Notable offers: Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas, Louisville, Penn State, Missouri, Iowa State, Virginia
Rundown: Arizona's coaching staff continues to work on sending out offers to the junior class and another big one made its way out Tuesday as Ricky Hunley went back to a state he knows well with an offer as Missouri-based defensive end DJ Wesolak added the Wildcats to his impressive offer list. The 6-foot-5 recruit has started to see increasing Pac-12 attention as of late with Cal, Colorado and Washington being a few of his latest offers. He is now up to 27 offers overall so there will be plenty of competition for all the programs involved, but as a prospect in one of the few states that played football in the fall he was certainly helped by the opportunity to take part in games. His recruitment picked up quite a bit over the fall as his first offer didn't come in until August and now he's closing in on 30 overall with some top programs already making a push.
The athletic defensive end is a multi-sport athlete who came up as a basketball player before focusing on football the last couple years leading to plenty of success and college attention. He now holds offers from across the country and continues to look at those options as more schools become involved.
“I’m taking my time," he recently said. "My recruiting process just started in September, that’s when I got my first offer and started talking to coaches. I’ve racked up a lot of offers in a short amount of time. It’s a blessing.”
Not only is Wesolak someone who has played multiple sports he also does a lot of different things on the field including contributing on the offensive side. He rushed for nearly 200 yards and had three rushing scores in addition to catching 20 passes for just over 250 yards and two more touchdowns. Defensive is where his future will be, however, and he certainly produces on that side of the ball as a pass rusher. During his junior season he 59 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He also forced two fumbles and blocked a field goal.
When you turn on his tape something that stands out quite is his ability to be disruptive and use his athleticism to get in the backfield to make plays. There are still some technique aspects of his game that need to be cleaned up, but he has the size and overall skill set to be an impressive college player on the defensive side of the ball.
As much as there is going to be a ton of competition for the Wildcats, the four-star prospect has been clear that he is going to give each program a fair shot at landing his commitment as he makes his way through the process. Hunley coached at Missouri for a long time so he is familiar with the area and that should help UA as the process plays out.
"I treat them all the same with the same amount of respect," he said. "... In a school, I am looking for relationships with the coach and just a home for me."
What the expert says: "When Wesolak arrived in high school he considered himself a basketball player first, but a strong sophomore campaign on the gridiron showed him what possibilities may be available in football. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end uses his length and athleticism to relentlessly pressure opposing quarterbacks. He already holds up well at the point of attack and plays an aggressive brand of football, which physical growth and maturity will only further help." - Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt
