It's the start of a busy recruiting weekend for Arizona with coaches headed all over the country over the next couple days. There will likely be some new offers that come out of the weekend, but the staff already got going with a handful of new offers Thursday. Brennan Carroll is on the hunt for more offensive linemen in this class. Arizona understands it needs to upgrade the talent there, and at this point many of the top options on the board have already picked other schools or are no longer considering UA. That means Carroll has to look for other options. He did so Thursday by offering a pair of teammates from Utah who are starting to see their recruitments pick up a bit more.
Tyler Knaak is a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah who is starting to build a notable recruiting profile. He picked up an offer from Nevada yesterday, but he has previous offers from programs such as Arizona State, Kansas, Liberty and Rice in addition to a couple other smaller offers. He is still a bit raw, but he showcases some nice natural athleticism on film along with an ability to get to the second level. He also is a big-time wrestler who has that element to his background as well.
Knaak currently plays right tackle for his team, but he's someone I could ultimately moving inside based on his ability to pull and get up field. I definitely view him as more of a project, but Arizona desperately wants and needs some more size up front and it is clear Knaak has that working in his favor. Most of his offers have come in the last month since the start of his senior season, so there is no clear picture on where he could end up at this stage. However, from the sounds of it the offer from Arizona is a significant one for him.
He's gained some Ivy League interest already and that can make things a bit challenging for Arizona with a recruit like Knaak, but the uncertainty at ASU could end up putting the Wildcats right where they want to be in the end.
Jacob Reece is already committed to another school. The Brighton left tackle is definitely the more physical of the two offensive line prospects from the school. He's much more of a mauler than Knaak, and his power definitely shows up on tape. He is a bit more of a polished product at this stage in his development, but he just doesn't quite have the same length as Knaak. That certainly doesn't hinder his impact much, as he has some strong midseason film already.
Reece has been committed to Utah State since July, but the Arizona offer certainly has a chance to change things up. I'm not convinced that either prospect would be able to help the team next season, but adding a couple more pieces to the group isn't a bad thing.
Getting a little bit of leeway from the NCAA because of the expected expansion of recruiting limits to allow for schools to add transfers without them counting toward the yearly recruiting total means the Wildcats can take a couple prospects who might not be ready to contribute next season. Both prospects still need a bit more work before being game ready at the college level, but I do like both offers for the program. It also shows that Arizona knows where its weakness is and is trying to address it right now in recruiting.
Underclassmen teammates offered by Arizona in SoCal
Arizona is clearly trying to build a connection to Muir High School in Pasadena. The Wildcats recently jumped in first with 2024 defensive back Isaiah Blades, and Thursday defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker made a couple more offers to prospects at the school. Wesley Ekpo is the older of the two prospects, and his offer from the Wildcats is his first in the process. The 6-foot-4 defensive tackle has impressive size, but no other schools have decided to offer him before today. He is a bit of an under-the-radar recruit at this stage as a 2023 prospect, but he has plenty of time to begin gaining some attention. Arizona entering the picture will undoubtedly give him some more attention on the recruiting side of things.
He actually has some impressive natural athleticism despite being as big as he is. Ekpo also plays on both sides of the ball at Muir as a key piece along the offensive line as well. His future is on defense, however, and he plays the game with the type of tenacity the UA coaches like to see. There is still plenty of work to be done in the coming years, but he has the raw talent to be successful at the next level.
Athlete prospect Turran Williams is just getting his recruiting process going at this stage, but Arizona is not the first school to offer the 2024 prospect. Utah has already jumped in with an offer to the two-way recruit having offered him a couple weeks ago. Like the other prospects on this list, Williams has great size as he checks in at about 6-foot-4 giving him some opportunities to play on either side of the ball. He does that currently at Muir as both a receiver and free safety. Walker and the rest of the UA defensive staff want to continue adding length in the secondary, and though he could play receiver Williams certainly looks like a natural fit as a defensive back.
He showcases impressive instincts on film and has a knack for finding the ball in coverage. Williams can come up and make hits, but his length gives him the ability to cover a ton of ground in the secondary. He is a natural playmaker and someone who will certainly continue to see more offers come his way in the years ahead.
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