The Arizona football program is riding high once again after picking up its seventh win - and first on the road - last Saturday at Utah. But that's not the only noise that was made as the team's Twitter account revealed after practice Sunday that the Wildcats will wear red helmets Friday in the regular-season final against rival Arizona State.
Also this week, the men's basketball team will face Big West Conference preseason favorite Long Beach State tonight before a nine-day layoff between games.
So, let's get right into this week's War Room.
Football
*The red helmets have been in the works since June, when backup quarterback B.J. Denker tweeted a photo that athletic director Greg Byrne quickly dismissed as a "mock-up" and added that the domes were not "on the radar screen."
Oh, but they were, and it was only a matter of time. Had it not been for the pounding at UCLA, the Wildcats would have worn the helmets sooner.
When the red helmets first grabbed attention this summer, the most obvious possible dates were either at home against USC, on the road against uniform trendsetters Oregon or, the natural choice, the the rivalry game against ASU.
The only other question, at the time, was whether the Wildcats would instead wear the copper helmets against the Sun Devils because of the ties to the state and the in-state rivalry.
The helmets will be part of a "red out," as the team will be in red jersey tops and pants, too.
Here's a few photos the program tweeted after practice:
*Arizona's 34-24 win in Salt Lake City was enough to put the team back in the BCS standings. The Wildcats check in at No. 24, making them the highest-ranked four-loss team in the nation.
But UA was left off both the Associated Press and coaches' top-25 polls
*Who said madness was reserved for basketball season? Kansas State and Oregon both lost, turning the BCS standings on its ear with the nation's Nos. 1 and 2 teams falling.
That also sent bowl projections into a bit of a tailspin, adding to the number of different scenarios, and the Wildcats are just as much in limbo with one game to play. Much will still depend on the Pac-12 Conference title game, however, and how the rest of the season plays out.
Here's what we're looking at:
-The Ducks, who dropped to No. 5, are not quite out of the BCS picture but they need some help. USC will play new No. 1 Notre Dame in Los Angeles on Saturday, while Oregon travels to Corvallis, Ore., for the Civil War game with Oregon State. Also important, Stanford will travel to UCLA with a chance to wrap up the North Division and a second meeting in six days with the Bruins in the league championship game on the line.
Following so far? OK, now ...
-Essentially, Oregon needs to win the finale AND get help from the Trojans AND have UCLA beat Stanford to have any shot at getting back to the BCS national title game. In addition, wins this week by BCS-ranked teams Arizona and Washington could do enough to push the Ducks over the hump.
*So, how does this all affect Arizona?
Well, bowl invitations have as just as much to do with a team's record as it does the fan base that will travel to a given site. As many as two Pac-12 teams could end up in a BCS bowl, thus freeing up a spot in a bowl that the league has ties to.
Now, the bowl does not necessarily have to invite the team in the order they finish. This is where those college football politics come into play. For instance, should Arizona and Washington win out, thus both finishing with four losses, the head-to-head will not matter. A bowl that thinks the Huskies will draw a better crowd will likely invite them, and that can even still happen should Arizona finish one game better.
As long as teams are within a game of one another, it is fair game and will not be frowned upon.
So, to review, here are the Pac-12 bowls and the order they pick in:
-The Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 (Pac-12 title game winner vs. Big 10 champion in Pasadena, Calif.)
-The Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29 (second choice Pac-12 vs. third choice Big 12 in San Antonio)
-The Holiday Bowl, Dec. 27 (third choice Pac-12 vs. fifth choice Big 12 in San Diego, Calif.)
-Sun Bowl, Dec. 31 (fourth choice Pac-12 vs. ACC runner-up/third pick after the BCS from ACC in El Paso, Texas)
-MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Dec. 22 (fifth choice Pac-12 vs. Mountain West champion in Vegas)
-Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Dec. 29 (sixth choice Pac-12 vs. Navy in San Francisco)
-Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 15 (seventh choice Pac-12/Western Athletic vs. Mountain West fourth/fifth in Albuquerque)
Back to Oregon, the Ducks are in play for a possible spot in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
*At this point, the Wildcats are looking like too good of a team to play in New Mexico. Anything from the Holiday Bowl (slim) to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is still in place.
With the draw of Rich Rodriguez's offense and that storyline around a high-profile coach like that (hey, this can matter, too), in addition to points the Wildcats can put up, Arizona is an attractive team.
For now, I'm sticking with that MAACO Bowl Las Vegas projection that just looks stronger now. Could you imagine an Arizona/Boise State matchup? Well, start doing so because it's a real possibility.
Basketball
*The Wildcats will host Long Beach State on Monday in a 7 p.m. MST tipoff at McKale Center.
How's this for a little six degrees of separation between the programs: LBSU athletic director Vic Cegles, a former ASU AD, hired head coach Dan Monson, whose father, Don, coached at Oregon, where Bill Byrne, father of Arizona AD Greg Byrne, once fired Monson's father.
The things you can learn at somebody else's practice.
*Of course, our Long Beach ties helped get us in, and we caught up with Dan Monson as well as point guard Mike Caffey. Also, Arizona head coach Sean Miller met with the media Saturday, and here's what they all have to say about the contest, in addition to what's in our preview on the front page:
A lot like his 49ers, Monson said the Wildcats also look like a month away from "their best basketball."
"I think they're still trying to learn each other, but they're doing it with a lot of guys that can shoot the basketball, a lot of length, a lot of athleticism," Monson said. "So that can make up for a lot of rhythm things that they're going through. But I really like their upside and I think people are going to love how they look a month from now."
Monson, of course, is the architect who built the foundation at Gonzaga before leaving for Minnesota, and Mark Few took over and has maintained a strong run.
With that, Miller said Monson has proven to be "very accomplished."
"Very good coach," Miller added. "Has coached in the biggest games and best conferences, does an incredible job with his team. He had a great team last year, and I know when you do that, a lot of times you can really build on that."
Arizona's athleticism will get a test against a Long Beach State team whose big men, although thin outside of Dan Jennings, are long and can run the floor.
But inside is where the Wildcats should be able to assert themselves, particularly on the offensive glass.
But Caffey said there are a number of areas the 49ers are looking out.
"They can shoot it well," Caffey said. "They're deep. We've got to contain their bounce and rebound. That's the key to tomorrow's game, just containing their bounce and getting out on shooters and rebounding."
*Among those quietly making strides for the Wildcats is sophomore forward/center Angelo Chol.
It's not easy being the forgotten man in a forest of freshmen big men, but Chol has maintained a steady defensive presence. That has been key and will continue to be until Kaleb Tarczewski grows more comfortable in the middle.
"When you're a big guy in college, you're going to have nights sometimes where you don't get it - especially in November," Miller said. "He'll be a much better player, and a different player, in December and January than he is now."
Because Miller and the staff want to develop and continue to get Tarczewski as much game experience as possible, that has put Chol in a situation where he has to just take the minutes as they come.
For that reason, Miller said Chol has done an admirable job in a lesser role.
"He's one of those guys that's probably sacrificing a little bit of minutes right now," Miller said.
*Speaking of sacrifice, Miller likes what he sees so far from a group that was going to have to learn how to deal with roles because of the depth on the roster.
Keeping players happy will not always be Miller's objective, and the players understand that. Miller said it always helps when a team is winning, but warned that things can turn in a blink of an eye sometimes.
"You could always tell when a team is disconnected," Miller said. "I would say that, right now, it could change. We have a team that's really all about winning, and they're close together and that's refreshing."
Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown:
The Wildcats have a big week on hand this week with the rivalry game against the Sun Devils taking place on Friday. With a big home game coming up that obviously means a lot of things for recruiting and we'll touch on that this week. Also, now with the signings of two members of the 2013 class, where to things go from here for Sean Miller and the basketball squad when it comes to recruiting?
We'll have more on that topic as well this week.
With plenty to discuss in this busy week, let's get into it.
Football recruiting
After knocking off Utah on the road over the weekend, the Wildcats have another big game this week against Arizona State. There are obvious reasons why this is an important game for the 'Cats and one of those is recruiting - especially when it comes to in-state prospects.
We'll have a better idea of who will be in attendance later this week, but expect there to be a pretty big visitors list once again.
* Things got interesting for UA recently when running back commit Pierre Cormier decided he wanted to take some visits. Since that decision was made, the three-star prospect officially visited Washington and he is expected to take a couple more trips before his final official to Tucson in the next couple months.
Cormier hasn't discussed his visit to UW too much since coming back from that trip, so that is an interesting angle. However, his options could be getting more and more limited as time goes on. Nebraska, another possible destination for an official visit, is likely now going to drop out after landing four-star prospect Adam Taylor from Katy, Texas.
Oregon State is the other school Cormier has been considering taking a trip to.
Even though things seem less solid than they did a few weeks ago, with how things have played out it would be surprising to see him land anywhere but UA now. Stranger things have happened, but with Nebraska likely out of the running, the Wildcats really seem to be best fit for him now.
* We've said for a while now that things would eventually start to get figured out when it came to who the 'Cats would take and how many they would be able to take in the 2013 class. As you've seen, some recruits have decided to look elsewhere and things are beginning to figure themselves out.
When that happens you also get a chance to see who ultimately has real interest in UA and that is certainly the case with four-star defensive tackle Elijah Qualls. The Petaluma (Calif.) Casa Grande standout has always had the Wildcats in the mix, even before he made his decision to commit to Washington.
This week, the versatile recruit told Rivals.com that he still plans on using one of his official visits for a trip to Tucson. At this point, Qualls has continued to say he is a solid commit to UW, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case as much as it once was.
"I'm still going to take visits," Qualls told Rivals.com. "Arizona still, I'll go to Miami if I can get a hold of the coaches. I'd like to go there but I haven't been talking to them much. I'm definitely going to visit Washington for sure. Oregon State could be a possibility and Nebraska could be a possibility. There are a few other options that could happen.
"Everybody still talks to me and there is still interest so I'm going to consider visits. For sure, Washington and Arizona and then the other ones aren't definite yet."
Along with UW and UA, Miami was the other school that had really piqued his interest, but that seems to be a less likely option now.
There are some ties to the Tucson area with Qualls and that has really helped the Wildcats with other recruits in the class. It could be something that helps - in a small part - with Qualls as things move forward.
He's planning on taking a better look at his recruitment after his senior year is over, and that alone should be a concern for UW and a good sign for the 'Cats.
UA would love to land at least one more impact player for the current recruiting class, and it's looking more and more like Qualls could be the guy.
* One of the reasons this weekend's game against ASU is a big one for the 'Cats is the future of in-state recruiting. Sure, a decision might not change because of a win or a loss by either team but it certainly could plant that seed for the future. There are sure to be quite a few in-state prospects at Friday's game and it is a great opportunity for UA to show those recruits why it believes Tucson is the better option.
The Wildcats have been doing well with a number of 2014 in-state recruits, and there is a very good possibility one of them decides to pull the trigger soon. That's not to say it will happen very soon, but it is my belief that an in-state prospect will be committed to the 'Cats within the next couple months.
The Wildcats have already hosted a number of in-state juniors this season multiple times, including Salpointe athlete Cam Denson and Sabino offensive tackle Andrew Mike. However, another recruit who has seen the Wildcats on multiple occasions this year is Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial offensive lineman Layth Friekh.
At this point, Friekh holds a few offers, but the Wildcats are his clear leader as things stand now. He wouldn't come out and say it Friday night when we spoke with him, but from what we're hearing that is the case.
One thing that the 6-foot-5 recruit did say Friday night after his team defeated Salpointe, was that he wants to get the process over fast. He's not a huge fan of the recruiting process and he believes it won't take him too long to make his choice.
At this point, I'd say that bodes very well for UA. Friekh has ties to the school and program through his father, and the Wildcats have expressed plenty of interest already. If there's one recruitment to watch as things move forward, this would be it.
There's a chance Friekh visits this week for the ASU game, but he will for sure be visiting again next month on another unofficial visit - at which time, you could really see the Wildcats push for a commitment.
We'll have an update with Friekh today, so make sure to look out for that.
* Moving on to another 2014 prospect, the Wildcats have also made some serious in-roads with an out-of-state recruit as of late and he has not been shy about putting them right in the mix already.
Fresno (Calif.) Central East running back Nick Wilson was offered by the 'Cats recently as his first offer. UA has been the first to offer a recruit many times before and it has paid off with a number of recruits. Wilson is currently a four-star prospect and he will receive a ton of offers before all is said and done.
However, by being the first to extend an offer the Wildcats have already made an impression on the speedy back.
"I've been talking to Arizona a lot," Wilson told Rivals.com this week. "I just got off the phone with them earlier. They're a really good school and I really like them. I noticed them over the years and now that they've offered I'm paying more attention and I really like them."
Keeping with the theme of getting faster overall as a team, Wilson fits right in with that idea. It will be interesting to see how things play out over his recruitment, but UA should be right there throughout the process.
* Much like it did in the 2013 recruiting cycle the Wildcats want to have most of their class finished well before National Signing Day. I would definitely expect the 'Cats to push for commitments and really get involved with a ton of 2014 recruits as the calendar changes to 2013.
Basketball recruiting
The Wildcats officially added two pieces to their squad last week when both Elliott Pitts and Rondae Jefferson signed their National Letters of Intent to play for Miller's squad next season. Even though that happened, Miller said last week that he expects one or two more recruits will sign before you can close the book on the 2013 class.
*On the same day Miller discussed the two prospects UA signed, five-star forward Aaron Gordon publicly cut his list of possible destinations down to three. If you've been paying attention to his recruitment it wasn't a big surprise that UA made the final list, along with Washington and Kentucky.
The Huskies have been in there from the start and have really been the favorite from the start as Gordon has some ties to UW head coach Lorenzo Romar. But Kentucky has made some serious ground in his recruitment late in the process. There was never any doubt that the UA would be in there, as he has had some strong feelings about the 'Cats for a long time.
Now that all his official visits have taken place, it will really be about how this season will play out that changes how Gordon looks at the programs.
Gordon's last official visit was to UK and he is pleased that part of the process is over.
"I'm glad it's over now," Gordon told Rivals.com. "I can compare and contrast (schools)."
Even though he's not a huge fan of the process, Gordon will likely make his decision in the spring. There has been some push from those around him to make an early decision and end his recruitment, but that's still not super likely.
At this point, all three schools really do stand a shot with the versatile San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty standout. However, John Calipari's squad is one to watch as things unfold.
"The visit went really, really well," Gordon's father Ed Gordon recently told 'Cats Illustrated. "We were pleasantly surprised about a program that, to be honest, we didn't know a whole lot about going in. It was a very positive experience."
Even though Gordon has strong relationships with the coaching staffs at UA and UW, Calipari always seems to make an impression on recruits and that is no different with the five-star prospect in this case.
"The coaches and staff were great," Ed Gordon said. "We've grown close with John Calipari. He really took good care of us."
"One thing that stood out was that the players were extremely close for being such a new group of guys. I think that's a testament to John Calipari, and also extremely impressive."
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how it all plays out moving forward, but UA and Miller are not out of the running at all and they still stand a very good chance of landing the explosive player.
Miller shed a little more light on his reasoning for signing the two recruits UA signed last week when he met with the media on Saturday.
"Sometimes a guy from the East wants to leave, and Rondae was one of them," he said. "With his brother at Temple, he already saw that so he wanted to do something different and it worked out. We're excited to have him."[/B]
Also this week, the men's basketball team will face Big West Conference preseason favorite Long Beach State tonight before a nine-day layoff between games.
So, let's get right into this week's War Room.
Football
*The red helmets have been in the works since June, when backup quarterback B.J. Denker tweeted a photo that athletic director Greg Byrne quickly dismissed as a "mock-up" and added that the domes were not "on the radar screen."
Oh, but they were, and it was only a matter of time. Had it not been for the pounding at UCLA, the Wildcats would have worn the helmets sooner.
When the red helmets first grabbed attention this summer, the most obvious possible dates were either at home against USC, on the road against uniform trendsetters Oregon or, the natural choice, the the rivalry game against ASU.
The only other question, at the time, was whether the Wildcats would instead wear the copper helmets against the Sun Devils because of the ties to the state and the in-state rivalry.
The helmets will be part of a "red out," as the team will be in red jersey tops and pants, too.
Here's a few photos the program tweeted after practice:
*Arizona's 34-24 win in Salt Lake City was enough to put the team back in the BCS standings. The Wildcats check in at No. 24, making them the highest-ranked four-loss team in the nation.
But UA was left off both the Associated Press and coaches' top-25 polls
*Who said madness was reserved for basketball season? Kansas State and Oregon both lost, turning the BCS standings on its ear with the nation's Nos. 1 and 2 teams falling.
That also sent bowl projections into a bit of a tailspin, adding to the number of different scenarios, and the Wildcats are just as much in limbo with one game to play. Much will still depend on the Pac-12 Conference title game, however, and how the rest of the season plays out.
Here's what we're looking at:
-The Ducks, who dropped to No. 5, are not quite out of the BCS picture but they need some help. USC will play new No. 1 Notre Dame in Los Angeles on Saturday, while Oregon travels to Corvallis, Ore., for the Civil War game with Oregon State. Also important, Stanford will travel to UCLA with a chance to wrap up the North Division and a second meeting in six days with the Bruins in the league championship game on the line.
Following so far? OK, now ...
-Essentially, Oregon needs to win the finale AND get help from the Trojans AND have UCLA beat Stanford to have any shot at getting back to the BCS national title game. In addition, wins this week by BCS-ranked teams Arizona and Washington could do enough to push the Ducks over the hump.
*So, how does this all affect Arizona?
Well, bowl invitations have as just as much to do with a team's record as it does the fan base that will travel to a given site. As many as two Pac-12 teams could end up in a BCS bowl, thus freeing up a spot in a bowl that the league has ties to.
Now, the bowl does not necessarily have to invite the team in the order they finish. This is where those college football politics come into play. For instance, should Arizona and Washington win out, thus both finishing with four losses, the head-to-head will not matter. A bowl that thinks the Huskies will draw a better crowd will likely invite them, and that can even still happen should Arizona finish one game better.
As long as teams are within a game of one another, it is fair game and will not be frowned upon.
So, to review, here are the Pac-12 bowls and the order they pick in:
-The Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 (Pac-12 title game winner vs. Big 10 champion in Pasadena, Calif.)
-The Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29 (second choice Pac-12 vs. third choice Big 12 in San Antonio)
-The Holiday Bowl, Dec. 27 (third choice Pac-12 vs. fifth choice Big 12 in San Diego, Calif.)
-Sun Bowl, Dec. 31 (fourth choice Pac-12 vs. ACC runner-up/third pick after the BCS from ACC in El Paso, Texas)
-MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Dec. 22 (fifth choice Pac-12 vs. Mountain West champion in Vegas)
-Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Dec. 29 (sixth choice Pac-12 vs. Navy in San Francisco)
-Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 15 (seventh choice Pac-12/Western Athletic vs. Mountain West fourth/fifth in Albuquerque)
Back to Oregon, the Ducks are in play for a possible spot in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
*At this point, the Wildcats are looking like too good of a team to play in New Mexico. Anything from the Holiday Bowl (slim) to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is still in place.
With the draw of Rich Rodriguez's offense and that storyline around a high-profile coach like that (hey, this can matter, too), in addition to points the Wildcats can put up, Arizona is an attractive team.
For now, I'm sticking with that MAACO Bowl Las Vegas projection that just looks stronger now. Could you imagine an Arizona/Boise State matchup? Well, start doing so because it's a real possibility.
Basketball
*The Wildcats will host Long Beach State on Monday in a 7 p.m. MST tipoff at McKale Center.
How's this for a little six degrees of separation between the programs: LBSU athletic director Vic Cegles, a former ASU AD, hired head coach Dan Monson, whose father, Don, coached at Oregon, where Bill Byrne, father of Arizona AD Greg Byrne, once fired Monson's father.
The things you can learn at somebody else's practice.
*Of course, our Long Beach ties helped get us in, and we caught up with Dan Monson as well as point guard Mike Caffey. Also, Arizona head coach Sean Miller met with the media Saturday, and here's what they all have to say about the contest, in addition to what's in our preview on the front page:
A lot like his 49ers, Monson said the Wildcats also look like a month away from "their best basketball."
"I think they're still trying to learn each other, but they're doing it with a lot of guys that can shoot the basketball, a lot of length, a lot of athleticism," Monson said. "So that can make up for a lot of rhythm things that they're going through. But I really like their upside and I think people are going to love how they look a month from now."
Monson, of course, is the architect who built the foundation at Gonzaga before leaving for Minnesota, and Mark Few took over and has maintained a strong run.
With that, Miller said Monson has proven to be "very accomplished."
"Very good coach," Miller added. "Has coached in the biggest games and best conferences, does an incredible job with his team. He had a great team last year, and I know when you do that, a lot of times you can really build on that."
Arizona's athleticism will get a test against a Long Beach State team whose big men, although thin outside of Dan Jennings, are long and can run the floor.
But inside is where the Wildcats should be able to assert themselves, particularly on the offensive glass.
But Caffey said there are a number of areas the 49ers are looking out.
"They can shoot it well," Caffey said. "They're deep. We've got to contain their bounce and rebound. That's the key to tomorrow's game, just containing their bounce and getting out on shooters and rebounding."
*Among those quietly making strides for the Wildcats is sophomore forward/center Angelo Chol.
It's not easy being the forgotten man in a forest of freshmen big men, but Chol has maintained a steady defensive presence. That has been key and will continue to be until Kaleb Tarczewski grows more comfortable in the middle.
"When you're a big guy in college, you're going to have nights sometimes where you don't get it - especially in November," Miller said. "He'll be a much better player, and a different player, in December and January than he is now."
Because Miller and the staff want to develop and continue to get Tarczewski as much game experience as possible, that has put Chol in a situation where he has to just take the minutes as they come.
For that reason, Miller said Chol has done an admirable job in a lesser role.
"He's one of those guys that's probably sacrificing a little bit of minutes right now," Miller said.
*Speaking of sacrifice, Miller likes what he sees so far from a group that was going to have to learn how to deal with roles because of the depth on the roster.
Keeping players happy will not always be Miller's objective, and the players understand that. Miller said it always helps when a team is winning, but warned that things can turn in a blink of an eye sometimes.
"You could always tell when a team is disconnected," Miller said. "I would say that, right now, it could change. We have a team that's really all about winning, and they're close together and that's refreshing."
Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown:
The Wildcats have a big week on hand this week with the rivalry game against the Sun Devils taking place on Friday. With a big home game coming up that obviously means a lot of things for recruiting and we'll touch on that this week. Also, now with the signings of two members of the 2013 class, where to things go from here for Sean Miller and the basketball squad when it comes to recruiting?
We'll have more on that topic as well this week.
With plenty to discuss in this busy week, let's get into it.
Football recruiting
After knocking off Utah on the road over the weekend, the Wildcats have another big game this week against Arizona State. There are obvious reasons why this is an important game for the 'Cats and one of those is recruiting - especially when it comes to in-state prospects.
We'll have a better idea of who will be in attendance later this week, but expect there to be a pretty big visitors list once again.
* Things got interesting for UA recently when running back commit Pierre Cormier decided he wanted to take some visits. Since that decision was made, the three-star prospect officially visited Washington and he is expected to take a couple more trips before his final official to Tucson in the next couple months.
Cormier hasn't discussed his visit to UW too much since coming back from that trip, so that is an interesting angle. However, his options could be getting more and more limited as time goes on. Nebraska, another possible destination for an official visit, is likely now going to drop out after landing four-star prospect Adam Taylor from Katy, Texas.
Oregon State is the other school Cormier has been considering taking a trip to.
Even though things seem less solid than they did a few weeks ago, with how things have played out it would be surprising to see him land anywhere but UA now. Stranger things have happened, but with Nebraska likely out of the running, the Wildcats really seem to be best fit for him now.
* We've said for a while now that things would eventually start to get figured out when it came to who the 'Cats would take and how many they would be able to take in the 2013 class. As you've seen, some recruits have decided to look elsewhere and things are beginning to figure themselves out.
When that happens you also get a chance to see who ultimately has real interest in UA and that is certainly the case with four-star defensive tackle Elijah Qualls. The Petaluma (Calif.) Casa Grande standout has always had the Wildcats in the mix, even before he made his decision to commit to Washington.
This week, the versatile recruit told Rivals.com that he still plans on using one of his official visits for a trip to Tucson. At this point, Qualls has continued to say he is a solid commit to UW, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case as much as it once was.
"I'm still going to take visits," Qualls told Rivals.com. "Arizona still, I'll go to Miami if I can get a hold of the coaches. I'd like to go there but I haven't been talking to them much. I'm definitely going to visit Washington for sure. Oregon State could be a possibility and Nebraska could be a possibility. There are a few other options that could happen.
"Everybody still talks to me and there is still interest so I'm going to consider visits. For sure, Washington and Arizona and then the other ones aren't definite yet."
Along with UW and UA, Miami was the other school that had really piqued his interest, but that seems to be a less likely option now.
There are some ties to the Tucson area with Qualls and that has really helped the Wildcats with other recruits in the class. It could be something that helps - in a small part - with Qualls as things move forward.
He's planning on taking a better look at his recruitment after his senior year is over, and that alone should be a concern for UW and a good sign for the 'Cats.
UA would love to land at least one more impact player for the current recruiting class, and it's looking more and more like Qualls could be the guy.
* One of the reasons this weekend's game against ASU is a big one for the 'Cats is the future of in-state recruiting. Sure, a decision might not change because of a win or a loss by either team but it certainly could plant that seed for the future. There are sure to be quite a few in-state prospects at Friday's game and it is a great opportunity for UA to show those recruits why it believes Tucson is the better option.
The Wildcats have been doing well with a number of 2014 in-state recruits, and there is a very good possibility one of them decides to pull the trigger soon. That's not to say it will happen very soon, but it is my belief that an in-state prospect will be committed to the 'Cats within the next couple months.
The Wildcats have already hosted a number of in-state juniors this season multiple times, including Salpointe athlete Cam Denson and Sabino offensive tackle Andrew Mike. However, another recruit who has seen the Wildcats on multiple occasions this year is Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial offensive lineman Layth Friekh.
At this point, Friekh holds a few offers, but the Wildcats are his clear leader as things stand now. He wouldn't come out and say it Friday night when we spoke with him, but from what we're hearing that is the case.
One thing that the 6-foot-5 recruit did say Friday night after his team defeated Salpointe, was that he wants to get the process over fast. He's not a huge fan of the recruiting process and he believes it won't take him too long to make his choice.
At this point, I'd say that bodes very well for UA. Friekh has ties to the school and program through his father, and the Wildcats have expressed plenty of interest already. If there's one recruitment to watch as things move forward, this would be it.
There's a chance Friekh visits this week for the ASU game, but he will for sure be visiting again next month on another unofficial visit - at which time, you could really see the Wildcats push for a commitment.
We'll have an update with Friekh today, so make sure to look out for that.
* Moving on to another 2014 prospect, the Wildcats have also made some serious in-roads with an out-of-state recruit as of late and he has not been shy about putting them right in the mix already.
Fresno (Calif.) Central East running back Nick Wilson was offered by the 'Cats recently as his first offer. UA has been the first to offer a recruit many times before and it has paid off with a number of recruits. Wilson is currently a four-star prospect and he will receive a ton of offers before all is said and done.
However, by being the first to extend an offer the Wildcats have already made an impression on the speedy back.
"I've been talking to Arizona a lot," Wilson told Rivals.com this week. "I just got off the phone with them earlier. They're a really good school and I really like them. I noticed them over the years and now that they've offered I'm paying more attention and I really like them."
Keeping with the theme of getting faster overall as a team, Wilson fits right in with that idea. It will be interesting to see how things play out over his recruitment, but UA should be right there throughout the process.
* Much like it did in the 2013 recruiting cycle the Wildcats want to have most of their class finished well before National Signing Day. I would definitely expect the 'Cats to push for commitments and really get involved with a ton of 2014 recruits as the calendar changes to 2013.
Basketball recruiting
The Wildcats officially added two pieces to their squad last week when both Elliott Pitts and Rondae Jefferson signed their National Letters of Intent to play for Miller's squad next season. Even though that happened, Miller said last week that he expects one or two more recruits will sign before you can close the book on the 2013 class.
*On the same day Miller discussed the two prospects UA signed, five-star forward Aaron Gordon publicly cut his list of possible destinations down to three. If you've been paying attention to his recruitment it wasn't a big surprise that UA made the final list, along with Washington and Kentucky.
The Huskies have been in there from the start and have really been the favorite from the start as Gordon has some ties to UW head coach Lorenzo Romar. But Kentucky has made some serious ground in his recruitment late in the process. There was never any doubt that the UA would be in there, as he has had some strong feelings about the 'Cats for a long time.
Now that all his official visits have taken place, it will really be about how this season will play out that changes how Gordon looks at the programs.
Gordon's last official visit was to UK and he is pleased that part of the process is over.
"I'm glad it's over now," Gordon told Rivals.com. "I can compare and contrast (schools)."
Even though he's not a huge fan of the process, Gordon will likely make his decision in the spring. There has been some push from those around him to make an early decision and end his recruitment, but that's still not super likely.
At this point, all three schools really do stand a shot with the versatile San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty standout. However, John Calipari's squad is one to watch as things unfold.
"The visit went really, really well," Gordon's father Ed Gordon recently told 'Cats Illustrated. "We were pleasantly surprised about a program that, to be honest, we didn't know a whole lot about going in. It was a very positive experience."
Even though Gordon has strong relationships with the coaching staffs at UA and UW, Calipari always seems to make an impression on recruits and that is no different with the five-star prospect in this case.
"The coaches and staff were great," Ed Gordon said. "We've grown close with John Calipari. He really took good care of us."
"One thing that stood out was that the players were extremely close for being such a new group of guys. I think that's a testament to John Calipari, and also extremely impressive."
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how it all plays out moving forward, but UA and Miller are not out of the running at all and they still stand a very good chance of landing the explosive player.
Miller shed a little more light on his reasoning for signing the two recruits UA signed last week when he met with the media on Saturday.
"Sometimes a guy from the East wants to leave, and Rondae was one of them," he said. "With his brother at Temple, he already saw that so he wanted to do something different and it worked out. We're excited to have him."[/B]
