Other notable offers: Boston College, Maryland, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Rundown: Arizona has had recent success with Canadian prospects as two players from that country, Leif Magnuson and Paris Shand, are set to begin their careers with the Wildcats this season. Earlier this week the UA coaching staff decided to jump into the mix with another Canadian recruit as the program offered 2022 middle linebacker prospect Edwin Wilson Tara Kolenge who is from Montreal but plays his high school football in Florida at Clearwater Academy International. Arizona is the first Pac-12 program to offer the 6-foot-3 prospect but he has several other Power Five offers on the table at this stage.
That's what makes him a bit different than some of the other Canadian recruits the Wildcats have offered and landed so far. Kolenge is not a mystery to Power Five programs so there will be plenty of competition for the standout junior linebacker. Maryland has emerged as a potential favorite early in the process, but UA's connections to Canada could certainly help if the 2022 recruit decides he is comfortable leaving the East Coast.
At this point since he is going to be playing college football outside of his home country anyway, he is not viewing the potential of playing far away from home as a negative for any program that is in pursuit.
“I just want to go to a school that will be a great fit for me,” Kolenge previously told Terrapin Sports Report.
He does plan to take official visits when that time comes, so as of now he is not in any rush to make a decision about his future because he will not be able to see schools up close until next year.
There was an early rush of interest for Kolenge after he camped in the United States last year. He eventually returned home to Canada before making the move to Florida early in the spring. The coronavirus pandemic forced him to return home, but he is back in Florida and already has three games under his belt with Clearwater Academy and that has grabbed the attention of more programs including Arizona.
The 6-foot-3 linebacker has impressive early junior film already and there are quite a few things that stand out. He checks off a lot of the boxes coaches are looking for in a linebacker recruit. He is an aggressive playmaker who has a knack for getting in the backfield, but he also has the athleticism to cover receivers down the field. Arizona is going to continue to focus on building up the linebacker unit under new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads so Kolenge fits right into what the Wildcats are looking for at the position.
Rhoads will serve as the lead recruiter for UA in the team's pursuit of the Canadian linebacker.
