Zakaih Saez, Florida 3-star edge-rusher, commits to Oregon State Beavers

Prior to this weekend's official visit to Oregon State University, St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) defensive standout Zakaih Saez believed it was likely to be his future home.

But it wasn't until he saw the relaxed comfort his parents experienced on the trip, playing spades with the coaching staff and touring the facilities, that he knew he'd found his next landing spot. 

On Monday, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end/outside linebacker announced his commitment to Oregon State over offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Louisville, Mississippi State and others,

“I was definitely coming in thinking I wanted to commit," Saez said. "I just wanted to make sure my family saw it and get their perspective. My mom and dad really loved it, and I really loved the atmosphere. I got to chill with some of my future teammates and be around the coaching staff. It was really good.”

Part of that comfort came from his tour guide, recent Florida Gators transfer Andrew Chatfield, who made him feel better about a cross-country move.

“Honestly, I never imagined me going this far. It’s really far," Saez said. "It’ll be hard on my mom, but she feels like it’s the right spot for me. As long as I do what I need to do, we’ll both be happy.”

His parents' happiness was on the forefront of his mind throughout the trip, and when the Florida product saw how his parents interacted so naturally with the coaching staff it made a huge difference. 

“When I saw my mom and dad playing spades with coaches having fun, seeing them smile... I was already happy with the school, but that boosted it up more," he said.

Getting to that point, however, wasn't easy.

Oregon State put on the full-court-press throughout Saez's recruitment, and were the only school that had nearly the entire staff recruiting him.

“This was the only school staying in contact with me like that," he said. "Coach (Trent) Bray, coach Doc and coach Blue (Adams), basically the whole staff. Coach Moore. The list could keep going. It meant a lot. It was a school showing they were heavily interested and saw something in me.”

Saez is rated a three-star prospect and the nation's No. 82 edge-rusher. 

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