Since there is a lull right now coming off of National Signing Day and before spring ball I took a cue from some other sites on the network and thought it would be a good time to generate some discussion and seeing how close (or not close in some cases) we here at Rivals.com were to getting the rankings right. I might do this with other classes too, but for now lets take a look at Arizona's senior class this season and I'll give my take on what their new ranking would be if we had a chance to do it all over again based on seeing how their careers played out at Arizona.
Let me know your thoughts and if you think anybody should be higher or lower. For the sake of this piece we'll stick to scholarship players who are officially done at Arizona and not those who will finish their careers elsewhere (sorry Anu!) or could finish their careers elsewhere. You also had to have played at least two seasons for the Wildcats to qualify for this list (sorry Michael Barton!).
Samajie Grant (RR: 3 stars, 5.6 rating/GOAZCATS.com new ranking: 4 stars, 5.8 rating)
The California-based athlete recruit originally checked in at a mid-level three-star prospect in the Rivals.com rankings, but as his career unfolded he proved to be an important piece to Arizona's offense. Grant was a key contributor in all four seasons with the Wildcats and he was most important in his final year moving over to running back midway through his senior season when the team took a hit to its running back group. He eventually became one of Rich Rodriguez's favorite players and ended his career with 1,639 receiving yards on 145 catches to go with 12 scores through the air. On the ground he had 491 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 74 career carries. His best season came as a sophomore in 2014 when the Wildcats went to the Fiesta Bowl.
Nate Phillips (RR: 2 stars, 5.4 rating/GOAZCATS.com new ranking: 4 stars, 5.8 rating)
Like Grant, the in-state receiver was a contributor at Arizona for all four of his seasons in Tucson. There were not many schools interested in Phillips out of Basha High School in Chandler, but Rodriguez and his staff took a chance and it paid off in a big way. Phillips became an important piece of the team throughout his four seasons and had some of UA's most memorable catches over the last four years including his game winner against Utah in 2015. He finished his UA career with 153 catches for 1,946 yards and 15 career touchdowns. Phillips and Grant proved to be quite the duo and now the Wildcats will have to replace both. Still, UA's staff struck lightening in a bottle with both players.
Devin Holiday (RR: 3 stars, 5.6 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.5 rating)
The cornerback from San Diego came in with a nice bit of buzz and he was another player who was able to contribute as a freshman. Injuries really put a damper on Holiday's career with the Wildcats and it truly never let him have the type of career that he could have had when healthy. Always a big small the four-year contributor was able to add some weight toward the end of his career, but it didn't quite translate to on-field production. Holiday finished his career with 15 tackles and two interceptions.
Jake Matthews (RR: 2 stars, 5.2 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.6 rating)
The Ironwood Ridge standout linebacker took some time to get a scholarship as he came to Arizona as a walk-on player. He could have stuck with baseball, but he decided to go the football route and Rodriguez's staff is happy he did. Matthews contributed for three seasons at Arizona with his best year coming in 2015 when he contributed with 47 tackles. Overall he finished his college career with 107 tackles including 3.5 for loss to go along with three sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Aiulua Fanene (RR: 2 stars, 5.4 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.5 rating)
Fish Fanene committed to Arizona's previous staff then went on to serve his mission before returning with a different look to the team he left. Rodriguez had taken over by that time and it took some time for UA to settle on where to put him. It tried him out on offense, but he was a much more natural fit on the defensive side of the ball. His final season was his most productive finishing wth 15 tackles and two tackles for loss. In his career with the Wildcats he had 23 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss to go along with a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Sani Fuimaono (RR: 3 stars, 5.5 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.7 rating)
Like Fanene, Fuimaono committed to Arizona under Mike Stoops and eventually he too left the program for his mission. When he returned Rodriguez and his staff were in place and it took some time for the Hawaii native to get his footing in the new system. By the end of his career Fuimaono became a big piece to Arizona's defense and one of Rodriguez's favorite players on that side of the ball. His junior season in 2015 was the best of Fuimaono's career with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Overall in his career the defensive lineman had 58 tackles, four tackles for loss 1.5 sacks, one pass deflection and a fumble recovery.
Let me know your thoughts and if you think anybody should be higher or lower. For the sake of this piece we'll stick to scholarship players who are officially done at Arizona and not those who will finish their careers elsewhere (sorry Anu!) or could finish their careers elsewhere. You also had to have played at least two seasons for the Wildcats to qualify for this list (sorry Michael Barton!).
Samajie Grant (RR: 3 stars, 5.6 rating/GOAZCATS.com new ranking: 4 stars, 5.8 rating)
The California-based athlete recruit originally checked in at a mid-level three-star prospect in the Rivals.com rankings, but as his career unfolded he proved to be an important piece to Arizona's offense. Grant was a key contributor in all four seasons with the Wildcats and he was most important in his final year moving over to running back midway through his senior season when the team took a hit to its running back group. He eventually became one of Rich Rodriguez's favorite players and ended his career with 1,639 receiving yards on 145 catches to go with 12 scores through the air. On the ground he had 491 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 74 career carries. His best season came as a sophomore in 2014 when the Wildcats went to the Fiesta Bowl.
Nate Phillips (RR: 2 stars, 5.4 rating/GOAZCATS.com new ranking: 4 stars, 5.8 rating)
Like Grant, the in-state receiver was a contributor at Arizona for all four of his seasons in Tucson. There were not many schools interested in Phillips out of Basha High School in Chandler, but Rodriguez and his staff took a chance and it paid off in a big way. Phillips became an important piece of the team throughout his four seasons and had some of UA's most memorable catches over the last four years including his game winner against Utah in 2015. He finished his UA career with 153 catches for 1,946 yards and 15 career touchdowns. Phillips and Grant proved to be quite the duo and now the Wildcats will have to replace both. Still, UA's staff struck lightening in a bottle with both players.
Devin Holiday (RR: 3 stars, 5.6 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.5 rating)
The cornerback from San Diego came in with a nice bit of buzz and he was another player who was able to contribute as a freshman. Injuries really put a damper on Holiday's career with the Wildcats and it truly never let him have the type of career that he could have had when healthy. Always a big small the four-year contributor was able to add some weight toward the end of his career, but it didn't quite translate to on-field production. Holiday finished his career with 15 tackles and two interceptions.
Jake Matthews (RR: 2 stars, 5.2 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.6 rating)
The Ironwood Ridge standout linebacker took some time to get a scholarship as he came to Arizona as a walk-on player. He could have stuck with baseball, but he decided to go the football route and Rodriguez's staff is happy he did. Matthews contributed for three seasons at Arizona with his best year coming in 2015 when he contributed with 47 tackles. Overall he finished his college career with 107 tackles including 3.5 for loss to go along with three sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Aiulua Fanene (RR: 2 stars, 5.4 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.5 rating)
Fish Fanene committed to Arizona's previous staff then went on to serve his mission before returning with a different look to the team he left. Rodriguez had taken over by that time and it took some time for UA to settle on where to put him. It tried him out on offense, but he was a much more natural fit on the defensive side of the ball. His final season was his most productive finishing wth 15 tackles and two tackles for loss. In his career with the Wildcats he had 23 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss to go along with a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Sani Fuimaono (RR: 3 stars, 5.5 rating/GOAZCATS.com new rating: 3 stars, 5.7 rating)
Like Fanene, Fuimaono committed to Arizona under Mike Stoops and eventually he too left the program for his mission. When he returned Rodriguez and his staff were in place and it took some time for the Hawaii native to get his footing in the new system. By the end of his career Fuimaono became a big piece to Arizona's defense and one of Rodriguez's favorite players on that side of the ball. His junior season in 2015 was the best of Fuimaono's career with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Overall in his career the defensive lineman had 58 tackles, four tackles for loss 1.5 sacks, one pass deflection and a fumble recovery.
