On top of the football team's continued search to fill its two coaching vacancies, Arizona had a 2014 standout decide he wanted to stay home, ex-Wildcats are chasing their NFL dreams and the basketball team bounced back after its first loss of the season.
Let's start this week's War Room on the hardwood:
Basketball
The bench production returned in Saturday's win over Oregon State, and that was one of the reasons fourth-ranked Arizona put together one of its better performances in weeks.
Just think back to the nonconference portion of the Wildcats' schedule. For the first month-plus, the depth on the bench overwhelmed the opposition. It was Jordin Mayes scoring 10 points in the season opener, Grant Jerrett reaching double figures against Texas Tech and Oral Roberts and even Angelo Chol dropping 10 on Northern Arizona.
The opposition, of course, was not as strong as the Pac-12 Conference slate that Arizona is going through now, but there were significant contributions from more than just Kevin Parrom.
But dating back to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic against a strong San Diego State team, that balance disappeared. Parrom was sensational that night, accounting for 17 points, but the rest of the reserves combined for one point.
Jerrett provided a lift in the Pac-12 opener, adding 10 points to Parrom's 16, but the 'Cats received virtually nothing the next two games. Arizona outscored Utah's bench, 7-3, but it was all Parrom. Then, because of a matchup, head coach Sean Miller elected to start Parrom in place of Brandon Ashley at Oregon. Three points apiece from Mayes and Ashley was all UA would receive, as the Ducks had a 17-6 edge in points off the bench and handed the 'Cats their first loss.
But against the Beavers, some of the production returned and it did not just stop at scoring. Jerrett scored eight of the reserves' 17 points but also added a career-high six blocks to go with five rebounds.
* The second half appeared it was going to be much of the same for Nick Johnson.
Through the first three games of Pac-12 play, the sophomore shot just 31 percent and did not look like the same player who dazzled in the first half of the season. It went beyond shooting percentages, too, as Johnson's fourth turnover with 11 seconds to play at Oregon appeared to be the case of a player trying to do too much. His behind-the-back dribble in transition was the crushing blow to Arizona's comeback attempt.
Naturally, the thoughts of last season's struggles in league play began to surface.
Through one half against OSU, it was starting to look like another rough night. Johnson made just 2 of 7 shots and never quite made his presence felt. On a pass his direction in the corner, the 6-3 guard took his eyes off the ball for a split second and an easy catch turned into one of 10 first-half turnovers for the 'Cats.
But Johnson turned it on after the break to finish with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. The moment he started to look like his old self was on his alley-oop off a pass from Mark Lyons to extend the Wildcats' lead to 16 just before the midway point of the half. Johnson's overall activity picked up, and suddenly some of those point-blank-range attempts he was missing in the first half turned into baskets - including a 3-point play with 5:37 remaining to make the score 75-61.
* Arizona was not the only unbeaten team in the country to fall - in fact, now, there are no more perfect records.
The theme: all three lost on the road.
After the Wildcats lost to the Ducks, it was top-ranked Duke that went down Saturday at No. 20 N.C. State, 84-76. By Sunday afternoon, No. 2 Michigan dropped after failing to rally from a 12-point halftime deficit in a 56-53 decision against rival and No. 15 Ohio State.
So who will be ranked where - and, more importantly, No. 1 - when the polls are released later Monday morning?
First instinct says Louisville, ranked third, will move up to claim the top spot, if we are going by the premise that if you lose then you automatically must drop. But it should be safe to say that few voters will have the same top five, maybe even top 10 teams.
So where does that leave the Wildcats?
Well, the feeling is that Associated Press voters will take into account the team's recent struggles, even in victories, in addition to the loss at Oregon. By that logic, it would not be surprising to see Arizona land closer to the bottom half of the top 10. Some outlets with their own top 25 polls have already slotted the Wildcats at No. 6. If you were to go off Ken Pomeroy's rankings, the 'Cats are ranked 14th. It's hard to argue that Arizona has looked better than a top-10 to top-15 team, at times.
Just think about this for a second, though: Had the Wildcats completed the comeback in Eugene and stood alone as the nation's last remaining unbeaten team, the voters would have pretty much been forced to make them the No. 1 team in the country. Some people could not understand why so many chalked Arizona's 14-0 start up to a lot of luck - myself included - but that would have been nothing compared to backlash that a default No. 1 ranking would have elicited.
Football
The search for an offensive line coach and defensive assistant in the secondary are still ongoing.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez reportedly targeted Darren Hiller, but the former Nevada offensive line coach is instead headed to Cincinnati to take the same position.
RichRod was out of town until the middle of last week for a "non-work related trip," Arizona officials told GOAZCATS.com. That was dating back to the week of Jan. 4, when the message was originally sent and when only Robert Anae had left the staff.
So if things have seemed a bit quiet lately, that could certainly be one of the bigger reasons. Graduate assistants Cory Zirbel and Matt Caponi could be considered as candidates for the respective jobs, multiple sources said when asked.
Zirbel worked closely with both Anae and former tight ends coach Spencer Leftwich, while Caponi did the same with former safeties coach Tony Gibson.
* Speaking of the offensive line, the players protecting Arizona's next quarterback will look a bit different, too. After the Casino del Sol College All-Star Game, we caught up with now former Wildcats center Kyle Quinn, who was the starter. His backup, Addison Bachman, also is done playing.
Quinn said Beau Boyster, Logan Stott, Steven Gurrola and even perhaps Chris Putton, the starter for eight games at left guard, could make for a good competition.
Staying on the theme of protecting the quarterback, Arizona also will no longer have fullback Taimi Tutogi or tight end Drew Robinson.
Whoever takes over, Quinn said Anae's replacement will have a big void to fill.
"He was instrumental to the offensive line's development and my development the last two years," Quinn said. "He's an unbelievable coach. He's my mentor, he taught me everything - because I only had one start when he took over the group.
"It's a big loss. He was the heart and soul of the offensive line."
* Quinn, of course, is among the draft-eligible group of Wildcats looking to impress NFL scouts at various all-star games. Quinn, Tutogi and Dominique Austin played in the Casino del Sol game, and Quinn and Tutogi are now both headed to Carson, Calif., to prepare for the Jan. 19 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Dan Buckner and Matt Scott, meanwhile, will be on the other coast that same day playing the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The games may be different but the process is the same for any player being looked at by the NFL. The Arizona trio at the Casino del Sol game specifically pointed to the endless amount of questionnaires and conversations throughout the week.
"You have to show what you can do on the field, but you also have to be a great character guy," said Quinn, who estimated that he's been in contact with at least 10 to 12 NFL teams. "They don't want any knuckleheads. They're not going to waste their time with that.
"I think everybody knows my contact information now."
Austin added that the questions from NFL personnel were essentially "detailed" background checks.
So what were some of the more off-the-wall questions on the forms?
"They were asking questions like, 'Would you wear a tie on the football field?'" Tutogi said. "Just real weird questions."
* Now, here's Matt Moreno's look at recruiting this week:
Just two weeks into the new year things continue to roll along for the Arizona football and basketball programs when it comes to the recruiting side. Rich Rodriguez's program continued its success on the recruiting trail with a very important verbal pledge over the weekend.
With the 2013 class nearly complete, we'll take a look at where things stand heading into 2014 with four-star recruit Cameron Denson now on board with the Wildcats.
On the basketball side of things, Sean Miller's program continues to wait on one big recruit for the 2013 class but the wheels are already turning on the future classes as well.
One four-star prospect trimmed his list down this week and it included the Wildcats. So we'll examine what the future looks like right now and some of the recruits who are looking closely at playing their college basketball in Tucson.
So with plenty to discuss once again, here is this week's recruiting breakdown.
Football recruiting
* Last weekend was the first of two big official visit weekends for the Wildcats as there were a handful of committed recruits in Tucson. At this point things are being kept quiet when it comes to other 2013 prospects the Wildcats are targeting to finish out the class, but there is always a chance that some uncommitted recruits will visit.
Next week will be a little bit bigger weekend with official visitors as the rest of the class is expected to be in Tucson - including all five San Diego-area recruits.
* The big news to come out of the weekend was of course the commitment of four-star 2014 recruit Cameron Denson. The Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe athlete prospect made an unofficial visit to UA on Saturday and gave the Wildcats' coaching staff his decision. It's a big deal for Rodriguez and his staff as it gives them one of the state's top prospects in the junior class and Tucson's top player as well.
"It's what I wanted to do and it's where I wanted to be," Denson told Rivals.com. "It's my hometown, and my hometown is where I want to be. Having your family and peers around to watch you and support you isn't something everyone gets the chance to have all the time. I'll be playing in front of them every game."
The Wildcats made it a point to recruit Denson as hard as they did for this very reason. Getting a commitment from a four-star recruit - who has a chance to move to a five-star in time - is a huge start for the 2014 class.
One other thing that makes Denson's commitment such a big deal for the 'Cats is that the 6-foot-1 recruit had offers from some pretty big-time schools already including Notre Dame, Oklahoma and UCLA.
* In-state recruiting is an important of the future plans for the current Arizona staff and the Wildcats have continued to offer prospects from within the state as time has gone on. One recruit who has seen interest from the Wildcats for a long time finally picked up his offer on Friday.
Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral athlete recruit Tyler Whiley earned his first from offer the 'Cats and shortly after that he picked up his second offer from Arizona State.
UA has been keeping tabs on the two-way standout and so the offer is not too surprising in the grand scheme of things.
Whiley has a close relationship with fellow Chaparral junior prospect Trevor Wood, who has an offer from the 'Cats as well. One thing that might give the Wildcats an edge in Whiley's recruitment is that relationship and the 2014 recruit's desire to stay close to home.
"It does play into my decision," Whiley told GOAZCATS.com. "I want to stay close to what I know. If Trevor Wood ended up going somewhere, I'd probably end up going to the same place he does because we've been close for so long."
* Wood is just one of the many in-state recruits with an offer from the Wildcats. As was said above, Rodriguez and his staff have an added focus of really making a mark on the in-state recruits and 2014 could be the class where that really starts to show. Getting a commitment from Denson this early in the process for that group is big, but there are a lot more targets in that class that UA would love to add to the mix in 2014.
Here's a look at some of the bigger in-state recruits Arizona is already targeting for the next recruiting cycle and where some of those prospects stand in their recruitments:
We'll start with Wood, who had to miss most of his junior year with a shoulder injury. The two-way standout has plenty of ties to the Wildcats and at this point UA is doing well with the 2014 recruit.
A big year senior year from Wood could bring offers from other programs, so things could certainly change should that happen and the 6-foot-5 prospect really bounce back from his injury.
* Jalen Brown is another 2014 recruit the Wildcats made a move on early and so far it has really worked out for the program. At this point Brown will likely be the state's top-ranked prospect - although Denson could make a strong push himself - and he already has the offer list to back it up.
Brown already has a ton of offers from programs all over the country, but the Wildcats have done a good job of recruiting him and there is plenty of interest in the 'Cats from the four-star athlete prospect.
Much like Denson, the Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe standout could potentially play on either side of the ball at the next level so getting him on board would be a big deal. It's still a long way from getting to that point, but the Wildcats have set themselves up nicely if Brown decides to stay in state.
One other thing that could potentially help the 'Cats with Brown is that he's pretty close with 2013 Arizona commit Paul Elvira.
* Layth Friekh is another in-state recruit with ties to the school as his dad is an alum of Arizona. The Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial has already unofficially visited Tucson and there is plenty of interest from the offensive tackle recruit. It will be interesting to see what happens with his recruitment in terms of offers, but at this point the Wildcats are doing very well with him.
* Andrew Mike is like Denson in that he's a hometown recruit, and this is really where Denson's commitment might really come into play. The big offensive tackle will more than likely have a good selection of schools to choose from when all is said and done but the Wildcats are of course the hometown program for the Tucson (Ariz.) Sabino standout.
Seeing a fellow four-star recruit stay close to home and already make his decision could end up helping Mike make his decision to stay close to home as well. The Wildcats have done a good job letting Mike know how much they want him, and it's no secret that his family really likes what Rodriguez has done with the Wildcats so far.
Getting the two big-time prospects from Tucson would be a big statement for Rodriguez and his staff, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this one.
There are of course plenty of other names to keep an eye on when it comes to in-state recruiting with the Wildcats, but these are just a few of the big ones to watch as the 2014 class starts to take shape.
Basketball recruiting
Much like the football program, Miller's basketball program is starting to make that transition from the 2013 class to the next phase in the recruiting process. It's clear at this point who the Wildcats want, but five-star recruit Aaron Gordon isn't planning on making his decision until the spring.
Like we said last week, everything we're hearing is positive for Arizona in its pursuit of the talented senior. The Wildcats continue to win and both Washington and Kentucky simply haven't looked as good as UA this season. That will obviously not be the only factor, but it certainly will play a part in Gordon's decision.
Based on what we've been hearing, even the programs still in the running are getting the sense that Gordon will be in Tucson come this fall. It will be interesting to see if that is indeed the case, but that continues to be the feeling that many are getting at this point.
Earning a commitment from another five-star recruit would be quite the finish to the class for Miller and his group and it would still leave the Wildcats with an extra scholarship for the 2014 class where they could do some real damage.
* You already know the names that the Wildcats have made high priorities (Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.) but another recruit to keep an eye on is 2014 wing prospect Justin Jackson.
The four-star prospect from Spring (Texas) HCYA narrowed his list down to six schools last week and the Wildcats were among that group along with North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
"I just felt comfortable with those schools," Jackson told Rivals.com. "Right now, we'll just evaluate these six programs."
Because Jackson plays for Houston Hoops, Miller was able to watch a lot of the 6-foot-7 recruit over the spring and summer recruiting periods.
The Tar Heels have been the perceived leader for quite some time and there is a belief that Jackson has pretty much already made that decision, but he insists that he is still considering all the schools on his list.
"That's been a rumor for a while now," Jackson said. "But these are the six I'm considering."
Even though there is the belief by some that his mind is made up, from what we're hearing the Wildcats still have a very legitimate chance at landing the wing prospect. The plan right now is to take the process a little slow and then set up some official visits. Recruits can now take official visits during the the second half of their junior year, so some of those visits might come prior to his last summer on the travel ball circuit but that remains to be seen.
For now though, the Wildcats are doing just fine with the four-star prospect.
* Stanley Johnson has had quite the junior season so far and he recently came up big for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei when he scored more than 20 points and pulled down more than 20 rebounds in a win. When it comes to his recruitment the Wildcats have continued to pick up steam and, while he will likely not make his decision for some time, Arizona continues to feel like the front-runner in this one.
After talking with him last month it is clear that Miller and his staff have really made a nice impression on the five-star prospect and they continue to do so. Johnson trains with Solomon Hill during the offseason and that relationship obviously isn't a bad thing for the Wildcats.
With Hill's departure after this season, that has really piqued the interest of Johnson as he could end up playing a very similar role should he ultimately pick Arizona.
So if all the signs are pointing to Johnson eventually becoming a Wildcat, why wait to make a decision? Well, Johnson is in no rush as he really hasn't had a chance to take a ton of visits and he's not a recruit who hates the recruiting process.
Maybe he'll get there in time, but at this point Johnson isn't really fazed much by the interviews, phone calls and all that comes with being an elite recruit. For now he's going to take the process at a pretty slow pace, but the Wildcats remain well in the mix for his commitment and that likely won't change anytime soon.[/B]
Let's start this week's War Room on the hardwood:
Basketball
The bench production returned in Saturday's win over Oregon State, and that was one of the reasons fourth-ranked Arizona put together one of its better performances in weeks.
Just think back to the nonconference portion of the Wildcats' schedule. For the first month-plus, the depth on the bench overwhelmed the opposition. It was Jordin Mayes scoring 10 points in the season opener, Grant Jerrett reaching double figures against Texas Tech and Oral Roberts and even Angelo Chol dropping 10 on Northern Arizona.
The opposition, of course, was not as strong as the Pac-12 Conference slate that Arizona is going through now, but there were significant contributions from more than just Kevin Parrom.
But dating back to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic against a strong San Diego State team, that balance disappeared. Parrom was sensational that night, accounting for 17 points, but the rest of the reserves combined for one point.
Jerrett provided a lift in the Pac-12 opener, adding 10 points to Parrom's 16, but the 'Cats received virtually nothing the next two games. Arizona outscored Utah's bench, 7-3, but it was all Parrom. Then, because of a matchup, head coach Sean Miller elected to start Parrom in place of Brandon Ashley at Oregon. Three points apiece from Mayes and Ashley was all UA would receive, as the Ducks had a 17-6 edge in points off the bench and handed the 'Cats their first loss.
But against the Beavers, some of the production returned and it did not just stop at scoring. Jerrett scored eight of the reserves' 17 points but also added a career-high six blocks to go with five rebounds.
* The second half appeared it was going to be much of the same for Nick Johnson.
Through the first three games of Pac-12 play, the sophomore shot just 31 percent and did not look like the same player who dazzled in the first half of the season. It went beyond shooting percentages, too, as Johnson's fourth turnover with 11 seconds to play at Oregon appeared to be the case of a player trying to do too much. His behind-the-back dribble in transition was the crushing blow to Arizona's comeback attempt.
Naturally, the thoughts of last season's struggles in league play began to surface.
Through one half against OSU, it was starting to look like another rough night. Johnson made just 2 of 7 shots and never quite made his presence felt. On a pass his direction in the corner, the 6-3 guard took his eyes off the ball for a split second and an easy catch turned into one of 10 first-half turnovers for the 'Cats.
But Johnson turned it on after the break to finish with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. The moment he started to look like his old self was on his alley-oop off a pass from Mark Lyons to extend the Wildcats' lead to 16 just before the midway point of the half. Johnson's overall activity picked up, and suddenly some of those point-blank-range attempts he was missing in the first half turned into baskets - including a 3-point play with 5:37 remaining to make the score 75-61.
* Arizona was not the only unbeaten team in the country to fall - in fact, now, there are no more perfect records.
The theme: all three lost on the road.
After the Wildcats lost to the Ducks, it was top-ranked Duke that went down Saturday at No. 20 N.C. State, 84-76. By Sunday afternoon, No. 2 Michigan dropped after failing to rally from a 12-point halftime deficit in a 56-53 decision against rival and No. 15 Ohio State.
So who will be ranked where - and, more importantly, No. 1 - when the polls are released later Monday morning?
First instinct says Louisville, ranked third, will move up to claim the top spot, if we are going by the premise that if you lose then you automatically must drop. But it should be safe to say that few voters will have the same top five, maybe even top 10 teams.
So where does that leave the Wildcats?
Well, the feeling is that Associated Press voters will take into account the team's recent struggles, even in victories, in addition to the loss at Oregon. By that logic, it would not be surprising to see Arizona land closer to the bottom half of the top 10. Some outlets with their own top 25 polls have already slotted the Wildcats at No. 6. If you were to go off Ken Pomeroy's rankings, the 'Cats are ranked 14th. It's hard to argue that Arizona has looked better than a top-10 to top-15 team, at times.
Just think about this for a second, though: Had the Wildcats completed the comeback in Eugene and stood alone as the nation's last remaining unbeaten team, the voters would have pretty much been forced to make them the No. 1 team in the country. Some people could not understand why so many chalked Arizona's 14-0 start up to a lot of luck - myself included - but that would have been nothing compared to backlash that a default No. 1 ranking would have elicited.
Football
The search for an offensive line coach and defensive assistant in the secondary are still ongoing.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez reportedly targeted Darren Hiller, but the former Nevada offensive line coach is instead headed to Cincinnati to take the same position.
RichRod was out of town until the middle of last week for a "non-work related trip," Arizona officials told GOAZCATS.com. That was dating back to the week of Jan. 4, when the message was originally sent and when only Robert Anae had left the staff.
So if things have seemed a bit quiet lately, that could certainly be one of the bigger reasons. Graduate assistants Cory Zirbel and Matt Caponi could be considered as candidates for the respective jobs, multiple sources said when asked.
Zirbel worked closely with both Anae and former tight ends coach Spencer Leftwich, while Caponi did the same with former safeties coach Tony Gibson.
* Speaking of the offensive line, the players protecting Arizona's next quarterback will look a bit different, too. After the Casino del Sol College All-Star Game, we caught up with now former Wildcats center Kyle Quinn, who was the starter. His backup, Addison Bachman, also is done playing.
Quinn said Beau Boyster, Logan Stott, Steven Gurrola and even perhaps Chris Putton, the starter for eight games at left guard, could make for a good competition.
Staying on the theme of protecting the quarterback, Arizona also will no longer have fullback Taimi Tutogi or tight end Drew Robinson.
Whoever takes over, Quinn said Anae's replacement will have a big void to fill.
"He was instrumental to the offensive line's development and my development the last two years," Quinn said. "He's an unbelievable coach. He's my mentor, he taught me everything - because I only had one start when he took over the group.
"It's a big loss. He was the heart and soul of the offensive line."
* Quinn, of course, is among the draft-eligible group of Wildcats looking to impress NFL scouts at various all-star games. Quinn, Tutogi and Dominique Austin played in the Casino del Sol game, and Quinn and Tutogi are now both headed to Carson, Calif., to prepare for the Jan. 19 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Dan Buckner and Matt Scott, meanwhile, will be on the other coast that same day playing the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The games may be different but the process is the same for any player being looked at by the NFL. The Arizona trio at the Casino del Sol game specifically pointed to the endless amount of questionnaires and conversations throughout the week.
"You have to show what you can do on the field, but you also have to be a great character guy," said Quinn, who estimated that he's been in contact with at least 10 to 12 NFL teams. "They don't want any knuckleheads. They're not going to waste their time with that.
"I think everybody knows my contact information now."
Austin added that the questions from NFL personnel were essentially "detailed" background checks.
So what were some of the more off-the-wall questions on the forms?
"They were asking questions like, 'Would you wear a tie on the football field?'" Tutogi said. "Just real weird questions."
* Now, here's Matt Moreno's look at recruiting this week:
Just two weeks into the new year things continue to roll along for the Arizona football and basketball programs when it comes to the recruiting side. Rich Rodriguez's program continued its success on the recruiting trail with a very important verbal pledge over the weekend.
With the 2013 class nearly complete, we'll take a look at where things stand heading into 2014 with four-star recruit Cameron Denson now on board with the Wildcats.
On the basketball side of things, Sean Miller's program continues to wait on one big recruit for the 2013 class but the wheels are already turning on the future classes as well.
One four-star prospect trimmed his list down this week and it included the Wildcats. So we'll examine what the future looks like right now and some of the recruits who are looking closely at playing their college basketball in Tucson.
So with plenty to discuss once again, here is this week's recruiting breakdown.
Football recruiting
* Last weekend was the first of two big official visit weekends for the Wildcats as there were a handful of committed recruits in Tucson. At this point things are being kept quiet when it comes to other 2013 prospects the Wildcats are targeting to finish out the class, but there is always a chance that some uncommitted recruits will visit.
Next week will be a little bit bigger weekend with official visitors as the rest of the class is expected to be in Tucson - including all five San Diego-area recruits.
* The big news to come out of the weekend was of course the commitment of four-star 2014 recruit Cameron Denson. The Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe athlete prospect made an unofficial visit to UA on Saturday and gave the Wildcats' coaching staff his decision. It's a big deal for Rodriguez and his staff as it gives them one of the state's top prospects in the junior class and Tucson's top player as well.
"It's what I wanted to do and it's where I wanted to be," Denson told Rivals.com. "It's my hometown, and my hometown is where I want to be. Having your family and peers around to watch you and support you isn't something everyone gets the chance to have all the time. I'll be playing in front of them every game."
The Wildcats made it a point to recruit Denson as hard as they did for this very reason. Getting a commitment from a four-star recruit - who has a chance to move to a five-star in time - is a huge start for the 2014 class.
One other thing that makes Denson's commitment such a big deal for the 'Cats is that the 6-foot-1 recruit had offers from some pretty big-time schools already including Notre Dame, Oklahoma and UCLA.
* In-state recruiting is an important of the future plans for the current Arizona staff and the Wildcats have continued to offer prospects from within the state as time has gone on. One recruit who has seen interest from the Wildcats for a long time finally picked up his offer on Friday.
Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral athlete recruit Tyler Whiley earned his first from offer the 'Cats and shortly after that he picked up his second offer from Arizona State.
UA has been keeping tabs on the two-way standout and so the offer is not too surprising in the grand scheme of things.
Whiley has a close relationship with fellow Chaparral junior prospect Trevor Wood, who has an offer from the 'Cats as well. One thing that might give the Wildcats an edge in Whiley's recruitment is that relationship and the 2014 recruit's desire to stay close to home.
"It does play into my decision," Whiley told GOAZCATS.com. "I want to stay close to what I know. If Trevor Wood ended up going somewhere, I'd probably end up going to the same place he does because we've been close for so long."
* Wood is just one of the many in-state recruits with an offer from the Wildcats. As was said above, Rodriguez and his staff have an added focus of really making a mark on the in-state recruits and 2014 could be the class where that really starts to show. Getting a commitment from Denson this early in the process for that group is big, but there are a lot more targets in that class that UA would love to add to the mix in 2014.
Here's a look at some of the bigger in-state recruits Arizona is already targeting for the next recruiting cycle and where some of those prospects stand in their recruitments:
We'll start with Wood, who had to miss most of his junior year with a shoulder injury. The two-way standout has plenty of ties to the Wildcats and at this point UA is doing well with the 2014 recruit.
A big year senior year from Wood could bring offers from other programs, so things could certainly change should that happen and the 6-foot-5 prospect really bounce back from his injury.
* Jalen Brown is another 2014 recruit the Wildcats made a move on early and so far it has really worked out for the program. At this point Brown will likely be the state's top-ranked prospect - although Denson could make a strong push himself - and he already has the offer list to back it up.
Brown already has a ton of offers from programs all over the country, but the Wildcats have done a good job of recruiting him and there is plenty of interest in the 'Cats from the four-star athlete prospect.
Much like Denson, the Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe standout could potentially play on either side of the ball at the next level so getting him on board would be a big deal. It's still a long way from getting to that point, but the Wildcats have set themselves up nicely if Brown decides to stay in state.
One other thing that could potentially help the 'Cats with Brown is that he's pretty close with 2013 Arizona commit Paul Elvira.
* Layth Friekh is another in-state recruit with ties to the school as his dad is an alum of Arizona. The Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial has already unofficially visited Tucson and there is plenty of interest from the offensive tackle recruit. It will be interesting to see what happens with his recruitment in terms of offers, but at this point the Wildcats are doing very well with him.
* Andrew Mike is like Denson in that he's a hometown recruit, and this is really where Denson's commitment might really come into play. The big offensive tackle will more than likely have a good selection of schools to choose from when all is said and done but the Wildcats are of course the hometown program for the Tucson (Ariz.) Sabino standout.
Seeing a fellow four-star recruit stay close to home and already make his decision could end up helping Mike make his decision to stay close to home as well. The Wildcats have done a good job letting Mike know how much they want him, and it's no secret that his family really likes what Rodriguez has done with the Wildcats so far.
Getting the two big-time prospects from Tucson would be a big statement for Rodriguez and his staff, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this one.
There are of course plenty of other names to keep an eye on when it comes to in-state recruiting with the Wildcats, but these are just a few of the big ones to watch as the 2014 class starts to take shape.
Basketball recruiting
Much like the football program, Miller's basketball program is starting to make that transition from the 2013 class to the next phase in the recruiting process. It's clear at this point who the Wildcats want, but five-star recruit Aaron Gordon isn't planning on making his decision until the spring.
Like we said last week, everything we're hearing is positive for Arizona in its pursuit of the talented senior. The Wildcats continue to win and both Washington and Kentucky simply haven't looked as good as UA this season. That will obviously not be the only factor, but it certainly will play a part in Gordon's decision.
Based on what we've been hearing, even the programs still in the running are getting the sense that Gordon will be in Tucson come this fall. It will be interesting to see if that is indeed the case, but that continues to be the feeling that many are getting at this point.
Earning a commitment from another five-star recruit would be quite the finish to the class for Miller and his group and it would still leave the Wildcats with an extra scholarship for the 2014 class where they could do some real damage.
* You already know the names that the Wildcats have made high priorities (Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, etc.) but another recruit to keep an eye on is 2014 wing prospect Justin Jackson.
The four-star prospect from Spring (Texas) HCYA narrowed his list down to six schools last week and the Wildcats were among that group along with North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
"I just felt comfortable with those schools," Jackson told Rivals.com. "Right now, we'll just evaluate these six programs."
Because Jackson plays for Houston Hoops, Miller was able to watch a lot of the 6-foot-7 recruit over the spring and summer recruiting periods.
The Tar Heels have been the perceived leader for quite some time and there is a belief that Jackson has pretty much already made that decision, but he insists that he is still considering all the schools on his list.
"That's been a rumor for a while now," Jackson said. "But these are the six I'm considering."
Even though there is the belief by some that his mind is made up, from what we're hearing the Wildcats still have a very legitimate chance at landing the wing prospect. The plan right now is to take the process a little slow and then set up some official visits. Recruits can now take official visits during the the second half of their junior year, so some of those visits might come prior to his last summer on the travel ball circuit but that remains to be seen.
For now though, the Wildcats are doing just fine with the four-star prospect.
* Stanley Johnson has had quite the junior season so far and he recently came up big for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei when he scored more than 20 points and pulled down more than 20 rebounds in a win. When it comes to his recruitment the Wildcats have continued to pick up steam and, while he will likely not make his decision for some time, Arizona continues to feel like the front-runner in this one.
After talking with him last month it is clear that Miller and his staff have really made a nice impression on the five-star prospect and they continue to do so. Johnson trains with Solomon Hill during the offseason and that relationship obviously isn't a bad thing for the Wildcats.
With Hill's departure after this season, that has really piqued the interest of Johnson as he could end up playing a very similar role should he ultimately pick Arizona.
So if all the signs are pointing to Johnson eventually becoming a Wildcat, why wait to make a decision? Well, Johnson is in no rush as he really hasn't had a chance to take a ton of visits and he's not a recruit who hates the recruiting process.
Maybe he'll get there in time, but at this point Johnson isn't really fazed much by the interviews, phone calls and all that comes with being an elite recruit. For now he's going to take the process at a pretty slow pace, but the Wildcats remain well in the mix for his commitment and that likely won't change anytime soon.[/B]
