Oregon State Newcomer Profile: OLB Zakaih Saez

We move on in our BeaversEdge 2023 newcomer profiles today by taking a look at St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) defensive end Zakaih Saez. The three-star prospect out of the Sunshine State was one of the earlier commitments in the Beavers 2023 recruiting class.

Below we take a look back at his recruitment, what he brings to the Beavers, and his senior highlight tape.

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THE RECRUITMENT

OFFERS: Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi State, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest

Saez's received his first offer back in March of 2021 when he received a string of offers from Pittsburgh, Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, and Mississippi State emerging as a potential high Power Five prospect.

After receiving his first five offers, his recruitment slowed down a bit. He would pick up an offer from FAU in March of 2021 but wouldn't receive another until January of 2022. Last January, Charlotte, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech all offered the St. Thomas Aquinas standout.

The Beavers during this time period were monitoring Saez but he wouldn't receive an offer from the program until early last March when he made an unofficial visit to Corvallis as well as one to Eugene. On that visit, the Beavers would extend an offer to Saez and immediately jumped to the front of his recruitment. He would eventually take an official visit to Corvallis on June 3 of last year and would commit to the Beavers just three days later on June 6.

After his commitment, Saez shut down his recruitment and there was never any concern about him looking elsewhere.

SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS

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WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BEAVERS

A productive defensive end for one of the elite programs in the country, the Beavers are bringing quite the talent in Zakaih Saez. That being said as noted before, Saez won't be playing defensive end to start for the Beavers but instead will be used as an outside linebacker by Trent Bray and the defensive staff.

Saez's last measurables had him at quality 6-foot-4 and just over 230-pounds, a great size for any high school defensive end and a great start for a high school prospect making the move to college ball at the linebacker position. Since he will be playing linebacker, it's unlikely they ask him to add to much more weight but as you can see below, he's a smaller 230-pound player, so there is definitely room to add more to his 6-foot-4 frame.

Because of this size, we won't be surprised by Saez being more used as a hybrid type player at linebacker. He has the athleticism and size to stay with most tight ends in pass coverage if needed and has the quickness and agility to play the run but his size, first step, and burst make him a nice asset as a pass rusher.

He shows the upper body strength to shed blocks and has the hand-fighting skills to beat opposing offensive linemen. His quickness to the point of attack allows him to gain leverage as well on the pass rush.

A high-motor player, Saez is constantly looking for the ball and has the athleticism to run across the field to make plays, he's tenacious in seeking out the ball in that regard. Shows the agility to make plays against smaller, faster, more elusive ball carries, fluid hips allow him to change direction without much issue.

Overall, Saez has the skillset and traits that should serve him well as a linebacker or as a possibly hbyrid-type player as well. He's got the size and length to be a top-notch pass rusher but his athleticism also will allow him to be a valuable piece of the Beavers' defense at the second level both against the pass and against the run. Has a chance to be an impact player on the defensive side of the ball for the program.