston-Salem, NC

Committed since: 5/26/20.

Listed size: 6-6 230.

Brings to Clemson: Patterson and some tremendous upside with his size-and-skill stepped into Clemson’s 2021 class after No. 1-rated player Korey Foreman decommitted in the spring. Because of the pandemic regulations, Patterson was unable to build his meteoric rise up the recruiting ranks as a junior going into signing day but few can touch the productivity he had as a junior: 129 tackles, 27 TFLs, 9 sacks, 3 INTs (one returned for TD), 10 passes defended, nine caused fumbles.

Depth chart fit: Patterson enters at a pretty stacked position but Clemson hasn’t shied away from playing impact freshmen defensive ends over the years.

Lemanski Hall on Patterson: "Very athletic, former basketball player. Great speed, agility. Can do just about anything. Obviously, he can rush off the edge...Plays well with his hands. Just a long, athletic defensive end. Got great jumping ability..."

Clemson bio

Overview: National top 100 player according to 247Sports, which listed him as the nation’s No. 97 overall player, the sixth-best defensive end and the sixth-best player from North Carolina … also top 300 player nationally according to ESPN.com … rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN.com and 247Sports … invited to play in the Under Armour All-America Game … did not have a fall 2020 high school season due to the COVID-19 pandemic … had 181 career tackles, 43 tackles for loss, including 25 sacks, three interceptions and 10 caused fumbles in 21 games over two seasons … in 2019, had 129 tackles, including 27 tackles for loss and nine sacks … also had three interceptions for 78 return yards … recorded a remarkable nine caused fumbles … had his best game against Bishop McGuinness when he recorded a career-high 20 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks and three caused fumbles … also had 14 tackles, including five tackles for loss, against West Columbia that year … had 69 tackles in his last five games of the 2019 season … had 52 tackles, including 16 sacks, and three blocked punts in nine games as a sophomore in 2018 … also played three years of high school basketball … averaged 5.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 2019-20 … committed to Clemson on May 26, 2020 … recruited by Lemanski Hall and Mike Reed … played for De’Ron Middleton at Winston-Salem Prep … born Oct. 22, 2002.