The summer will begin its next transition in the next week as things will shift once again on the hardwood and on the field. Vacation time will soon be over as teams on campus get back to work this week and coaches will return soon and start to get back on recruiting as well.
It is a busy time as always for Arizona so let’s jump right into this week’s GOAZCATS.com War Room.
Football recruiting
Arizona’s current players had some time off and that meant a little vacation time for the UA coaching staff with the recruiting dead period still going on, so we will just get right into the recruiting side of things since it was a quiet time with the current team over the last week.
* We will start this week with a look at the first numbered Rivals100 list for the 2017 class. Rivals.com released the list Monday morning and there are some familiar names throughout the list. We will take a look at some of the most notable early Arizona targets to make the list as the class now has some numbers attached to the rankings.
- We’ll start at the top with the five-star prospect Arizona was the first to offer. Newbury Park, California standout cornerback Darnay Holmes picked up his offer from UA back in his freshman year right as his brother Darick Holmes was committing to the Wildcats. Since then the younger Holmes has entirely blown up in his recruitment and now he has his choice of options to continue his football career.
Up to this point it has been Stanford and UCLA that feel the best about him, but Arizona remains in the picture because it was the first school to offer and because Holmes has expressed a big desire to continue playing alongside his brother. From the beginning of the process GOAZCATS.com was always told it would either be Arizona (with his brother) or Stanford, which Holmes has said is his dream school.
For now Arizona is likely to remain in the picture up until the end of his decision process. Holmes is rated at No. 11 in the first Rivals100 rankings.
- The next highest-rated Arizona target on the list is four-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis at No. 27 overall. The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout has a ton of offers already and they are from some of the biggest programs in the country. GOAZCATS.com was watched Davis on a few different occasions and he has been very impressive. He’s strong and has good technique plus he does not have too much bad weight on him. Davis has been dominant when we have watched him this offseason.
When it comes to his recruitment Arizona - at this stage - is on the outside looking in as he has already visited places like Alabama, Florida and Miami. In addition to that he plans on seeing Nebraska, Missouri (his dad’s alma mater), Oklahoma and others this summer as he continues to look at his options. In the end it might be tough to get him out of Southern California, but for now he is looking at his options.
"Davis is an incredibly nice person off the field but once he steps between the lines, the massive offensive lineman is tough, fierce and really looks to dominate his opponent on every rep,” Rivals.com West analyst Adam Gorney wrote Monday. “Davis showed at the Five-Star Challenge that he moves well enough to play tackle but he could be super special at offensive guard where he can own the middle of the line and open up holes for running backs as a road grader with good feet."
- One of Monday’s front page articles at GOAZCATS.com was an updated with the No. 32 prospect in the 2017 class, Stephen Carr. The Fontana (Calif.) Summit all-purpose back ended his recruitment before it really had a chance to take off earlier this year after USC jumped in with an offer. That meant an early decision for the four-star prospect and he remains locked in with the Trojans. Still, there are always going to be schools coming after prospects despite being committed and Arizona is one of the schools that offered him since that time.
The Wildcats came with an offer last month and the 6-foot standout said he likes knowing that if something goes wrong with USC over the next two years he would have another option in the Pac-12. Arizona has started to work its way more into the Inland Empire area of California and it will continued to look at Carr as an option.
"Carr has excellent size and speed so he can bowl over smaller defenders and keep running or the USC commit can get to the outside and run by people,” Gorney wrote Monday. “What was also impressive to see this off-season was Carr's ability to catch the ball coming out of the backfield or motion to a receiver spot, run excellent routes and then haul in passes. As a runner or receiver out of the backfield, Carr can be a dynamic addition to the Trojans' offense in the coming years."
- Arizona’s best chance to land a prospect currently in the Rivals100 could come from within the state boarders. Four-star offensive tackle Austin Jackson from Phoenix (Ariz.) North Canyon checks in at No. 45 and the Wildcats have already established themselves right in the mix with the 6-foot-6 prospect. Jackson picked up his offer from Arizona earlier this year and since then he has continued to add more offers. Still, it is Arizona that could end up being the team to beat when all is said and done.
Jackson is expected to take plenty of visits to Tucson by the time his recruitment is over and Arizona will have a good a shot as any other program to land him. Auburn, Michigan, Oregon, USC and Washington are just a few of the other programs that have offered.
"Jackson manhandled any defensive end that stepped up to him at the USC Rising Stars Camp and earned a Trojans offer for his efforts,” Rivals.com West analyst Blair Angulo wrote Monday. He is athletic, able to move away from the line of scrimmage and hit the second level, but also has a solid base to pass protect."
- Another recruit Arizona has focused in on in the class is the No. 51 prospect, Nathan Tilford. The Upland, California athlete prospect won the running back MVP award this spring at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Southern California and he remains a big-time target for a number of programs. Arizona continues to be one of the schools staying the most steady with him up to this point, but he will have his choice of schools as things continue to unfold. Both Los Angeles schools have offered along with Arizona State, Michigan and Nebraska.
Tilford rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore to go along with 15 touchdowns, and he also caught 12 passes for almost 150 yards and two more scores through the air. Michigan and UCLA look like the early programs to beat but Arizona has remained consistent with things in this one.
“The four-star was a tough cover out of the backfield, using his speed to blow past linebackers and his size to go up for the football,” Angulo wrote of Tilford’s performance at the Rivals Camp. “Tilford looked as dominant as he's ever been, showing off strong hands and a quick burst off the snap.”
- Jack Anderson checks in at No. 60 on the list and the Frisco, Texas standout center prospect has his choice of programs even at this early stage in the process. Anderson picked up an offer from Arizona earlier this year, but getting him out of Texas could prove to be a tough task. Anderson could play any number of positions along the offensive line and that has brought the 6-foot-4 recruit plenty of attention already.
Anderson’s family has strong ties to Texas Tech and not surprisingly that is one school at the forefront of his recruitment already. Texas A&M, SMU, Oklahoma, Miami and Arkansas are some others standing out to him early. At this stage it will be an uphill battle for Arizona as things play out, which is one reason you do not see Arizona dip into Texas as much under Rich Rodriguez.
“He is known as one of the more versatile offensive line prospects in the country,” Rivals.com Southwest recruiting analyst Jason Howell wrote this week. “The 6-foot-4, 275-pound standout has the ability to play any position on the offensive line at a high level and as a junior-to-be he is already a veteran on the recruiting circuit.”
- Next on the notable list is Terrell Bynum at No. 66. The Anaheim (Calif.) Servite receiver has already visited Tucson with his Team 19 7-on-7 team this year and Arizona is one of the many schools to have already offered him. The four-star prospect has built a nice name for himself up to this point and the 6-foot-1 prospect has the offer list to back it up. He of course has UCLA and USC on his list but others such as Louisville, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington are on that list as well among others.
“He’s a great route runner, that he can go deep when needed and that he can get open in any situation,” Angulo wrote about Bynum recently after the USC camp. “Time and again, the four-star prospect made nice moves to free himself, whether it was a short hitch route or when he went deep and make numerous impressive catches. Almost every time Bynum lined up throughout the day, he came down with the ball.”
It is a busy time as always for Arizona so let’s jump right into this week’s GOAZCATS.com War Room.
Football recruiting
Arizona’s current players had some time off and that meant a little vacation time for the UA coaching staff with the recruiting dead period still going on, so we will just get right into the recruiting side of things since it was a quiet time with the current team over the last week.
* We will start this week with a look at the first numbered Rivals100 list for the 2017 class. Rivals.com released the list Monday morning and there are some familiar names throughout the list. We will take a look at some of the most notable early Arizona targets to make the list as the class now has some numbers attached to the rankings.
- We’ll start at the top with the five-star prospect Arizona was the first to offer. Newbury Park, California standout cornerback Darnay Holmes picked up his offer from UA back in his freshman year right as his brother Darick Holmes was committing to the Wildcats. Since then the younger Holmes has entirely blown up in his recruitment and now he has his choice of options to continue his football career.
Up to this point it has been Stanford and UCLA that feel the best about him, but Arizona remains in the picture because it was the first school to offer and because Holmes has expressed a big desire to continue playing alongside his brother. From the beginning of the process GOAZCATS.com was always told it would either be Arizona (with his brother) or Stanford, which Holmes has said is his dream school.
For now Arizona is likely to remain in the picture up until the end of his decision process. Holmes is rated at No. 11 in the first Rivals100 rankings.
- The next highest-rated Arizona target on the list is four-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis at No. 27 overall. The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout has a ton of offers already and they are from some of the biggest programs in the country. GOAZCATS.com was watched Davis on a few different occasions and he has been very impressive. He’s strong and has good technique plus he does not have too much bad weight on him. Davis has been dominant when we have watched him this offseason.
When it comes to his recruitment Arizona - at this stage - is on the outside looking in as he has already visited places like Alabama, Florida and Miami. In addition to that he plans on seeing Nebraska, Missouri (his dad’s alma mater), Oklahoma and others this summer as he continues to look at his options. In the end it might be tough to get him out of Southern California, but for now he is looking at his options.
"Davis is an incredibly nice person off the field but once he steps between the lines, the massive offensive lineman is tough, fierce and really looks to dominate his opponent on every rep,” Rivals.com West analyst Adam Gorney wrote Monday. “Davis showed at the Five-Star Challenge that he moves well enough to play tackle but he could be super special at offensive guard where he can own the middle of the line and open up holes for running backs as a road grader with good feet."
- One of Monday’s front page articles at GOAZCATS.com was an updated with the No. 32 prospect in the 2017 class, Stephen Carr. The Fontana (Calif.) Summit all-purpose back ended his recruitment before it really had a chance to take off earlier this year after USC jumped in with an offer. That meant an early decision for the four-star prospect and he remains locked in with the Trojans. Still, there are always going to be schools coming after prospects despite being committed and Arizona is one of the schools that offered him since that time.
The Wildcats came with an offer last month and the 6-foot standout said he likes knowing that if something goes wrong with USC over the next two years he would have another option in the Pac-12. Arizona has started to work its way more into the Inland Empire area of California and it will continued to look at Carr as an option.
"Carr has excellent size and speed so he can bowl over smaller defenders and keep running or the USC commit can get to the outside and run by people,” Gorney wrote Monday. “What was also impressive to see this off-season was Carr's ability to catch the ball coming out of the backfield or motion to a receiver spot, run excellent routes and then haul in passes. As a runner or receiver out of the backfield, Carr can be a dynamic addition to the Trojans' offense in the coming years."
- Arizona’s best chance to land a prospect currently in the Rivals100 could come from within the state boarders. Four-star offensive tackle Austin Jackson from Phoenix (Ariz.) North Canyon checks in at No. 45 and the Wildcats have already established themselves right in the mix with the 6-foot-6 prospect. Jackson picked up his offer from Arizona earlier this year and since then he has continued to add more offers. Still, it is Arizona that could end up being the team to beat when all is said and done.
Jackson is expected to take plenty of visits to Tucson by the time his recruitment is over and Arizona will have a good a shot as any other program to land him. Auburn, Michigan, Oregon, USC and Washington are just a few of the other programs that have offered.
"Jackson manhandled any defensive end that stepped up to him at the USC Rising Stars Camp and earned a Trojans offer for his efforts,” Rivals.com West analyst Blair Angulo wrote Monday. He is athletic, able to move away from the line of scrimmage and hit the second level, but also has a solid base to pass protect."
- Another recruit Arizona has focused in on in the class is the No. 51 prospect, Nathan Tilford. The Upland, California athlete prospect won the running back MVP award this spring at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Southern California and he remains a big-time target for a number of programs. Arizona continues to be one of the schools staying the most steady with him up to this point, but he will have his choice of schools as things continue to unfold. Both Los Angeles schools have offered along with Arizona State, Michigan and Nebraska.
Tilford rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore to go along with 15 touchdowns, and he also caught 12 passes for almost 150 yards and two more scores through the air. Michigan and UCLA look like the early programs to beat but Arizona has remained consistent with things in this one.
“The four-star was a tough cover out of the backfield, using his speed to blow past linebackers and his size to go up for the football,” Angulo wrote of Tilford’s performance at the Rivals Camp. “Tilford looked as dominant as he's ever been, showing off strong hands and a quick burst off the snap.”
- Jack Anderson checks in at No. 60 on the list and the Frisco, Texas standout center prospect has his choice of programs even at this early stage in the process. Anderson picked up an offer from Arizona earlier this year, but getting him out of Texas could prove to be a tough task. Anderson could play any number of positions along the offensive line and that has brought the 6-foot-4 recruit plenty of attention already.
Anderson’s family has strong ties to Texas Tech and not surprisingly that is one school at the forefront of his recruitment already. Texas A&M, SMU, Oklahoma, Miami and Arkansas are some others standing out to him early. At this stage it will be an uphill battle for Arizona as things play out, which is one reason you do not see Arizona dip into Texas as much under Rich Rodriguez.
“He is known as one of the more versatile offensive line prospects in the country,” Rivals.com Southwest recruiting analyst Jason Howell wrote this week. “The 6-foot-4, 275-pound standout has the ability to play any position on the offensive line at a high level and as a junior-to-be he is already a veteran on the recruiting circuit.”
- Next on the notable list is Terrell Bynum at No. 66. The Anaheim (Calif.) Servite receiver has already visited Tucson with his Team 19 7-on-7 team this year and Arizona is one of the many schools to have already offered him. The four-star prospect has built a nice name for himself up to this point and the 6-foot-1 prospect has the offer list to back it up. He of course has UCLA and USC on his list but others such as Louisville, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington are on that list as well among others.
“He’s a great route runner, that he can go deep when needed and that he can get open in any situation,” Angulo wrote about Bynum recently after the USC camp. “Time and again, the four-star prospect made nice moves to free himself, whether it was a short hitch route or when he went deep and make numerous impressive catches. Almost every time Bynum lined up throughout the day, he came down with the ball.”
