Arizona has landed a commitment from three-star offensive lineman Jaxon McBride this evening. He will not be coming on as a scholarship player, however, as he is being asked to walk on with the Wildcats. McBride certainly has the hope that he can earn a scholarship at some point, even as early as this summer, but for now he's coming in as one impressive walk-on addition for Jedd Fisch and his staff. McBride held offers from Utah and UAB at one point in his recruitment and took visits to programs such as UCLA, USC and West Virginia among many others. There was definite Power Five interest as a high school player coming out of Queen Creek. He decided to take a postgrad prep year, however, and played the 2020 season at Milford Academy in New York. The season wasn't a full one but he was able to get on the field and get some more work in giving him enough film to draw some interest from several programs with TCU recently offering him a walk-on spot.
I was able to watch him in person last year at the Rivals Camp in California and he more than held his own against some stiff competition from across the West region. He has great size at around 6-foot-7 and some good athleticism to work with. He'll have to bulk up a bit more and fine tune his technique but he trains with former UA linebacker Paul Magloire up in Phoenix and that has helped him improve as a player. That connection also didn't hurt the Wildcats in this process.
It is certainly not common that a three-star recruit ends up walking on at a school, so it should absolutely be viewed as an impressive pickup for Fisch and the Wildcats. Having seen him play a little bit and understanding his size I'd be surprised if he doesn't see the field at some point and eventually earn a scholarship. He's a solid prospect and someone I thought would have seen some more offers come his way, but to get him to join the class without using a scholarship spot is a big deal.
Normally some school would take a chance on him just based on his size alone. Fisch and his staff continue to do some good things and Magloire says that Jordan Paopao was the real key in the recruitment and making it happen.
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