Still biding time until 2010 basketball recruiting heats up again and spring football gets going, we have a basketball scheduling update and the usual football recruiting news in this week's War Room.
Basketball:
* Arizona is close to finalizing its 2010-11 schedule, with all but three contracts signed. Here's the tentative schedule, as of today:
11/14 vs. Idaho State
11/17 vs. Possible Home & Home opponent
11/21 vs. Las Vegas Invitational opponent at McKale (Bethune-Cookman, Valparaiso or Northern Colorado)
11/23 vs. Las Vegas Invitational opponent at McKale (Bethune-Cookman, Valparaiso or Northern Colorado)
11/26 vs. Santa Clara (in Las Vegas for Las Vegas Invitational)
11/27 vs. Kansas (in Las Vegas for Las Vegas Invitational)
12/1 at Rice
12/5 vs. Oklahoma
12/8 vs. Possible one-time home opponent
12/11 at BYU
12/19 at N.C. State
12/22 vs. Bryant
12/27 vs. Possible one-time home opponent
Some other scheduling notes:
- Arizona will open the 2010-11 Pac-10 schedule at Oregon on 12/30, while also closing the Pac-10 season with the Oregon schools at home.
- Don't be surprised if Arizona opts to schedule a closed scrimmage against a D-I opponent on top of playing a D-II team for its two preseason exhibition games, as opposed to two games against D-II teams. This is an emerging trend in college basketball and would give UA the opportunity to see where it stands against a legit opponent as opposed to playing two essentially meaningless D-II games.
- In 2011-12, the only games Arizona is currently in contract for are in the Coaches vs. Classic (2 games at home, 2 games at Madison Square Garden in New York) and at Florida. This is the year that the UA really hopes to be back to the level nationally where it has been over the past two and a half decades, and expect this schedule to be stacked.
- In 2012-13, the only games Arizona is currently in contract for are at home against Florida and vs. Gonzaga in Seattle, the return game for the Wildcats' 2008-09 game against the Zags in Phoenix.
* As the basketball seasons for UA and its recruits comes to a close, focus continues to be off recruiting and finishing strong for both the coaches and prospects. As we've said, once the recruits' seasons comes to a close, they'll start to get serious about choosing a school.
Here's where each recruit's season stands and the latest on their recruitment:
Ray McCallum: Detroit Country Day hasn't started district play yet, and finished its regular season on Thursday night with a loss to Romulus High School. District playoffs are from 3/8 to 3/12 and should McCallum get to the state title it would be on 3/27, which is also the date players are supposed to report to the McDonald's All-American Game for the events leading up to the contest, so there over a few weeks to go before one would expect him to start getting to the next stage in his recruitment.
He's still expected to choose between Detroit, Arizona, UCLA and Florida, with most believing he ends up at Detroit.
Josh Selby: Baltimore Lake Clifton lost in the Class 2A North semifinals against City High School on Thursday night, ending the school's season. Selby has narrowed down his choices to Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky and UConn. The general feeling is that KU leads.
His mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, gave the following update to Rivals.com:
"If Josh continues to win, I don't know that we will be able to make the Kentucky visit," Witherspoon said. "I don't know if a UConn visit will happen, either. But it's not like we haven't already visited and seen the campus and met the coaches.
"I'm not saying Josh is liking one school over the others, but he is getting more comfortable with certain coaching staffs - which is making it a little easier to make a decision. Kansas has been the most consistent throughout the process. (Connecticut assistant) Coach LeFlore has been great. And with Arizona, I have my relationship with Book (assistant coach Emanuel Richardson).
"One staff I'd like to know better is Kentucky. I know Orlando Antigua pretty well, but I would like to get to know Coach Calipari better.
"At one time Josh was going to announce his decision when he finished his visits. Now we are waiting till the Jordan Game, so we can see how all the teams play in the tournament. It has nothing to do with us being concerned with what Brandon (Knight) is doing."
The Jordan Brand Classic is April 17 in Madison Square Garden.
Doron Lamb: Oak Hill Academy is done until the Nike High School Basketball Invitational from April 1-3. Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Connecticut, West Virginia and Oklahoma all remain in the hunt, with no one having a good pulse for which way he's leaning.
Kadeem Jack: New York Rice plays Xaverian on Friday in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals. Arizona remains in the strongest position to land him, but Jack will go on at least another official visit or two, and that's when UA will really have to hold onto its lead.
Jesse Perry: John A. Logan defeated Lincoln Trail on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region 24 tournament. A win in Friday's semifinals would give Logan a berth to the NJCAA national tournament, which is March 16-20. Arizona is doing a good job with Perry, but other schools vying for visits include South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Southern Illinois, Missouri, Iowa State and Missouri.
* Daniel Bejarano's season ended on Wednesday night with his second straight title.
* Jordin Mayes' Westchester squad will take on Woodland Hills Taft on Saturday night for the City Section championship.
* 2011 UA commit Sidiki Johnson will take an unofficial visit to UA this weekend and will be in town for the USC game.
* Saturday will be somewhat of an estranged family reunion on Saturday at McKale Center. Beyond Kevin O'Neill's return, also on USC's bench will be former UA assistant Phil Johnson and ex-student managers Adam Cohen and Ryan Hennick.
During Arizona's crazy 2007-08 season, Cohen and Hennick were loyal workers for O'Neill and he returned the favor by giving them positions on his staff at USC. Cohen is USC's Video Coordinator and Hennick is the Operations Assistant. Cohen spent the 2008-09 season as Graduate Assistant at New Orleans, while Hennick was Events Coordinator at Rice.
* On top of the Senior Day festivities for Nic Wise after Saturday's game, UA will also honor three senior managers who have been a part of perhaps the most tumultuous four years in Arizona basketball history.
Jeff Feld will pursue a career in coaching college basketball and is interested in remaining at Arizona should a position open.
Billy Kelly, who played at La Costa Canyon with Chase Budinger, hopes to land a basketball operations position in the NBA.
Jake Jackson, who has been in the program since 2005-06, will move back to Oregon and pursue a job at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. Jackson was a teammate of Kevin Love's at Lake Oswego.
Football:
* Arizona starts spring football practice on Friday, and the day will begin with Mike Stoops holding a morning press conference discussing the team heading into the spring.
Here's the spring practice schedule:
Friday, March 5, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 6, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 7, tba
Wednesday, March 10, 4 p.m.
(Friday, March 12 - Pro Timing Day)
-Spring Break-
Monday, March 22, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24, 4 p.m.
Friday, March 26, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 27, 9:30 a.m.
Monday, March 29, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31, 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 1, 4 p.m.
Monday, April 5, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 9 (Alumni Weekend)
Saturday, April 10 - Spring Game, 1:30 p.m.
Monday, April 12, 4 p.m.
* Arizona is currently hosting a highly touted unofficial visitor in Rob Hankinshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Rob-Hankins-87898. He was in attendance for the UA/UCLA game on Thursday night, sitting with freshman linebacker Trevor Erno and recruiting coach David Nichol. (JG)
Jason Scheer's weekly recruiting update:
* 6-foot-5, 265-pound Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral offensive lineman Andre Yruretagoyenahttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101135 continues to take his time through his recruitment.
"I can't really say I have any favorites, but the ones I always watched were Oregon, Michigan and U of A (Arizona)," Yruretagoyena tells Rivals.com. "Once I take my visits, I know my opinions will change. Once I get to see the area and the type of people that are around there.”
Yruretagoyena has plans to take his official visits, so do not expect a decision any time soon. However, Arizona is thought to be one of the schools in better position and there is a good chance the Wildcats will be there towards the end, as it likely becomes an Arizona, Michigan, and Oregon fight.
* 6-foot-4, 285-pound Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro offensive lineman Cyrus Hobbihttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=99039 continues to see his recruitment heat up.
Hobbi is racking up the offers and is currently unsure of when he will be able to make a decision.
"With an early commit, you don't have worry throughout the season," Hobbi tells Rivals.com. "I could see myself being a late commit. Just to make sure that's where I really want to go and after taking and visiting everywhere and talking to people. I could see myself being a late commit, but I mean, who knows? It's really open right now."
The general thought is that if Hobbi stays in state, it will likely be with Arizona State. However, much can change over the course of a season and it will be interesting to see if Arizona can have success that makes Hobbi and other recruits think harder about the UA.
* 5-foot-11, 170-pound Vista (Calif.) athlete Stefan McClurehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Stefan-McClure-109227 has an early offer from the UA, but remains open in his recruitment.
"A good coaching staff and a good environment," McClure tells Rivals.com about what he is looking for. "It will also have to have my major and I want to play in a good conference where there is tons of competition, week in and week out.
"I probably going to run out my recruiting until after the season. I'm not planning to take any visits during my season so after my season, I'll probably take a couple of visits and then I'll decide.”
McClure’s biggest strength is his speed and he can play either wide receiver or cornerback. Either way, he is going to be regarded highly because his speed allow him to get open on offense or act as a shut down corner on defense.
* 5-foot-11, 181-pound Houston (Texas) Lamar defensive back Earl Fosterhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Earl-Foster-83688 is starting to have favorites emerge in his recruitment.
"Right now I am getting a lot of letters and stuff letting me know that they are looking at me and that they have seen my film," he tells Rivals.com. "Right now U of H is showing the most interest but I have also heard from LSU, TCU, UT, TCU and Arizona have been in contact too. I have just been getting acquainted with some other schools too and see what all they have to offer."
It may be difficult to get Foster out of Texas, but there is definite mutual interest. Houston is doing a good job with Foster and it seems he is getting new offers every week. At this point, the UA needs to work hard to get him on campus and go from there, as Foster will be highly recruited.
* 6-foot-5, 250-pound Palatine (Ill.) tight end Jack Konopkahttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101173 is starting to see his recruiting attention increase.
“I don't really have any leaders,” he tells OrangeandBlueNews.com. “I haven't really done much research yet to be honest. The only thing is that I'd like to stay somewhat local for college. That's probably somewhere in Big Ten country. Unless I completely fall in love with a school, then I think I'll stay close to home."
Obviously that puts Arizona behind the other schools recruiting Konopka, but the UA has shown a solid ability of landing players from the Midwest. If the Wildcats can get him on campus, there is a legitimate chance of landing him, but that is a long way off as of now.
* 6-foot-3, 180-pound Palmdale (Calif.) wide receiver David Richardshttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=105495 has an offer from Arizona and plans to visit in the future.
"I don't know much right now," Richards said of Arizona. "Coach Nichol is recruiting me. I called him last week and he wants me to come down for the spring game and visit then. I'm going to go down there on April 10."
Arizona should have a decent shot at landing Richards, although we will not know for a while because he is in no rush to make a decision.
* 6-foot-4, 280-pound Springfield (Ill.) Sacred Heart Griffin junior offensive guard Ryan Klachkohttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=85606 is another player that is seeing his recruitment blow up and the Wildcats have gotten in the mix.
“I had been staying in contact with my recruiting coach Bill Bedenbaugh at Arizona for awhile now,” he tells EdgyTim.com. “He really liked my highlight tape and requested some actual game tape. He said that he really liked me on tape and that Arizona was ready to offer me a scholarship.
“I know that Arizona is in warmer weather than here. I also know that Arizona plays in the Pac-10 conference and that they also have a good business school. I plan on majoring in business so having a strong business program is a definite plus."
Arizona is going to have a solid chance at landing Klachko, although it becomes harder as he gets more offers.
* 6-foot-3, 225-pound Los Angeles Salesian defensive end Devon Morelandhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=106438 recently received an offer from Arizona.
"Devon really likes Arizona," Salesian assistant Devah Thomas tells Rivals.com. "He likes the fact that Arizona offered him first and that they were first to take a chance on him. He likes that they have sent players to the league and that they play an aggressive defense because Devon is a very aggressive guy.
"Devon was feeling the vibe at Arizona was the first to offer. I mean he was like why me out of all the defensive ends in the country, Arizona offered me so he feels special about Arizona.”
Those comments bode well for the Wildcats, although Moreland is the type of player that is going to see his offer list increase sooner than later.
* 6-foot-4, 230-pound Cincinnati Moeller defensive end Jesse Hayeshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Jesse-Hayes-101159 has 12 offers and the Wildcats have caught his eye.
"The next time I go out, I'll probably hit some spring practices or spring games,” he tells HuskersIllustrated.com. “I'm just now figuring out my schedule and I'll go from there. I want to see who else offers me, and if I want a particular college to offer me, I'll consider going to their camp.
"I wouldn't say I'm more interested in seeing any one school because I have no favorites, but maybe Arizona just because they're out there in a different part of the country, so I may want to go check them out."
It remains to be seen how solid those plans are, but it is definitely a good thing that the UA has the attention of such a highly regarded player out of the area.
This post was edited on 3/6 2:16 AM by Josh Gershon
Basketball:
* Arizona is close to finalizing its 2010-11 schedule, with all but three contracts signed. Here's the tentative schedule, as of today:
11/14 vs. Idaho State
11/17 vs. Possible Home & Home opponent
11/21 vs. Las Vegas Invitational opponent at McKale (Bethune-Cookman, Valparaiso or Northern Colorado)
11/23 vs. Las Vegas Invitational opponent at McKale (Bethune-Cookman, Valparaiso or Northern Colorado)
11/26 vs. Santa Clara (in Las Vegas for Las Vegas Invitational)
11/27 vs. Kansas (in Las Vegas for Las Vegas Invitational)
12/1 at Rice
12/5 vs. Oklahoma
12/8 vs. Possible one-time home opponent
12/11 at BYU
12/19 at N.C. State
12/22 vs. Bryant
12/27 vs. Possible one-time home opponent
Some other scheduling notes:
- Arizona will open the 2010-11 Pac-10 schedule at Oregon on 12/30, while also closing the Pac-10 season with the Oregon schools at home.
- Don't be surprised if Arizona opts to schedule a closed scrimmage against a D-I opponent on top of playing a D-II team for its two preseason exhibition games, as opposed to two games against D-II teams. This is an emerging trend in college basketball and would give UA the opportunity to see where it stands against a legit opponent as opposed to playing two essentially meaningless D-II games.
- In 2011-12, the only games Arizona is currently in contract for are in the Coaches vs. Classic (2 games at home, 2 games at Madison Square Garden in New York) and at Florida. This is the year that the UA really hopes to be back to the level nationally where it has been over the past two and a half decades, and expect this schedule to be stacked.
- In 2012-13, the only games Arizona is currently in contract for are at home against Florida and vs. Gonzaga in Seattle, the return game for the Wildcats' 2008-09 game against the Zags in Phoenix.
* As the basketball seasons for UA and its recruits comes to a close, focus continues to be off recruiting and finishing strong for both the coaches and prospects. As we've said, once the recruits' seasons comes to a close, they'll start to get serious about choosing a school.
Here's where each recruit's season stands and the latest on their recruitment:
Ray McCallum: Detroit Country Day hasn't started district play yet, and finished its regular season on Thursday night with a loss to Romulus High School. District playoffs are from 3/8 to 3/12 and should McCallum get to the state title it would be on 3/27, which is also the date players are supposed to report to the McDonald's All-American Game for the events leading up to the contest, so there over a few weeks to go before one would expect him to start getting to the next stage in his recruitment.
He's still expected to choose between Detroit, Arizona, UCLA and Florida, with most believing he ends up at Detroit.
Josh Selby: Baltimore Lake Clifton lost in the Class 2A North semifinals against City High School on Thursday night, ending the school's season. Selby has narrowed down his choices to Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky and UConn. The general feeling is that KU leads.
His mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, gave the following update to Rivals.com:
"If Josh continues to win, I don't know that we will be able to make the Kentucky visit," Witherspoon said. "I don't know if a UConn visit will happen, either. But it's not like we haven't already visited and seen the campus and met the coaches.
"I'm not saying Josh is liking one school over the others, but he is getting more comfortable with certain coaching staffs - which is making it a little easier to make a decision. Kansas has been the most consistent throughout the process. (Connecticut assistant) Coach LeFlore has been great. And with Arizona, I have my relationship with Book (assistant coach Emanuel Richardson).
"One staff I'd like to know better is Kentucky. I know Orlando Antigua pretty well, but I would like to get to know Coach Calipari better.
"At one time Josh was going to announce his decision when he finished his visits. Now we are waiting till the Jordan Game, so we can see how all the teams play in the tournament. It has nothing to do with us being concerned with what Brandon (Knight) is doing."
The Jordan Brand Classic is April 17 in Madison Square Garden.
Doron Lamb: Oak Hill Academy is done until the Nike High School Basketball Invitational from April 1-3. Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Connecticut, West Virginia and Oklahoma all remain in the hunt, with no one having a good pulse for which way he's leaning.
Kadeem Jack: New York Rice plays Xaverian on Friday in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals. Arizona remains in the strongest position to land him, but Jack will go on at least another official visit or two, and that's when UA will really have to hold onto its lead.
Jesse Perry: John A. Logan defeated Lincoln Trail on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region 24 tournament. A win in Friday's semifinals would give Logan a berth to the NJCAA national tournament, which is March 16-20. Arizona is doing a good job with Perry, but other schools vying for visits include South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Southern Illinois, Missouri, Iowa State and Missouri.
* Daniel Bejarano's season ended on Wednesday night with his second straight title.
* Jordin Mayes' Westchester squad will take on Woodland Hills Taft on Saturday night for the City Section championship.
* 2011 UA commit Sidiki Johnson will take an unofficial visit to UA this weekend and will be in town for the USC game.
* Saturday will be somewhat of an estranged family reunion on Saturday at McKale Center. Beyond Kevin O'Neill's return, also on USC's bench will be former UA assistant Phil Johnson and ex-student managers Adam Cohen and Ryan Hennick.
During Arizona's crazy 2007-08 season, Cohen and Hennick were loyal workers for O'Neill and he returned the favor by giving them positions on his staff at USC. Cohen is USC's Video Coordinator and Hennick is the Operations Assistant. Cohen spent the 2008-09 season as Graduate Assistant at New Orleans, while Hennick was Events Coordinator at Rice.
* On top of the Senior Day festivities for Nic Wise after Saturday's game, UA will also honor three senior managers who have been a part of perhaps the most tumultuous four years in Arizona basketball history.
Jeff Feld will pursue a career in coaching college basketball and is interested in remaining at Arizona should a position open.
Billy Kelly, who played at La Costa Canyon with Chase Budinger, hopes to land a basketball operations position in the NBA.
Jake Jackson, who has been in the program since 2005-06, will move back to Oregon and pursue a job at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. Jackson was a teammate of Kevin Love's at Lake Oswego.
Football:
* Arizona starts spring football practice on Friday, and the day will begin with Mike Stoops holding a morning press conference discussing the team heading into the spring.
Here's the spring practice schedule:
Friday, March 5, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 6, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 7, tba
Wednesday, March 10, 4 p.m.
(Friday, March 12 - Pro Timing Day)
-Spring Break-
Monday, March 22, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24, 4 p.m.
Friday, March 26, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 27, 9:30 a.m.
Monday, March 29, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31, 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 1, 4 p.m.
Monday, April 5, 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 9 (Alumni Weekend)
Saturday, April 10 - Spring Game, 1:30 p.m.
Monday, April 12, 4 p.m.
* Arizona is currently hosting a highly touted unofficial visitor in Rob Hankinshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Rob-Hankins-87898. He was in attendance for the UA/UCLA game on Thursday night, sitting with freshman linebacker Trevor Erno and recruiting coach David Nichol. (JG)
Jason Scheer's weekly recruiting update:
* 6-foot-5, 265-pound Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral offensive lineman Andre Yruretagoyenahttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101135 continues to take his time through his recruitment.
"I can't really say I have any favorites, but the ones I always watched were Oregon, Michigan and U of A (Arizona)," Yruretagoyena tells Rivals.com. "Once I take my visits, I know my opinions will change. Once I get to see the area and the type of people that are around there.”
Yruretagoyena has plans to take his official visits, so do not expect a decision any time soon. However, Arizona is thought to be one of the schools in better position and there is a good chance the Wildcats will be there towards the end, as it likely becomes an Arizona, Michigan, and Oregon fight.
* 6-foot-4, 285-pound Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro offensive lineman Cyrus Hobbihttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=99039 continues to see his recruitment heat up.
Hobbi is racking up the offers and is currently unsure of when he will be able to make a decision.
"With an early commit, you don't have worry throughout the season," Hobbi tells Rivals.com. "I could see myself being a late commit. Just to make sure that's where I really want to go and after taking and visiting everywhere and talking to people. I could see myself being a late commit, but I mean, who knows? It's really open right now."
The general thought is that if Hobbi stays in state, it will likely be with Arizona State. However, much can change over the course of a season and it will be interesting to see if Arizona can have success that makes Hobbi and other recruits think harder about the UA.
* 5-foot-11, 170-pound Vista (Calif.) athlete Stefan McClurehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Stefan-McClure-109227 has an early offer from the UA, but remains open in his recruitment.
"A good coaching staff and a good environment," McClure tells Rivals.com about what he is looking for. "It will also have to have my major and I want to play in a good conference where there is tons of competition, week in and week out.
"I probably going to run out my recruiting until after the season. I'm not planning to take any visits during my season so after my season, I'll probably take a couple of visits and then I'll decide.”
McClure’s biggest strength is his speed and he can play either wide receiver or cornerback. Either way, he is going to be regarded highly because his speed allow him to get open on offense or act as a shut down corner on defense.
* 5-foot-11, 181-pound Houston (Texas) Lamar defensive back Earl Fosterhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Earl-Foster-83688 is starting to have favorites emerge in his recruitment.
"Right now I am getting a lot of letters and stuff letting me know that they are looking at me and that they have seen my film," he tells Rivals.com. "Right now U of H is showing the most interest but I have also heard from LSU, TCU, UT, TCU and Arizona have been in contact too. I have just been getting acquainted with some other schools too and see what all they have to offer."
It may be difficult to get Foster out of Texas, but there is definite mutual interest. Houston is doing a good job with Foster and it seems he is getting new offers every week. At this point, the UA needs to work hard to get him on campus and go from there, as Foster will be highly recruited.
* 6-foot-5, 250-pound Palatine (Ill.) tight end Jack Konopkahttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=101173 is starting to see his recruiting attention increase.
“I don't really have any leaders,” he tells OrangeandBlueNews.com. “I haven't really done much research yet to be honest. The only thing is that I'd like to stay somewhat local for college. That's probably somewhere in Big Ten country. Unless I completely fall in love with a school, then I think I'll stay close to home."
Obviously that puts Arizona behind the other schools recruiting Konopka, but the UA has shown a solid ability of landing players from the Midwest. If the Wildcats can get him on campus, there is a legitimate chance of landing him, but that is a long way off as of now.
* 6-foot-3, 180-pound Palmdale (Calif.) wide receiver David Richardshttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=105495 has an offer from Arizona and plans to visit in the future.
"I don't know much right now," Richards said of Arizona. "Coach Nichol is recruiting me. I called him last week and he wants me to come down for the spring game and visit then. I'm going to go down there on April 10."
Arizona should have a decent shot at landing Richards, although we will not know for a while because he is in no rush to make a decision.
* 6-foot-4, 280-pound Springfield (Ill.) Sacred Heart Griffin junior offensive guard Ryan Klachkohttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=85606 is another player that is seeing his recruitment blow up and the Wildcats have gotten in the mix.
“I had been staying in contact with my recruiting coach Bill Bedenbaugh at Arizona for awhile now,” he tells EdgyTim.com. “He really liked my highlight tape and requested some actual game tape. He said that he really liked me on tape and that Arizona was ready to offer me a scholarship.
“I know that Arizona is in warmer weather than here. I also know that Arizona plays in the Pac-10 conference and that they also have a good business school. I plan on majoring in business so having a strong business program is a definite plus."
Arizona is going to have a solid chance at landing Klachko, although it becomes harder as he gets more offers.
* 6-foot-3, 225-pound Los Angeles Salesian defensive end Devon Morelandhttp://arizona.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=106438 recently received an offer from Arizona.
"Devon really likes Arizona," Salesian assistant Devah Thomas tells Rivals.com. "He likes the fact that Arizona offered him first and that they were first to take a chance on him. He likes that they have sent players to the league and that they play an aggressive defense because Devon is a very aggressive guy.
"Devon was feeling the vibe at Arizona was the first to offer. I mean he was like why me out of all the defensive ends in the country, Arizona offered me so he feels special about Arizona.”
Those comments bode well for the Wildcats, although Moreland is the type of player that is going to see his offer list increase sooner than later.
* 6-foot-4, 230-pound Cincinnati Moeller defensive end Jesse Hayeshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Jesse-Hayes-101159 has 12 offers and the Wildcats have caught his eye.
"The next time I go out, I'll probably hit some spring practices or spring games,” he tells HuskersIllustrated.com. “I'm just now figuring out my schedule and I'll go from there. I want to see who else offers me, and if I want a particular college to offer me, I'll consider going to their camp.
"I wouldn't say I'm more interested in seeing any one school because I have no favorites, but maybe Arizona just because they're out there in a different part of the country, so I may want to go check them out."
It remains to be seen how solid those plans are, but it is definitely a good thing that the UA has the attention of such a highly regarded player out of the area.
This post was edited on 3/6 2:16 AM by Josh Gershon
