Other offers: Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
Rundown: Arizona has landed a commitment from California athlete recruit James Bohls today after he spent the last couple days in Tucson on an "unofficial" unofficial visit under the current NCAA recruiting dead period rules. He was not allowed to meet with the staff or see all the facilities, but seeing UA in person was an important aspect of his recruitment that the wanted to check off before giving the coaching staff his commitment.
This was an interesting recruitment to see play out because the only reason Bohls is committed today is because his high school teammate Cole Batson decided to decommit from the Wildcats earlier in the week. Batson has since committed to Boston College, but his decision opened the door for Bohls to make his choice. The Wildcats don't want Bohls at running back or cornerback, the two positions he played as a junior, and instead are looking for him to be an inside linebacker at the next level. So, when Batson decided to make his move to eventually pick BC it opened a spot in UA's 2021 class allowing Bohls to then commit to the Wildcats.
It wasn't planned out that way, but Arizona certainly made an effort to get Bohls in the mix as soon as it became clear Batson was headed elsewhere. Obviously there is quite a bit to unpack with this one, but the biggest aspect of the future for Bohls at UA will be whether or not he can ultimately make a successful transition to a new position. He has played linebacker before but that was very early in his high school career with his focus being on running back and cornerback lately. He's expected to remain in the secondary this season, along with playing running back again, but it will be interesting to see if knowing his future plans will change the current plans for his high school coaching staff.
If not, he will be playing linebacker for the first time, truly, when he arrives to college. That is going to come with an adjustment period so expecting that he will be making a huge impact right away would be a bit of a stretch as it stands right now. He should get an opportunity to get on the field, however, as the Wildcats will need plenty of help at linebacker next year. There is a clear lack of depth at the position right now and while UA has addressed that, somewhat, in recruiting for next year (2021-22) there is certainly a big need for impactful inside linebackers that remains. I like what Bohls brings to the table overall as an athlete and that is going to be important as he makes the move to a new position at Arizona. He has good enough size for the linebacker spot at around 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He isn't afraid of physicality and he has impressive speed that should translate well no matter what side of the ball he's on.
His tackling ability shows up on film and his special teams highlights show a player who has an impressive closing ability with the talent and athleticism to make open-field tackles. Naturally, his background as a defensive back should give him an advantage in coverage and that has been something Arizona's linebackers have struggled with in recent years. There is absolutely some upside there as a linebacker and it is clear to see what Arizona likes about him at the position, so he will be one player to continue to track as the process moves ahead and he ultimately gets a chance to step on the field again.
For now, he is another piece to the puzzle for new coordinator Paul Rhoads and the Arizona defense.
