Sentinels officially kicks off its VALORANT offseason with first big player signing

After bringing in a new coaching staff to reset the structure of the VALORANT roster, Sentinels has finally confirmed the first player for its 2023 roster.

As first reported by George Geddes for Dot Esports, Sentinels has officially signed 17-year-old rising star Zachary “zekken” Patrone to the team, reuniting the young talent with his esteemed coach in Don “Syyko” Muir.

The team has yet to confirm the acquisition of in-game leader Rory “Dephh” Jackson, a move that is in the works, according to sources that spoke to Dot Esports. This move would establish a firm former XSET presence in the new Sentinels roster between the IGL, the coach, and the young rising star.

The rest of the Sentinels VALORANT roster is very much in the air.

The contracts of in-game leader Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan and mega-star Tyson “TenZ” Ngo were set to expire at the end of the 2021 season. After a clip of ShahZaM reacting to being “dropped” was shared online, Sentinels CEO Rob Moore put out a clarifying statement today, saying ShahZaM was not dropped but was also not offered a contract, making him free to contact other teams as a restricted free agent.

In a video with Sentinels streamer Tarik, coach Syyko hinted at bringing the “foundation” and “maybe some former players” from XSET to Sentinels, but also said they would not be building “XSET 2.0.” With zekken confirmed, Dephh reportedly on the way, Cryo signed with 100T, and AYRIN heading across the world to join Global Esports from India, only initiator Brendan “BcJ” Jensen remains available from the former XSET roster.

The remainder of the Sentinels roster should be expected to be revealed over the next two weeks, before VALORANT‘s initial roster submission deadline on Oct. 15.