It’s been a busy week for basketball recruiting and we’ll cover that extensively in this week’s GOAZCATS.com War Room. It should be noted that as of now we’re not expecting a War Room next week, with the next scheduled War Room being July 30.
Basketball:
The first Evaluation Period is now complete and the UA coaches will now be off until July 22-31. Now that Arizona has seen a number of its 2011, 2012 and 2013 recruits, here’s how UA’s recruiting situation stands:
* Arizona’s dream 2011 recruiting class is now Sidiki Johnson (committed), Jahii Carson and Nick Johnson. Carson and Johnson are priorities for UA and the Wildcats will do what they can to package them together in the same class.
* That being said, UA would still very happily take commitments from Josiah Turner and Quinn Cook, and the Wildcats are in the running for both.
On top of that, Cook is set to unofficially visit UA as soon as the Evaluation Period ends, while Turner could possibly be on campus in August or at least September as well. Arizona would take Turner, Cook or Carson and try to sign them with Nick and Sidiki.
* Other than that, there aren’t a ton of 2011 recruits on the board for UA. In our opinion, Arizona is unlikely to do much more with wings Damien Leonard and Amir Garrett.
* Shooting guard Norman Powell remains on the board, but so far reports are that he hasn’t been playing well, and UCLA is also heavily involved, so he’s probably not much more than someone UA could push for if Nick Johnson falls through for some reason.
* Kadeem Jack remains on the board but in the best case scenario, UA signs three in 2011 and three in 2012, with the two 2011’s being guards and 2012 being post-heavy.
* Going back to the guard situation, how this works out is definitely going to be the story of the class. Arizona had been seriously recruiting Carson before the Evaluation Period, but now that UA has followed him from game to game for 10 days straight, there’s no question how bad the Wildcats want him.
Considering how well Carson has played in July, he’s going to have numerous other schools going after him, but at the end of the day, many think it will come down to Arizona and Arizona State, with the Wildcats having the edge.
On Wednesday, Carson said that U of A was his leader, but he clarified that on Thursday.
“I’ll say U of A and ASU right now, since they’re the hometown schools,” Carson said. “They’re tied right now. The only difference between them is one is an up-tempo school and the other is trying to become an up-tempo school. That’s the only difference right now.”
Is that difference a big factor?
“It is,” Carson said. “I never know if I go to ASU, they might say they want to play up-tempo but it could change when I get there. U of A I know for a fact is up-tempo, especially with the past guards they’ve had.”
Arizona and ASU will both have other competition, as many other schools are trying to remain in the hunt.
“UCLA is in there; they don’t really have a point guard either,” Carson said. “At Washington, I think Isaiah Thomas would be gone by the time I would get there. Mostly Pac-10 schools and schools that need point guards are what I’ll be narrowing it down to at the end of the day.”
North Carolina is the most recent school to get involved with Carson, but it appears unlikely that it becomes serious.
“I got an e-mail from them basically saying, ‘We want you at UNC, do you want to be a Tar Heel?’ Of course everyone wants to be a Tar Heel, but I don’t think that would be a good fit for me. I think I’m going to stay on the West Coast,” Carson said.
* Carson is looking for an up-tempo offense, wants to go to a place that needs a point guard and is giving an edge to the in-state schools. Those and other factors lead one to believe UA is in best position to land him.
However, the question becomes whether or not he’ll make a decision before the other point guard targets on the Wildcats’ board.
UA would take Nick Johnson no matter what, but Arizona has a better chance with Josiah Turner than many realize and is also in the mix with Quinn Cook. Carson currently plans to take official visits, so the biggest challenge with him could end up being timing.
* Moving on to Nick Johnson, it’s a similar situation in that he’s being recruited nationally but it’s expected that it comes down to UA and ASU, with most thinking Arizona has the best chance to land him.
However, can Arizona package Johnson and Carson together? While UA will sell them both on playing in the same backcourt, the issue is that if Arizona lands one of them, you have numerous other coaching staffs immediately beginning to negative recruit against the Wildcats, saying the two can’t coexist.
So while Arizona may have the best odds to land each player individually, landing both is a bigger challenge.
* Staying on that topic, we caught up with Chad Groth, a longtime scout in the state of Arizona, who currently publishes Area Codes Basketball and is close with the Compton Magic AAU program, which features not only Carson but 2012 center Isaiah Austin and guard Gabe York.
First off, Groth reinforced the job that Arizona is doing with Carson right now.
“Sean and the staff are doing a great job,” Groth said. “Whit (UA assistant James Whitford) has done a great job and Jahii is real comfortable with the whole staff. That’s the whole thing with Jahii; he’s got to be real comfortable with the staff. The coaching staff has to be able to teach him and Sean was a point guard.”
A popular debate amongst UA fans is whether or not landing Carson would put UA in the picture with Austin and, to a lesser extent, York. Groth feels that it definitely opens that door for the Wildcats.
“It would help big time,” Groth said. “You have to lock down Jahii first and then you can go hard after Isaiah. They bond so well together. All three of those guys have the chemistry you’d want on a championship team. Everybody knows their role, accepts it and there are no big egos. They’re having fun right now.”
For now, Arizona’s main 2011 goal is landing Carson and Johnson. The key to doing that might be showing Johnson’s party that he doesn’t need to run the show as a point guard in college to prepare himself for the NBA.
“Jerryd Bayless wasn’t really a point guard in college but he’s in the NBA right now,” Groth said, “Everyone knew he had to work on his point guard skills but he can score, and that’s what Nick does possibly better than Jerryd at times. He can score. Nick’s upside, to me, could be better in the long run.
“Nick can play both positions and you look at ex-Wildcats like Gilbert (Arenas) and Jason Terry playing both one and two, and he can have a similar role on the next level.”
Groth thinks landing both is a real possibility and isn’t shy about what the backcourt duo could mean for the future of Arizona basketball.
“I think it’s possible to get them both,” Groth said. “Those coaches do a great job of what they do. A backcourt of Jahii and Nick would be a dream come true for Arizona basketball.
“Not only the University of Arizona but basketball in the state. Two guards from Arizona going to the same school would not only be a huge for Wildcats fans but also basketball fans in the state.
“I think it could be the backcourt in the country; with those two guys they could definitely get to the Final Four. If you’re trying to win a national championship, I think those two guys can help do it. It could even be the best backcourt ever in the University of Arizona history.
“Then, the next year following, if you can land Isaiah and Gabe, you can really go far.”
* Moving on to the 2012 class, Arizona has proved to be on the right players. For the past year, UA has aggressively pursued wings Shabazz Muhammad, Gabe York and Anrio Adams, 3/4 Rosco Allen and posts Grant Jerrett, Alex Murphy, Landen Lucas and Brandon Ashley. UA could also be in the hunt for 2nd rated prospect Isaiah Austin if the Wildcats land Carson.
During the first Evaluation Period, all of these prospects have given reason to continue to be players UA aggressively pursues. While players like Muhammad and Austin will be difficult pulls, Arizona is right there with many of the others.
Arizona knowing who it wants in 2011 has made it easier to focus on 2012 so far in July.
* UA assistant James Whitford trailed Jerrett in Los Angeles. Talking to some around Jerrett, many feel that he ultimately decides between UCLA and Arizona, although he probably doesn’t make a decision for about a year.
Arizona was essentially the first school on him but UCLA has a longtime connection to the family and history has shown that it’s tough to beat the Bruins for an L.A. kid. This could end up being Sean Miller’s first major showdown with UCLA for a Los Angeles recruit, a battle Lute Olson didn’t have much success with in his career.
* Whitford also followed Allen, and was pretty much the only Pac-10 school shadowing him. He and his father unofficially visited UA in June and Arizona has probably done the best job with his recruitment to date.
* Breaking down Arizona’s best case scenario recruiting board, it looks like:
2011-12:
Seniors: Kyle Fogg, Jesse Perry, Brendon Lavender, Alex Jacobson
Juniors: MoMo Jones, Kyryl Natyazhko, Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill, Derrick Williams*
Sophomores: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes
Freshmen: Sidiki Johnson, Nick Johnson, Jahii Carson
It should be noted that Arizona only has 12 scholarships that season and that two of those players won’t be on the roster. Williams has an asterisk because he’s an obvious early entry candidate, and between that and the usual transfer or two, UA won’t have a problem getting to 12.
2012-13 (we’ll go ahead and assume Williams won’t stay until his senior year):
Seniors: MoMo Jones, Kyryl Natyazhko, Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill
Juniors: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes
Sophomores: Sidiki Johnson, Nick Johnson, Jahii Carson
Freshmen: Three players from 2012; most likely a wing plus two bigs.
Arizona ideally would like to take about three players a class, with a scholarship always being open to take an elite player.
* Thursday was a relatively light day for the UA coaching staff. Sean Miller watched Jahii Carson, Grant Jerrett and some younger prospects in Los Angeles. The only thing noteworthy was the fact that Miller flew from North Augusta (S.C.) to Los Angeles just to see Carson and Jerrett play.
Archie Miller spent the day in Minnesota, where prospects such as Quinn Cook and Rosco Allen were playing.
Football:
Jason Scheer’s weekly recruiting breakdown:
* 6-foot-6, 260-pound Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton offensive lineman Tyler Johnstonehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Tyler-Johnstone-101140 continues to weigh his options.
Johnstone likely favors UCLA and Oregon but says he will take his time in making a final decision.
"I won't make it until it feels right," Johnstone tells BruinBlitz.com "Ideally I would like to make it by the middle of season, but if not then, by the end of season.
"I'm going take official visits before I make my decision. I think that is one of the fun things that come out of the recruiting process."
In all honesty, Arizona is a long shot for Johnstone, but the longer his recruitment goes, the better chance the Wildcats are going to have figuring they have a successful season.
* Arizona has offered Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro athlete Brock Hamanhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Brock-Haman-100959.
Haman is being recruited as a H-Back for the UA and although he will not name Arizona as a favorite, it is believed that Arizona is definitely one of his top schools.
"I feel great about the offer,” Haman tells ArizonaVarsity.com. “I mean it’s my first D1 in-state offer. I feel that Arizona is a great program. I have visited the campus and it is very nice. They are definitely one of the top schools that I am looking at."
Right now the biggest competition for Arizona is Oregon State, but things should get interesting if Arizona State offers. At this point, it would be hard to argue that Arizona is not the favorite, but there could be a ways to go in this recruitment.
* In other in-state news, Arizona has made the final eight for Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol lineman Todd Peathttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Todd-Peat Jr.-100956.
"Arizona is most likely going to be good over the next few years," Peat tells ASUDevils.com. “I love how coach (Mike) Stoops is a defensive minded coach. They are also close to home.”
At this point in his recruitment, Arizona State and Stanford are the leaders. It would likely take some instability with Stanford for Peat not to go there, but a great season by ASU could make things interesting. Arizona and Nebraska are likely running third and, while not completely out of it, will likely have difficulty landing Peat.
* Lisle (Ill.) Benet Academy lineman Pat Flavinhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Pat-Flavin-101178 continues to look at options.
One factor that he been talked about with Flavin is whether or not location will play a major role in his decision.
"It is in the sense that if I commit to a school that's close to me, it has its perks," Flavin tells BruinBlitz.com. "My parents can come see me play, even we are playing away because in the Big 10 any distance is pretty much manageable.
"But then that's not something that's going to motivate me as much as the type of school it is and the coaching staff. I think that's just going to be a big plus side, but I think whatever the right school for is for me is where it's going to be. That's the way it has always been throughout the whole process for me."
Arizona has work to do, as the general belief is Cal, Boston College, and UCLA are the favorites. Still, the UA is definitely not out of it and it should be interesting to see what happens if Flavin’s recruitment drags out.
* 6-foot-1, 180-pound Midlothian (Texas) cornerback Eric Agbarojihttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Eric-Agbaroji-98580 is a player to keep an eye on as he recovers from an injury.
"I feel the best I've felt during my high school career" Agbaroji tells PurpleMenace.com. "I'm faster, stronger and more physical than I've ever been.
“I'm going to be a much harder DB to go against than last year because my physical attributes are better than they have ever been. My goal is to be one of the top defensive backs in the nation."
Agbaroji is the type of player that is going to get a lot of offers in a hurry should he prove to be healthy. Do not be surprised if the Wildcats are one of the offers, as they have been watching him for a while.
* Arizona continues to recruit Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro lineman Cyrus Hobbihttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Cyrus-Hobbi-99039.
"I don't have a top five yet, but I'm sure I probably will soon - sometime by the end of this summer before the start of school," he tells TheWolverine.com. "I've been to Cal, UCLA, USC, ASU and Michigan so far. Those are the only ones that I've visited. I wouldn't say those are my top schools, but those are the ones I've visited. I'll probably have a top group in maybe about a month or so.
"I'm going to take some official visits, but I don't think I'll go anywhere else this summer. I might take a couple during the season and a couple after. I don't really know. I'll probably make my decision after the season, but it could be whenever."
UCLA and Arizona State are likely the favorites, although things can change. Simply put, Arizona will have a chance if it has a very strong season and, if not, it is hard to see the UA landing these types of players.
Basketball:
The first Evaluation Period is now complete and the UA coaches will now be off until July 22-31. Now that Arizona has seen a number of its 2011, 2012 and 2013 recruits, here’s how UA’s recruiting situation stands:
* Arizona’s dream 2011 recruiting class is now Sidiki Johnson (committed), Jahii Carson and Nick Johnson. Carson and Johnson are priorities for UA and the Wildcats will do what they can to package them together in the same class.
* That being said, UA would still very happily take commitments from Josiah Turner and Quinn Cook, and the Wildcats are in the running for both.
On top of that, Cook is set to unofficially visit UA as soon as the Evaluation Period ends, while Turner could possibly be on campus in August or at least September as well. Arizona would take Turner, Cook or Carson and try to sign them with Nick and Sidiki.
* Other than that, there aren’t a ton of 2011 recruits on the board for UA. In our opinion, Arizona is unlikely to do much more with wings Damien Leonard and Amir Garrett.
* Shooting guard Norman Powell remains on the board, but so far reports are that he hasn’t been playing well, and UCLA is also heavily involved, so he’s probably not much more than someone UA could push for if Nick Johnson falls through for some reason.
* Kadeem Jack remains on the board but in the best case scenario, UA signs three in 2011 and three in 2012, with the two 2011’s being guards and 2012 being post-heavy.
* Going back to the guard situation, how this works out is definitely going to be the story of the class. Arizona had been seriously recruiting Carson before the Evaluation Period, but now that UA has followed him from game to game for 10 days straight, there’s no question how bad the Wildcats want him.
Considering how well Carson has played in July, he’s going to have numerous other schools going after him, but at the end of the day, many think it will come down to Arizona and Arizona State, with the Wildcats having the edge.
On Wednesday, Carson said that U of A was his leader, but he clarified that on Thursday.
“I’ll say U of A and ASU right now, since they’re the hometown schools,” Carson said. “They’re tied right now. The only difference between them is one is an up-tempo school and the other is trying to become an up-tempo school. That’s the only difference right now.”
Is that difference a big factor?
“It is,” Carson said. “I never know if I go to ASU, they might say they want to play up-tempo but it could change when I get there. U of A I know for a fact is up-tempo, especially with the past guards they’ve had.”
Arizona and ASU will both have other competition, as many other schools are trying to remain in the hunt.
“UCLA is in there; they don’t really have a point guard either,” Carson said. “At Washington, I think Isaiah Thomas would be gone by the time I would get there. Mostly Pac-10 schools and schools that need point guards are what I’ll be narrowing it down to at the end of the day.”
North Carolina is the most recent school to get involved with Carson, but it appears unlikely that it becomes serious.
“I got an e-mail from them basically saying, ‘We want you at UNC, do you want to be a Tar Heel?’ Of course everyone wants to be a Tar Heel, but I don’t think that would be a good fit for me. I think I’m going to stay on the West Coast,” Carson said.
* Carson is looking for an up-tempo offense, wants to go to a place that needs a point guard and is giving an edge to the in-state schools. Those and other factors lead one to believe UA is in best position to land him.
However, the question becomes whether or not he’ll make a decision before the other point guard targets on the Wildcats’ board.
UA would take Nick Johnson no matter what, but Arizona has a better chance with Josiah Turner than many realize and is also in the mix with Quinn Cook. Carson currently plans to take official visits, so the biggest challenge with him could end up being timing.
* Moving on to Nick Johnson, it’s a similar situation in that he’s being recruited nationally but it’s expected that it comes down to UA and ASU, with most thinking Arizona has the best chance to land him.
However, can Arizona package Johnson and Carson together? While UA will sell them both on playing in the same backcourt, the issue is that if Arizona lands one of them, you have numerous other coaching staffs immediately beginning to negative recruit against the Wildcats, saying the two can’t coexist.
So while Arizona may have the best odds to land each player individually, landing both is a bigger challenge.
* Staying on that topic, we caught up with Chad Groth, a longtime scout in the state of Arizona, who currently publishes Area Codes Basketball and is close with the Compton Magic AAU program, which features not only Carson but 2012 center Isaiah Austin and guard Gabe York.
First off, Groth reinforced the job that Arizona is doing with Carson right now.
“Sean and the staff are doing a great job,” Groth said. “Whit (UA assistant James Whitford) has done a great job and Jahii is real comfortable with the whole staff. That’s the whole thing with Jahii; he’s got to be real comfortable with the staff. The coaching staff has to be able to teach him and Sean was a point guard.”
A popular debate amongst UA fans is whether or not landing Carson would put UA in the picture with Austin and, to a lesser extent, York. Groth feels that it definitely opens that door for the Wildcats.
“It would help big time,” Groth said. “You have to lock down Jahii first and then you can go hard after Isaiah. They bond so well together. All three of those guys have the chemistry you’d want on a championship team. Everybody knows their role, accepts it and there are no big egos. They’re having fun right now.”
For now, Arizona’s main 2011 goal is landing Carson and Johnson. The key to doing that might be showing Johnson’s party that he doesn’t need to run the show as a point guard in college to prepare himself for the NBA.
“Jerryd Bayless wasn’t really a point guard in college but he’s in the NBA right now,” Groth said, “Everyone knew he had to work on his point guard skills but he can score, and that’s what Nick does possibly better than Jerryd at times. He can score. Nick’s upside, to me, could be better in the long run.
“Nick can play both positions and you look at ex-Wildcats like Gilbert (Arenas) and Jason Terry playing both one and two, and he can have a similar role on the next level.”
Groth thinks landing both is a real possibility and isn’t shy about what the backcourt duo could mean for the future of Arizona basketball.
“I think it’s possible to get them both,” Groth said. “Those coaches do a great job of what they do. A backcourt of Jahii and Nick would be a dream come true for Arizona basketball.
“Not only the University of Arizona but basketball in the state. Two guards from Arizona going to the same school would not only be a huge for Wildcats fans but also basketball fans in the state.
“I think it could be the backcourt in the country; with those two guys they could definitely get to the Final Four. If you’re trying to win a national championship, I think those two guys can help do it. It could even be the best backcourt ever in the University of Arizona history.
“Then, the next year following, if you can land Isaiah and Gabe, you can really go far.”
* Moving on to the 2012 class, Arizona has proved to be on the right players. For the past year, UA has aggressively pursued wings Shabazz Muhammad, Gabe York and Anrio Adams, 3/4 Rosco Allen and posts Grant Jerrett, Alex Murphy, Landen Lucas and Brandon Ashley. UA could also be in the hunt for 2nd rated prospect Isaiah Austin if the Wildcats land Carson.
During the first Evaluation Period, all of these prospects have given reason to continue to be players UA aggressively pursues. While players like Muhammad and Austin will be difficult pulls, Arizona is right there with many of the others.
Arizona knowing who it wants in 2011 has made it easier to focus on 2012 so far in July.
* UA assistant James Whitford trailed Jerrett in Los Angeles. Talking to some around Jerrett, many feel that he ultimately decides between UCLA and Arizona, although he probably doesn’t make a decision for about a year.
Arizona was essentially the first school on him but UCLA has a longtime connection to the family and history has shown that it’s tough to beat the Bruins for an L.A. kid. This could end up being Sean Miller’s first major showdown with UCLA for a Los Angeles recruit, a battle Lute Olson didn’t have much success with in his career.
* Whitford also followed Allen, and was pretty much the only Pac-10 school shadowing him. He and his father unofficially visited UA in June and Arizona has probably done the best job with his recruitment to date.
* Breaking down Arizona’s best case scenario recruiting board, it looks like:
2011-12:
Seniors: Kyle Fogg, Jesse Perry, Brendon Lavender, Alex Jacobson
Juniors: MoMo Jones, Kyryl Natyazhko, Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill, Derrick Williams*
Sophomores: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes
Freshmen: Sidiki Johnson, Nick Johnson, Jahii Carson
It should be noted that Arizona only has 12 scholarships that season and that two of those players won’t be on the roster. Williams has an asterisk because he’s an obvious early entry candidate, and between that and the usual transfer or two, UA won’t have a problem getting to 12.
2012-13 (we’ll go ahead and assume Williams won’t stay until his senior year):
Seniors: MoMo Jones, Kyryl Natyazhko, Kevin Parrom, Solomon Hill
Juniors: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes
Sophomores: Sidiki Johnson, Nick Johnson, Jahii Carson
Freshmen: Three players from 2012; most likely a wing plus two bigs.
Arizona ideally would like to take about three players a class, with a scholarship always being open to take an elite player.
* Thursday was a relatively light day for the UA coaching staff. Sean Miller watched Jahii Carson, Grant Jerrett and some younger prospects in Los Angeles. The only thing noteworthy was the fact that Miller flew from North Augusta (S.C.) to Los Angeles just to see Carson and Jerrett play.
Archie Miller spent the day in Minnesota, where prospects such as Quinn Cook and Rosco Allen were playing.
Football:
Jason Scheer’s weekly recruiting breakdown:
* 6-foot-6, 260-pound Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton offensive lineman Tyler Johnstonehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Tyler-Johnstone-101140 continues to weigh his options.
Johnstone likely favors UCLA and Oregon but says he will take his time in making a final decision.
"I won't make it until it feels right," Johnstone tells BruinBlitz.com "Ideally I would like to make it by the middle of season, but if not then, by the end of season.
"I'm going take official visits before I make my decision. I think that is one of the fun things that come out of the recruiting process."
In all honesty, Arizona is a long shot for Johnstone, but the longer his recruitment goes, the better chance the Wildcats are going to have figuring they have a successful season.
* Arizona has offered Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro athlete Brock Hamanhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Brock-Haman-100959.
Haman is being recruited as a H-Back for the UA and although he will not name Arizona as a favorite, it is believed that Arizona is definitely one of his top schools.
"I feel great about the offer,” Haman tells ArizonaVarsity.com. “I mean it’s my first D1 in-state offer. I feel that Arizona is a great program. I have visited the campus and it is very nice. They are definitely one of the top schools that I am looking at."
Right now the biggest competition for Arizona is Oregon State, but things should get interesting if Arizona State offers. At this point, it would be hard to argue that Arizona is not the favorite, but there could be a ways to go in this recruitment.
* In other in-state news, Arizona has made the final eight for Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol lineman Todd Peathttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Todd-Peat Jr.-100956.
"Arizona is most likely going to be good over the next few years," Peat tells ASUDevils.com. “I love how coach (Mike) Stoops is a defensive minded coach. They are also close to home.”
At this point in his recruitment, Arizona State and Stanford are the leaders. It would likely take some instability with Stanford for Peat not to go there, but a great season by ASU could make things interesting. Arizona and Nebraska are likely running third and, while not completely out of it, will likely have difficulty landing Peat.
* Lisle (Ill.) Benet Academy lineman Pat Flavinhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Pat-Flavin-101178 continues to look at options.
One factor that he been talked about with Flavin is whether or not location will play a major role in his decision.
"It is in the sense that if I commit to a school that's close to me, it has its perks," Flavin tells BruinBlitz.com. "My parents can come see me play, even we are playing away because in the Big 10 any distance is pretty much manageable.
"But then that's not something that's going to motivate me as much as the type of school it is and the coaching staff. I think that's just going to be a big plus side, but I think whatever the right school for is for me is where it's going to be. That's the way it has always been throughout the whole process for me."
Arizona has work to do, as the general belief is Cal, Boston College, and UCLA are the favorites. Still, the UA is definitely not out of it and it should be interesting to see what happens if Flavin’s recruitment drags out.
* 6-foot-1, 180-pound Midlothian (Texas) cornerback Eric Agbarojihttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Eric-Agbaroji-98580 is a player to keep an eye on as he recovers from an injury.
"I feel the best I've felt during my high school career" Agbaroji tells PurpleMenace.com. "I'm faster, stronger and more physical than I've ever been.
“I'm going to be a much harder DB to go against than last year because my physical attributes are better than they have ever been. My goal is to be one of the top defensive backs in the nation."
Agbaroji is the type of player that is going to get a lot of offers in a hurry should he prove to be healthy. Do not be surprised if the Wildcats are one of the offers, as they have been watching him for a while.
* Arizona continues to recruit Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro lineman Cyrus Hobbihttp://rivals.yahoo.com/arizona/football/recruiting/player-Cyrus-Hobbi-99039.
"I don't have a top five yet, but I'm sure I probably will soon - sometime by the end of this summer before the start of school," he tells TheWolverine.com. "I've been to Cal, UCLA, USC, ASU and Michigan so far. Those are the only ones that I've visited. I wouldn't say those are my top schools, but those are the ones I've visited. I'll probably have a top group in maybe about a month or so.
"I'm going to take some official visits, but I don't think I'll go anywhere else this summer. I might take a couple during the season and a couple after. I don't really know. I'll probably make my decision after the season, but it could be whenever."
UCLA and Arizona State are likely the favorites, although things can change. Simply put, Arizona will have a chance if it has a very strong season and, if not, it is hard to see the UA landing these types of players.
