Miami (OH)’s tackling machine turned proven defensive stalwart
Pusateri was a tone-setting Miami (OH) safety who earned 2001 freshman All-America honors after piling up 117 tackles, then kept stacking production as a four-year starter and 2004 second-team All-MAC selection. In his career, he finished with school-record-level unassisted tackling production and a defensive résumé built on range, reliability, and run support—classic “good fit if you need a throwback enforcer” energy. The differentiator wasn’t just stats: Miami’s staff repeatedly leaned on him as a steadier, high-motor presence in the secondary, including in big-game spots like the 2003 GMAC Bowl, where he was named defensive MVP.
