Put away those arguments for a No. 1 ranking. Arizona's 77-69 loss to Cal only muddled the picture in the top 10.
Basketball
* The underlying message of the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday morning may be that things got so out of control that the only thing that made sense to do was keep things the same.
The voters had the task of figuring out what to do after four of the top five teams in the country lost, and Duke nearly made it a perfect string before escaping Boston College in the final minutes.
Ranked fourth, Duke did not do itself any favors in the fashion it won. In a year full or parity, one train of thought may be to say, "Well, at least the Blue Devils won when nobody else seemed to do so." But the better barometer is the eye test, and there is nothing that looks right about awarding Duke a top ranking based off that performance.
Indiana, meanwhile, did not necessarily deserve to watch its No. 1 rank disappear. The Hoosiers lost on the road off a fluke inbound play that left Tyler Griffey so inexplicably wide open underneath the basket that he could have shot it flat-footed.
No. 2 Florida will get no such sympathy after getting whacked by double digits on the road at mediocre Arkansas.
No. 3 Michigan will have a gripe similar to Indiana, only multiplied by 10. The Wolverines lost after a fluke shot from just inside midcourt forced overtime, and Wisconsin used that momentum at home to pull off the 65-62 stunner.
There is no reason to discuss No. 5 Kansas, which has now lost three consecutive games.
The one team outside of the top five with the most serious case for No. 1 happens to be Miami, and it can thank an unbeaten mark in the ACC and a two-game lead over Duke in the standings. The Hurricanes will surely make the biggest jump and likely leapfrog No. 6 Gonzaga, which will have a tough time receiving much love with its West Coast Conference ties.
Miami already has a good chunk of the national media pushing its name into serious consideration, and it would not sound as crazy as the way the past week played out in college basketball.
As for the Wildcats, the fall from No. 7 could be a tad ugly. Of the four top-five teams with losses this past week, only Kansas looks like it could join Arizona in what will likely be a ranking outside of the top 10. No. 9 Syracuse, No. 12 Michigan State and No. 13 Kansas State - all winners last week - have the credentials and recent success worthy of ranking ahead of the Wildcats.
Throw a few darts or draw names from a hat. It may be tough to decipher those methods from the vote that will be released Monday morning.
* Now, onto the team itself.
The Wildcats had an idea that Cal would use a zone defense, UA head coach Sean Miller said, so it was not a matter of preparation.
But reliable zone-buster Kevin Parrom, who has been effective in the middle of the zone, made a few uncharacteristic mistakes on passes that led to his team-high three turnovers.
Already flat and without movement, the offense stalled and Arizona managed just three 3-pointers in the second half after making six before the break.
* One of the more interesting points made in the postgame press conference was by Parrom and Solomon Hill. The seniors said that the team has the green light to make a switch on defensive assignments, and Hill put the blame for Allen Crabbe's monster night on the shoulders of himself and Parrom.
Hill said that Nick Johnson, generously listed at 6-3, will always have the assignment of the opposing team's top guard. There is no doubt that Johnson is the Wildcats' best on-ball defender. But with Crabbe at a much taller 6-6 and with the ability to shoot over the top, Hill said both he and Parrom - both 6-6, as well - would have created a better matchup, and that the team was asking too much of Johnson.
Miller did not entirely see it that way.
"[Johnson] ran into a player tonight who made some really tough shots," Miller said. "But as we switched other guys on [Crabbe], if you watched the game closely we switched quite a bit because they ran the dribble handoff. So, throughout each possession for a large majority of the second half, whoever had the assignment wouldn't have that assignment through the entire possession because we were switching anyway.
Almost resigned, Miller added: "But it didn't matter."
Not. At. All. Crabbe's 31 points were a most by an opposing player this season, eclipsing the 24 scored by Stanford's Dwight Powell.
But this was more noticeable than Powell, and more deflating to Arizona than Shabazz Muhammad's 23 points when the freshman visited Tucson for the first time in January. Crabbe's buckets were backbreakers, and the McKale crowd knew it was watching an NBA talent do anything he wanted.
* Some good news - yes, there was a bit - for Arizona is that it looks like Grant Jerrett has overcome the stress reaction in his foot that sidelined him against Stanford.
The freshman was the first off the bench for the Wildcats and converted his first shot attempt. If anything, it looked like the confidence that was a bit lost in his jump shot has re-appeared.
Miller said it looks as if Jerrett will be OK for the remainder of the season but added that any signs of pain in practices will be met with rest. Miller is not taking any chances after Jordin Mayes went through a similar but more serious injury last season.
* As far as what this loss does to the ever-changing NCAA tournament picture, ESPN will swap Arizona for Miami as the No. 1 seed in the West.
A home loss to a Cal team that looks more NIT-bound does not do the Wildcats any favors, and right now they are looking more like a No. 2 seed that could quickly look like a No. 3 seed with the game at Colorado up next.
It's tough to imagine Arizona getting back into the same great position for a No. 1 seed the rest of the season. The 'Cats would need plenty of help on top of a near-perfect run through the remainder of the season and possibly the Pac-12 tournament.
That's not to say that other teams in contention will not falter in a season with more parity around the country than ever, but there is nothing the Wildcats have shown in Pac-12 play, to this point, to hold up the other end of that deal.
Football
When the 2013 class was officially signed and announced, one glaring omission was four-star offensive lineman Logan Stott, who committed to the Wildcats when Mike Stoops was still in charge.
Well, it looks like Stott was not one of RichRod's kind of guys. Not long after Stott enrolled this winter, he decided to quit the team.
There are not too many dots out there to connect for a concrete reason, but Stott only stuck around long enough for a handful of workouts. So, the most plausible reason behind his departure - beyond just personal reasons - would have to be centered around the little work he was exposed to or it was an attitude issue.
Regardless, the Wildcats are now down one more viable option to compete along the offensive line, which will look to replace two departed starters from last year's team. JC transfer Steven Gurrola and redshirt freshman Beau Boyster are among the players who will be in the mix at center.
* It looks like the quarterback competition may have hit a setback that will delay any sort of a true competition until the fall.
It's been reported that JC transfer Jesse Scroggins will now likely miss spring practice after his foot surgery. It was just on Signing Day when head coach Rich Rodriguez was optimistic that the former USC quarterback "should be back for spring practice" following what he considered was a "minor" operation.
Earlier on Signing Day, quarterbacks coach Rod Smith called Scroggins' surgery the day before "successful" and did not anticipate a setback, either. Among the qualities Smith likes in Scroggins is a "cannon for an arm" that he also describes as "NFL-type."
The plan with Scroggins in the fold was to get each quarterback a fair amount of reps in the spring, and it was unlikely that a starter or even set backups farther down the depth chart would be cemented. But not having Scroggins at all would take away some of the more realistic competition for last year's backup, B.J. Denker.
Now, Anu Solomon's arrival in the fall may not be the only anticipated addition to the position battle.
* Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown:
The big day came and went for the Wildcats as National Signing Day pretty much was as planned for Rodriguez and his Arizona football program. However, there were a couple surprises throughout the week that changed some things for the 'Cats. One thing that did happen was UA picked up a commitment after National Signing Day, and we'll have plenty more on that in this week's breakdown.
The Wildcats also wasted no time in starting the process all over again as they offered numerous 2014 targets shortly after National Signing Day was complete for the 2013 class. We'll have a closer look at one of the recruits who picked up an offer, as well as some of the other recruits who earned offers from Arizona.
On the basketball side of things, we'll touch on the pair of high-level visitors the Wildcats had in this weekend. We'll also have a closer look at some young recruits who could eventually turn into Arizona targets down the line.
There is once again plenty to go over this week, so let's not waste any more time.
Football recruiting
This week we'll start with the most important news first and who the Wildcats were able to add during the home stretch of the 2013 class recruiting cycle. Although it was setting up to be a somewhat uneventful final few days of the cycle, things picked up a little bit over the last week and the 'Cats ended up getting three new commitments over the course of the week to close out the 2013 class.
* On Monday, the Wildcats picked up a commitment from three-star defensive tackle recruit David Maka from Tustin High School in Tustin, Calif. It was crucial that Arizona land a defensive tackle in the 2013 class after the departure of Tony Mekari earlier in the year.
There had been some concern by fans that it wouldn't happen, but the staff was able to pull it off in the final week. The commitment could have been seen as somewhat of a surprise because Maka wasn't a recruit who had visited leading up to National Signing Day, but he had taken a trip to Tucson during the season.
With the time to make a decision getting closer, Maka pulled the trigger on a commitment.
"They're a good school," Maka told GOAZCATS.com about his choice of the Wildcats. "I visited there and I like their program a lot.
"I just felt like it was the right time, so I just did it."
With the lack of depth at the defensive tackle spot, a recruit like Maka could really make an early impact in his career at Arizona along with a guy like Luca Bruno - who could potentially play different spots along the defensive line.
* Three-star athlete recruit Khari McGee had been a longtime Arizona target and it always felt like Tucson was going to be his final destination from the beginning. The Fresno (Calif.) Edison recruit used his official visit during January and he made things official with Arizona on National Signing Day.
Now, one of the big reasons many felt like Arizona might not be his ultimate choice was that McGee has expressed a big interest in playing quarterback at the next level. It's something he thinks he can do and it is something he wants to have a chance to do.
At this point it sounds like he will at least be given a chance to do so at Arizona, even with all the depth the Wildcats have built at the position heading into next season. However, it doesn't sound like that will be the only spot he could potentially be used in.
"Khari can play a lot of positions," Rodriguez said on Wednesday at his National Signing Day press conference. "He was too good of an athlete not to take. Whether it's at quarterback or receiver, Khari McGee can play at this level. People have always accused me of collecting quarterbacks. I'm guilty as charged.
"I like having a lot of quarterbacks and I like competition at that position and having at least two or preferably three that we can win with. Anu (Solomon), Jesse (Scroggins) and Khari are guys that are athletic, can run, and I think can all play quarterback at this level."
* The latest recruit to be added came after the Wildcats announced their 2013 class, as Rodriguez and his staff hosted a late visitor over the weekend. Three-star defensive back recruit David Price was a recruit who really seemed to have been lost in the cracks over the course of his recruitment. He really didn't get serious about the process until recently and that probably hurt his chances of earning some bigger offers.
Arizona offered the Long Beach (Calif.) Poly recruit a while back and that stuck with the 6-foot-2 prospect.
"It was an early offer, so that helped of course," Price told GOAZCATS.com about his decision to choose Arizona. "The coaching staff is cool, and I felt at home. Everybody is down to earth and welcomed me with open arms, and it's the place I want to be."
Arizona receivers coach Tony Dews was a big part of the recruitment and he did a very good job of closing out on Price, which eventually led to the defensive back's commitment.
Dews did a lot of work leading up National Signing Day with Price and it ended up paying off really before his official visit started. Heading into his two-day trip, all signs pointed to Price ending up a Wildcat, but the Southern California native - who also is the cousin of UCLA standout Sheldon Price - wanted to make absolutely sure Tucson was a place he could live for four or five years.
Price arrived Friday evening, and shortly after getting into Tucson he and his family met with Rodriguez at a popular Foothills steakhouse. The future Wildcat had a good conversation about the program with Rodriguez and Dews, who was also in attendance for the initial meeting.
The steakhouse was a popular place Friday night as UA athletic director Greg Byrne and Sean Miller were there as well that night.
Current UA defensive back Shaquille Richardson was Price's player host for the trip as well.
After the productive first day in Tucson, Price had made up his mind by Saturday morning that Arizona was going to be his future home. On Saturday, he had a chance to meet some of other members of the coaching staff and take his tour of the campus. After all that was done, Price made things official by submitting his National Letter of Intent to the Wildcats.
Price went into the trip never really expecting to take the entire weekend to make his decision, as he planned to only be in Tucson for what amounted to one day. And he was able to see all he needed to see to make his decision.
One big factor that helped make Price's decision a little easier is the fact that he's friends with a couple of fellow signees already.
"I'm excited because I actually have two friends who are committed there too - Devin Holiday and Zach Green," he said. "So it's going to be fun playing and going to work with them, working hard and making a name for myself."
* There's always a chance the Wildcats decide to add a recruit late like last year with B.J. Denker, who came in after the signing period was over. However, at this point, the class appears to be complete with Price being the final piece for 2013.
* One thing the Wildcats didn't waste time in doing is reaching out to 2014 recruits with offers. That began shortly after National Signing Day was over and there were plenty of recruits who picked up new offers.
One of those recruits was Mattrell McGraw, who earned his offer from the Wildcats on Thursday. The River Ridge (La.) John Curtis standout defensive back has already received a few offers and considerable interest from many programs.
It's still very, very early in the process, but the Wildcats could already have the inside track for the 6-foot recruit.
"I'm open to everyone, but Arizona is definitely a place I'm going to consider just for the simple fact that I already have somebody there who likes it," McGraw told GOAZCATS.com. "Jonathan (McKnight) told me from the minute he stepped on campus he loved it and he's very pleased and happy that he made his choice to attend the University of Arizona."
McKnight, the Wildcat defensive back, is also from John Curtis, and McGraw looks at the current UA player as his mentor and that really could give the 'Cats an advantage down the line.
"Arizona is a place that I'm definitely going to look into to attend college," he said. "I know that they have a very good engineering program and I want to go into that. So Arizona is definitely on my radar and I'm going to continue to keep a close look on them."
McGraw could be a recruit who has his recruitment really pick up some steam over the next few months, so getting in on him early could be huge for the 'Cats. He already plans on taking an unofficial visit to Arizona this summer with his family, and at this point it's the only place he has decided he wants to visit.
Currently McGraw holds offers from Baylor, Hawaii and Houston.
Basketball recruiting
Recruits tend to work at different paces when it comes to their recruitments. There are some, like Aaron Gordon, who wants to see how things shake out with rosters and seasons before coming to a decision. Then, there are others who want might not enjoy the process as much and want to move quickly through their recruitment and make a decision as soon as they feel comfortable with a program.
* One recruit who has decided that he wants to move the process along a little quicker is four-star wing prospect Justin Jackson. The Spring (Texas) HCYA recruit visited Arizona over the weekend and was in attendance for the Wildcats' Sunday night contest with Cal.
Jackson has made no secret of the fact that he likes what North Carolina has to offer him, but he has yet to pledge to the Tar Heels and has not publicly named them his leader. So with room to continue to work, the 'Cats had the talented wing prospect in for a visit.
The nation's 29th-best recruit overall in the 2014 class has an official visit planned for March to Chapel Hill, N.C., so getting him in on a visit to Tucson before that is a big deal.
One thing that the visit does show is that the Wildcats do have a legitimate shot at landing the four-star talent. At this point, UNC could be a tough program to beat but the Wildcats are certainly doing a nice job with the junior wing.
* Jackson was not the only recruit in attendance for Sunday's game, as fellow 2014 four-star recruit Craig Victor was in the crowd for Sunday night's contest at McKale Center. The forward recruit from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine has been interested in the Wildcats for quite some time, so him taking a visit is not completely unexpected.
Victor told GOAZCATS.com over the summer that his interest in the Wildcats was pretty significant for plenty of reasons.
"Coach (Joe) Pasternack and all those guys over there, I've been hearing from them for a minute," he said. "As things have gone on we've been in contact more and more."
One of the biggest factors in his interest in UA was the development of Derrick Williams over a short amount of time, and how a guy like Brandon Ashley could be utilized in Sean Miller's offense.
"They had Derrick Williams, but I also know they have Brandon Ashley and he plays above the rim," he said. "He plays a little bit on the perimeter and he plays in the post. I've watched them play a lot when Derrick Williams played and I believe that would be a good fit for me."
* Now jumping ahead a little bit, there could be some talented recruits in the 2016 class that eventually start to get looks from the Wildcats. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi recently took a closer look at some young prospects who could end up being special players at the next level.
One of those prospects is T.J. Leaf, who we saw play well at the Tarkanian Classic in December. Here is what Bossi had to say about the 6-foot-7 freshman from El Cajon (Calif.) Foothills Christian:
"We couldn't help but be impressed by the skill level and competitive fire of Leaf when we saw him at the Tarkanian Classic in late December. A combo forward who likes to face defenders up, Leaf can shoot the ball and is an outstanding passer out of the low or high post.
"He is a high-volume rebounder with great instincts and is willing to play with an edge. He's looking like a high-major prospect."
Another recruit who could be on the radar of many schools in the coming years is Dallas (Texas) Prime Prep recruit Terrance Ferguson. The freshman recently visited Arizona when his team participated in a tournament in Phoenix.
"Prime Prep is loaded from a talent standpoint, so the slender freshman can get a bit hidden at times," Bossi said. "Once he gets on the floor, he knows what to do. He is a high-level shooter with deep range on his jumper. When he attacks the rim, Ferguson is also a high riser. He has the tools to be an elite prospect down the road."
Like Leaf, Ferguson could be a recruit who sees some more Arizona interest down the line.[/B]
Basketball
* The underlying message of the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday morning may be that things got so out of control that the only thing that made sense to do was keep things the same.
The voters had the task of figuring out what to do after four of the top five teams in the country lost, and Duke nearly made it a perfect string before escaping Boston College in the final minutes.
Ranked fourth, Duke did not do itself any favors in the fashion it won. In a year full or parity, one train of thought may be to say, "Well, at least the Blue Devils won when nobody else seemed to do so." But the better barometer is the eye test, and there is nothing that looks right about awarding Duke a top ranking based off that performance.
Indiana, meanwhile, did not necessarily deserve to watch its No. 1 rank disappear. The Hoosiers lost on the road off a fluke inbound play that left Tyler Griffey so inexplicably wide open underneath the basket that he could have shot it flat-footed.
No. 2 Florida will get no such sympathy after getting whacked by double digits on the road at mediocre Arkansas.
No. 3 Michigan will have a gripe similar to Indiana, only multiplied by 10. The Wolverines lost after a fluke shot from just inside midcourt forced overtime, and Wisconsin used that momentum at home to pull off the 65-62 stunner.
There is no reason to discuss No. 5 Kansas, which has now lost three consecutive games.
The one team outside of the top five with the most serious case for No. 1 happens to be Miami, and it can thank an unbeaten mark in the ACC and a two-game lead over Duke in the standings. The Hurricanes will surely make the biggest jump and likely leapfrog No. 6 Gonzaga, which will have a tough time receiving much love with its West Coast Conference ties.
Miami already has a good chunk of the national media pushing its name into serious consideration, and it would not sound as crazy as the way the past week played out in college basketball.
As for the Wildcats, the fall from No. 7 could be a tad ugly. Of the four top-five teams with losses this past week, only Kansas looks like it could join Arizona in what will likely be a ranking outside of the top 10. No. 9 Syracuse, No. 12 Michigan State and No. 13 Kansas State - all winners last week - have the credentials and recent success worthy of ranking ahead of the Wildcats.
Throw a few darts or draw names from a hat. It may be tough to decipher those methods from the vote that will be released Monday morning.
* Now, onto the team itself.
The Wildcats had an idea that Cal would use a zone defense, UA head coach Sean Miller said, so it was not a matter of preparation.
But reliable zone-buster Kevin Parrom, who has been effective in the middle of the zone, made a few uncharacteristic mistakes on passes that led to his team-high three turnovers.
Already flat and without movement, the offense stalled and Arizona managed just three 3-pointers in the second half after making six before the break.
* One of the more interesting points made in the postgame press conference was by Parrom and Solomon Hill. The seniors said that the team has the green light to make a switch on defensive assignments, and Hill put the blame for Allen Crabbe's monster night on the shoulders of himself and Parrom.
Hill said that Nick Johnson, generously listed at 6-3, will always have the assignment of the opposing team's top guard. There is no doubt that Johnson is the Wildcats' best on-ball defender. But with Crabbe at a much taller 6-6 and with the ability to shoot over the top, Hill said both he and Parrom - both 6-6, as well - would have created a better matchup, and that the team was asking too much of Johnson.
Miller did not entirely see it that way.
"[Johnson] ran into a player tonight who made some really tough shots," Miller said. "But as we switched other guys on [Crabbe], if you watched the game closely we switched quite a bit because they ran the dribble handoff. So, throughout each possession for a large majority of the second half, whoever had the assignment wouldn't have that assignment through the entire possession because we were switching anyway.
Almost resigned, Miller added: "But it didn't matter."
Not. At. All. Crabbe's 31 points were a most by an opposing player this season, eclipsing the 24 scored by Stanford's Dwight Powell.
But this was more noticeable than Powell, and more deflating to Arizona than Shabazz Muhammad's 23 points when the freshman visited Tucson for the first time in January. Crabbe's buckets were backbreakers, and the McKale crowd knew it was watching an NBA talent do anything he wanted.
* Some good news - yes, there was a bit - for Arizona is that it looks like Grant Jerrett has overcome the stress reaction in his foot that sidelined him against Stanford.
The freshman was the first off the bench for the Wildcats and converted his first shot attempt. If anything, it looked like the confidence that was a bit lost in his jump shot has re-appeared.
Miller said it looks as if Jerrett will be OK for the remainder of the season but added that any signs of pain in practices will be met with rest. Miller is not taking any chances after Jordin Mayes went through a similar but more serious injury last season.
* As far as what this loss does to the ever-changing NCAA tournament picture, ESPN will swap Arizona for Miami as the No. 1 seed in the West.
A home loss to a Cal team that looks more NIT-bound does not do the Wildcats any favors, and right now they are looking more like a No. 2 seed that could quickly look like a No. 3 seed with the game at Colorado up next.
It's tough to imagine Arizona getting back into the same great position for a No. 1 seed the rest of the season. The 'Cats would need plenty of help on top of a near-perfect run through the remainder of the season and possibly the Pac-12 tournament.
That's not to say that other teams in contention will not falter in a season with more parity around the country than ever, but there is nothing the Wildcats have shown in Pac-12 play, to this point, to hold up the other end of that deal.
Football
When the 2013 class was officially signed and announced, one glaring omission was four-star offensive lineman Logan Stott, who committed to the Wildcats when Mike Stoops was still in charge.
Well, it looks like Stott was not one of RichRod's kind of guys. Not long after Stott enrolled this winter, he decided to quit the team.
There are not too many dots out there to connect for a concrete reason, but Stott only stuck around long enough for a handful of workouts. So, the most plausible reason behind his departure - beyond just personal reasons - would have to be centered around the little work he was exposed to or it was an attitude issue.
Regardless, the Wildcats are now down one more viable option to compete along the offensive line, which will look to replace two departed starters from last year's team. JC transfer Steven Gurrola and redshirt freshman Beau Boyster are among the players who will be in the mix at center.
* It looks like the quarterback competition may have hit a setback that will delay any sort of a true competition until the fall.
It's been reported that JC transfer Jesse Scroggins will now likely miss spring practice after his foot surgery. It was just on Signing Day when head coach Rich Rodriguez was optimistic that the former USC quarterback "should be back for spring practice" following what he considered was a "minor" operation.
Earlier on Signing Day, quarterbacks coach Rod Smith called Scroggins' surgery the day before "successful" and did not anticipate a setback, either. Among the qualities Smith likes in Scroggins is a "cannon for an arm" that he also describes as "NFL-type."
The plan with Scroggins in the fold was to get each quarterback a fair amount of reps in the spring, and it was unlikely that a starter or even set backups farther down the depth chart would be cemented. But not having Scroggins at all would take away some of the more realistic competition for last year's backup, B.J. Denker.
Now, Anu Solomon's arrival in the fall may not be the only anticipated addition to the position battle.
* Now, here's Matt Moreno's recruiting breakdown:
The big day came and went for the Wildcats as National Signing Day pretty much was as planned for Rodriguez and his Arizona football program. However, there were a couple surprises throughout the week that changed some things for the 'Cats. One thing that did happen was UA picked up a commitment after National Signing Day, and we'll have plenty more on that in this week's breakdown.
The Wildcats also wasted no time in starting the process all over again as they offered numerous 2014 targets shortly after National Signing Day was complete for the 2013 class. We'll have a closer look at one of the recruits who picked up an offer, as well as some of the other recruits who earned offers from Arizona.
On the basketball side of things, we'll touch on the pair of high-level visitors the Wildcats had in this weekend. We'll also have a closer look at some young recruits who could eventually turn into Arizona targets down the line.
There is once again plenty to go over this week, so let's not waste any more time.
Football recruiting
This week we'll start with the most important news first and who the Wildcats were able to add during the home stretch of the 2013 class recruiting cycle. Although it was setting up to be a somewhat uneventful final few days of the cycle, things picked up a little bit over the last week and the 'Cats ended up getting three new commitments over the course of the week to close out the 2013 class.
* On Monday, the Wildcats picked up a commitment from three-star defensive tackle recruit David Maka from Tustin High School in Tustin, Calif. It was crucial that Arizona land a defensive tackle in the 2013 class after the departure of Tony Mekari earlier in the year.
There had been some concern by fans that it wouldn't happen, but the staff was able to pull it off in the final week. The commitment could have been seen as somewhat of a surprise because Maka wasn't a recruit who had visited leading up to National Signing Day, but he had taken a trip to Tucson during the season.
With the time to make a decision getting closer, Maka pulled the trigger on a commitment.
"They're a good school," Maka told GOAZCATS.com about his choice of the Wildcats. "I visited there and I like their program a lot.
"I just felt like it was the right time, so I just did it."
With the lack of depth at the defensive tackle spot, a recruit like Maka could really make an early impact in his career at Arizona along with a guy like Luca Bruno - who could potentially play different spots along the defensive line.
* Three-star athlete recruit Khari McGee had been a longtime Arizona target and it always felt like Tucson was going to be his final destination from the beginning. The Fresno (Calif.) Edison recruit used his official visit during January and he made things official with Arizona on National Signing Day.
Now, one of the big reasons many felt like Arizona might not be his ultimate choice was that McGee has expressed a big interest in playing quarterback at the next level. It's something he thinks he can do and it is something he wants to have a chance to do.
At this point it sounds like he will at least be given a chance to do so at Arizona, even with all the depth the Wildcats have built at the position heading into next season. However, it doesn't sound like that will be the only spot he could potentially be used in.
"Khari can play a lot of positions," Rodriguez said on Wednesday at his National Signing Day press conference. "He was too good of an athlete not to take. Whether it's at quarterback or receiver, Khari McGee can play at this level. People have always accused me of collecting quarterbacks. I'm guilty as charged.
"I like having a lot of quarterbacks and I like competition at that position and having at least two or preferably three that we can win with. Anu (Solomon), Jesse (Scroggins) and Khari are guys that are athletic, can run, and I think can all play quarterback at this level."
* The latest recruit to be added came after the Wildcats announced their 2013 class, as Rodriguez and his staff hosted a late visitor over the weekend. Three-star defensive back recruit David Price was a recruit who really seemed to have been lost in the cracks over the course of his recruitment. He really didn't get serious about the process until recently and that probably hurt his chances of earning some bigger offers.
Arizona offered the Long Beach (Calif.) Poly recruit a while back and that stuck with the 6-foot-2 prospect.
"It was an early offer, so that helped of course," Price told GOAZCATS.com about his decision to choose Arizona. "The coaching staff is cool, and I felt at home. Everybody is down to earth and welcomed me with open arms, and it's the place I want to be."
Arizona receivers coach Tony Dews was a big part of the recruitment and he did a very good job of closing out on Price, which eventually led to the defensive back's commitment.
Dews did a lot of work leading up National Signing Day with Price and it ended up paying off really before his official visit started. Heading into his two-day trip, all signs pointed to Price ending up a Wildcat, but the Southern California native - who also is the cousin of UCLA standout Sheldon Price - wanted to make absolutely sure Tucson was a place he could live for four or five years.
Price arrived Friday evening, and shortly after getting into Tucson he and his family met with Rodriguez at a popular Foothills steakhouse. The future Wildcat had a good conversation about the program with Rodriguez and Dews, who was also in attendance for the initial meeting.
The steakhouse was a popular place Friday night as UA athletic director Greg Byrne and Sean Miller were there as well that night.
Current UA defensive back Shaquille Richardson was Price's player host for the trip as well.
After the productive first day in Tucson, Price had made up his mind by Saturday morning that Arizona was going to be his future home. On Saturday, he had a chance to meet some of other members of the coaching staff and take his tour of the campus. After all that was done, Price made things official by submitting his National Letter of Intent to the Wildcats.
Price went into the trip never really expecting to take the entire weekend to make his decision, as he planned to only be in Tucson for what amounted to one day. And he was able to see all he needed to see to make his decision.
One big factor that helped make Price's decision a little easier is the fact that he's friends with a couple of fellow signees already.
"I'm excited because I actually have two friends who are committed there too - Devin Holiday and Zach Green," he said. "So it's going to be fun playing and going to work with them, working hard and making a name for myself."
* There's always a chance the Wildcats decide to add a recruit late like last year with B.J. Denker, who came in after the signing period was over. However, at this point, the class appears to be complete with Price being the final piece for 2013.
* One thing the Wildcats didn't waste time in doing is reaching out to 2014 recruits with offers. That began shortly after National Signing Day was over and there were plenty of recruits who picked up new offers.
One of those recruits was Mattrell McGraw, who earned his offer from the Wildcats on Thursday. The River Ridge (La.) John Curtis standout defensive back has already received a few offers and considerable interest from many programs.
It's still very, very early in the process, but the Wildcats could already have the inside track for the 6-foot recruit.
"I'm open to everyone, but Arizona is definitely a place I'm going to consider just for the simple fact that I already have somebody there who likes it," McGraw told GOAZCATS.com. "Jonathan (McKnight) told me from the minute he stepped on campus he loved it and he's very pleased and happy that he made his choice to attend the University of Arizona."
McKnight, the Wildcat defensive back, is also from John Curtis, and McGraw looks at the current UA player as his mentor and that really could give the 'Cats an advantage down the line.
"Arizona is a place that I'm definitely going to look into to attend college," he said. "I know that they have a very good engineering program and I want to go into that. So Arizona is definitely on my radar and I'm going to continue to keep a close look on them."
McGraw could be a recruit who has his recruitment really pick up some steam over the next few months, so getting in on him early could be huge for the 'Cats. He already plans on taking an unofficial visit to Arizona this summer with his family, and at this point it's the only place he has decided he wants to visit.
Currently McGraw holds offers from Baylor, Hawaii and Houston.
Basketball recruiting
Recruits tend to work at different paces when it comes to their recruitments. There are some, like Aaron Gordon, who wants to see how things shake out with rosters and seasons before coming to a decision. Then, there are others who want might not enjoy the process as much and want to move quickly through their recruitment and make a decision as soon as they feel comfortable with a program.
* One recruit who has decided that he wants to move the process along a little quicker is four-star wing prospect Justin Jackson. The Spring (Texas) HCYA recruit visited Arizona over the weekend and was in attendance for the Wildcats' Sunday night contest with Cal.
Jackson has made no secret of the fact that he likes what North Carolina has to offer him, but he has yet to pledge to the Tar Heels and has not publicly named them his leader. So with room to continue to work, the 'Cats had the talented wing prospect in for a visit.
The nation's 29th-best recruit overall in the 2014 class has an official visit planned for March to Chapel Hill, N.C., so getting him in on a visit to Tucson before that is a big deal.
One thing that the visit does show is that the Wildcats do have a legitimate shot at landing the four-star talent. At this point, UNC could be a tough program to beat but the Wildcats are certainly doing a nice job with the junior wing.
* Jackson was not the only recruit in attendance for Sunday's game, as fellow 2014 four-star recruit Craig Victor was in the crowd for Sunday night's contest at McKale Center. The forward recruit from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine has been interested in the Wildcats for quite some time, so him taking a visit is not completely unexpected.
Victor told GOAZCATS.com over the summer that his interest in the Wildcats was pretty significant for plenty of reasons.
"Coach (Joe) Pasternack and all those guys over there, I've been hearing from them for a minute," he said. "As things have gone on we've been in contact more and more."
One of the biggest factors in his interest in UA was the development of Derrick Williams over a short amount of time, and how a guy like Brandon Ashley could be utilized in Sean Miller's offense.
"They had Derrick Williams, but I also know they have Brandon Ashley and he plays above the rim," he said. "He plays a little bit on the perimeter and he plays in the post. I've watched them play a lot when Derrick Williams played and I believe that would be a good fit for me."
* Now jumping ahead a little bit, there could be some talented recruits in the 2016 class that eventually start to get looks from the Wildcats. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi recently took a closer look at some young prospects who could end up being special players at the next level.
One of those prospects is T.J. Leaf, who we saw play well at the Tarkanian Classic in December. Here is what Bossi had to say about the 6-foot-7 freshman from El Cajon (Calif.) Foothills Christian:
"We couldn't help but be impressed by the skill level and competitive fire of Leaf when we saw him at the Tarkanian Classic in late December. A combo forward who likes to face defenders up, Leaf can shoot the ball and is an outstanding passer out of the low or high post.
"He is a high-volume rebounder with great instincts and is willing to play with an edge. He's looking like a high-major prospect."
Another recruit who could be on the radar of many schools in the coming years is Dallas (Texas) Prime Prep recruit Terrance Ferguson. The freshman recently visited Arizona when his team participated in a tournament in Phoenix.
"Prime Prep is loaded from a talent standpoint, so the slender freshman can get a bit hidden at times," Bossi said. "Once he gets on the floor, he knows what to do. He is a high-level shooter with deep range on his jumper. When he attacks the rim, Ferguson is also a high riser. He has the tools to be an elite prospect down the road."
Like Leaf, Ferguson could be a recruit who sees some more Arizona interest down the line.[/B]
