I'm spending the holiday weekend out in California, but I made it out to one of the more notable games in Southern California last night to see Mission Viejo take on Santa Margarita. There are a few Arizona targets on the MV side and I spoke with each of them after the game for their thoughts on the Wildcats and where things stand in their recruitments. Here's a quick rundown of what they had to say and my thoughts on them as prospects.
I liked what I saw from the senior defensive lineman. He's probably more defensive end right now than he is defensive tackle, but I could see him adding some weight and playing inside during his college career. He's got some good leadership qualities and he's aggressive at the point of attack. He said he has had fun getting to know UA defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei and that the Wildcats are currently part of his top five. He is going to start taking a look at which programs he wants to take official visits to, and Arizona sounds like it will be among that group. The plan is to take an LDS mission out of high school, so that could make him less of a priority but he is someone to keep an eye on.
Arizona offered the three-star quarterback a few months ago and since then he has been busy taking trips and getting to know coaching staffs. He admitted the contact with Arizona hasn't been as frequent as with other schools, but he's liked getting to know both Noel and Taylor Mazzone up to this point. He previously made a visit out to Arizona and he said he liked the time he spent on campus especially getting to sit down with Noel Mazzone and see how he could fit into the offense. He had his good moments and bad moments Friday night in what turned into a lower-scoring game than anticipated. He didn't throw the ball as much as expected but when he did he made some strong plays. What was more impressive was his ability to make plays with his feet and that's something he said he has been working on heading into his junior season.
The son of former UA softball standout Toni Mascarenas was impressive Friday night. It was my first chance to see him, but he flies around all over the field and he made some impressive tackles throughout the game. He has a ton of energy on the field and he said that's something that he's focused on coming into this season. He had a back injury earlier in the year so it prevented him from doing much when coaches were making the rounds during the recruiting period, but he does have offers from Arizona State and Oregon State, where his brother Akili Arnold plays. Mascarenas said Arizona showed interest in him back in the spring but he is unsure if the program has plans of offering him. I will say that they should since he seemed a little disappointed that the Wildcats have not offered him as of yet. He's a solid player and is getting used to playing the inside linebacker role this year. He has good upside and he has good size already for the position.
I liked what I saw from the senior defensive lineman. He's probably more defensive end right now than he is defensive tackle, but I could see him adding some weight and playing inside during his college career. He's got some good leadership qualities and he's aggressive at the point of attack. He said he has had fun getting to know UA defensive line coach Iona Uiagalelei and that the Wildcats are currently part of his top five. He is going to start taking a look at which programs he wants to take official visits to, and Arizona sounds like it will be among that group. The plan is to take an LDS mission out of high school, so that could make him less of a priority but he is someone to keep an eye on.
Arizona offered the three-star quarterback a few months ago and since then he has been busy taking trips and getting to know coaching staffs. He admitted the contact with Arizona hasn't been as frequent as with other schools, but he's liked getting to know both Noel and Taylor Mazzone up to this point. He previously made a visit out to Arizona and he said he liked the time he spent on campus especially getting to sit down with Noel Mazzone and see how he could fit into the offense. He had his good moments and bad moments Friday night in what turned into a lower-scoring game than anticipated. He didn't throw the ball as much as expected but when he did he made some strong plays. What was more impressive was his ability to make plays with his feet and that's something he said he has been working on heading into his junior season.
The son of former UA softball standout Toni Mascarenas was impressive Friday night. It was my first chance to see him, but he flies around all over the field and he made some impressive tackles throughout the game. He has a ton of energy on the field and he said that's something that he's focused on coming into this season. He had a back injury earlier in the year so it prevented him from doing much when coaches were making the rounds during the recruiting period, but he does have offers from Arizona State and Oregon State, where his brother Akili Arnold plays. Mascarenas said Arizona showed interest in him back in the spring but he is unsure if the program has plans of offering him. I will say that they should since he seemed a little disappointed that the Wildcats have not offered him as of yet. He's a solid player and is getting used to playing the inside linebacker role this year. He has good upside and he has good size already for the position.
