Football
* Arizona will wrap up its on-campus practices for the season Monday morning with a light session and the team will then head its separate ways for the holidays. The Wildcats will be back on campus for Friday's departure to Shreveport, La., for the bowl game.
UA will practice Saturday and Sunday at the bowl site, in between the bowl week festivities.
* Head coach Rich Rodriguez said the practices in preparation for the AdvoCare V100 Bowl have been "as intense as any time during the season."
"We've pushed them a little bit to that regard," Rodriguez added.
* Running back Ka'Deem Carey is unsure when his NFL evaluation results will come back, but Rodriguez said he will have talks with general managers and others in the league to get a grasp on his projection.
* As far as the redshirt receivers go, Rodriguez said Davonte' Neal and Cayleb Jones haven't just stood off to the side, waiting to prove themselves in the spring. That process started this season.
"They've done it every day," he said. "I mean, Davonte's favorite part of practice is usually running down on scout team kickoff and seeing if he can get anyone to block him.
* When you look at the quarterback competition in 2014, you could say the Wildcats and the self-described quarterback collector in Rodriguez will have every style of signal caller in spring camp.
But let's look at the five most likely front-runners for the starting job:
Javelle Allen, the backup to B.J. Denker this season, is more of a runner than he is a passer. The same could be said for ex-LSU quarterback and incoming JUCO transfer Jerrard Randall. Allen has more size to him while Randall could be among the fastest on the team - period.
Connor Brewer is a decent athlete but has more of the pro-style arm, much like Jesse Scroggins. Among the things that stand out to him, Rodriguez said Brewer is "conscientious" and by all accounts appears to make good decisions with the football, but he may not necessarily wow anyone.
Scroggins, meanwhile, is looking at a make-or-break spring and could be the one quarterback on the roster who could lose his opportunity before the fall ever arrives.
"He's either going to be in the mix or he's not by the end of spring," Rodriguez said of Scroggins.
With Brewer, there is the dynamic of previous experience throwing passes to Neal in high school and Jones at Texas. That wrinkle, Rodriguez said, is "unique."
"I know when we do our rookie scrimmages, it looks like Connor throws it to Cayleb or Davonte' every time - but I don't blame him either," Rodriguez said, smiling. "I think those guys do have good chemistry, but more than anything the respect they have for each other I think has spread throughout the whole team."
Added Jones: "Connor is a very smart player. He doesn't really make a lot of mistakes. He reads the defense well, he's very patient. He's got a strong arm.
"In other ways, Connor's got to compete like everybody else. So there's no edge for anybody."
And then there is true freshman Anu Solomon, who redshirted this past year. He may be the best mix of all the quarterbacks on the roster. Among his better traits in high school was thinking on the fly and moving the chains when it looked like nothing was there.
Time was not on his side, however, as he had less than a month of practices before this season started to learn everything and satisfy the staff with his grasp of the system. That's not a knock, it's just youth. You also figure that if he could not win the job as a true freshman in a year with so much uncertainty, it may be tough for any true freshman at any other position to arrive in the fall and win a job over someone with more knowledge.
One interesting to watch in Solomon is how that laid-back, calm demeanor translates on the football field at this level and when the staff is no longer easing him into offense.
While Allen has the most experience on the team, in terms of years with the coaching staff, all five will have the benefit of a spring and fall camp before the season, barring injury.
"This is going to be as interesting a quarterback competition I've had," Rodriguez said.
"We're going to run obviously what we run, but we have so much flexibility in our offense. Will you change the plays based on which quarterback is in there? Probably, a little bit. But initially we're going to make 'em all do it all and see who's the best at doing it all."
Basketball
* The Wildcats return to action Monday night against Northern Arizona, sporting a 12-0 record and the top spot in the major polls. But Arizona will not have a unanimous No. 1 vote in the Associated Press Top 25, as Louisville journalist Rick Bozich voted for Syracuse at No. 1 for a second consecutive week.
* The $80 million McKale Center renovation is now set and the initial phase is in motion. Head coach Sean Miller and athletic director Greg Byrne saw a number of different arenas throughout the planning stages to help come up with the additions.
Like the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility for football, Byrne said the idea was to not get overly gaudy with the renovation but do enough to keep up with the rest of the elite programs in the country.
Both Miller and Byrne said you can see a direct correlation in those programs' success and the upgrades so here's a look at the facilities they visited and how they are faring this season:
KFC Yum! Center, Louisville: $238 million opened in 2010 (won the national championship last season); 11-1 this season
Crisler Center, Michigan: $23.2 million in 2011 (lost in the national championship game last season); 7-4 this season
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State: $55 million renovation in 2001 (lost in NCAAs, 2nd round and finished 3rd in Big 12); 11-1 this season
Pauley Pavilion, UCLA: $136 million completed last season (won the Pac-12 Conference); 10-2 this year
Galen Center, USC: $147 million opened in 2006 (last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011); 8-4 this season
* Now, here's an update on how the former Wildcats in the NBA are faring this season:
Jerryd Bayless, Memphis Grizzlies (11-15, 5th in Southwest Division): 7.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 20.9 minutes through 24 games
Chase Budinger, Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15, 4th in Northwest Division): Has yet to play this season due to injury.
Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns (16-10, 2nd in Pacific Division): 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists in 27 minutes through 26 games
Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers (13-14, 4th in Pacific Division): 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1 assist in 20.9 minutes through 27 games
Solomon Hill, Indiana Pacers (22-5, 1st in Central Division): 1.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 9 minutes through 16 games
Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors (15-13, 3rd in Pacific Division): 11.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds in 34.7 minutes through 16 games
Richard Jefferson, Utah Jazz (8-22, 5th in Northwest Division): 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists in 26.2 minutes through 30 games
Jason Terry, Brooklyn Nets (9-17, 3rd in Atlantic Division): 5.3 points, 1.5 assists, 1.2 rebounds in 17.3 minutes through 11 games
Derrick Williams, Sacramento Kings (8-18, 5th in Pacific Division): 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 26.2 minutes through 13 games since his trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves
Now, onto Matt Moreno's weekly recruiting round-up:
With the end of the year getting closer it was an eventful week for the Arizona Wildcats on both the football and basketball recruiting fronts. For Arizona football last week meant the addition of six new recruits with the early junior college signing period taking place. We'll discuss those additions more in depth in this week's War Room and also discuss where things go from here with the rest of the 2014 class with the next signing period.
On the basketball side Sean Miller and his staff were able to get out to Las Vegas to go watch some of the top prospects in the country participate in the Tarkanian Classic. Some of Arizona's top targets in the upcoming classes were at the event, and so were we.
There will be plenty of updates from the event in this week's War Room.
So with plenty to discuss let's get right into the recruiting portion of the War Room for the last week in December.
Football recruiting
Last Wednesday marked the start of the early enrollee junior college signing period and on that day the Wildcats added six new prospects into the mix at Arizona. There were not many surprises when it came to that group as all the recruits who signed were expected to do so.
* Among that group UA added some quality pieces who will likely see the field in a big way next season. Here's a more in-depth look at who the Wildcats added and what to expect from those prospects in the upcoming season.
- Jerod Cody will provide some depth along the defensive line for the Wildcats next season and he really does have a good chance to see the field for UA. The line on that side of the ball could be a little uncertain next season as there are a lot of pieces, but not a ton of experience. The Wildcats will be looking for somebody to step up in that role and Cody could be the guy to do it.
- Patrick Glover is certainly another prospect who could push for some playing time. With Arizona's current starting cornerback Shaq Richardson being a senior and exhausting his eligibility after this season the Wildcats will be looking for a starter at that spot. There will be plenty of options at the position, but Glover has the size that not many of the incoming recruits have.
He also has the advantage of being the only incoming defensive back who will be ready to go in time for spring practice as the others are high school prospects who won't arrive until the summer.
One other thing with Glover is that he definitely has the size to potentially move to safety if Arizona decided to make that move.
- Adding recruits up front on both lines is something Arizona wants to continue to do and the Wildcats did that with JUCO100 offensive line prospect Kaige Lawrence. The Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Chaffey College recruit will be participating in spring practice, and he believes that will give him an advantage when the season rolls around.
"They tell me that they're not bringing us in to be depth chart players," he said about UA's junior college signees. "They want us to try and play right away, but at the same time you have to compete and work just as hard as anybody else. "It's not just going to be handed to you, and that's what they've basically been telling me."
Arizona's offensive line will only lose current senior Chris Putton after this season, so earning a starting spot might be difficult in the early going for Lawrence. However, Rich Rodriguez has always mentioned he'd like to have at least eight offensive linemen to rotate in during a given season.
- Jerrard Randall is another interesting recruit in that Arizona brought him into the mix late in the process. The former LSU quarterback has a situation that is similar to current junior Jesse Scroggins in that he was a highly-rated signal caller out of high school who then went to a big program and later a junior college. Rodriguez said that Randall will likely be the fastest quarterback he's had at Arizona, and that could play into things depending on what UA wants to do at the position.
The quarterback battle this spring will be an interesting one with Anu Solomon, Connor Brewer, Randall, and the others in the mix. With the competition seemingly being wide open at the moment the former four-star recruit will likely have as good a chance as any of the others to earn the starting nod next season.
- There are two incoming JUCO recruits who likely have the best shot at playing and starting right away next season. One of them is Scottsdale (Ariz.) Scottsdale Community College linebacker Antonio Smothers. The three-star recruit is UA's highest-rated incoming JUCO prospect and after watching him this season we feel he has the size and ability to be a contributor right away for the Wildcats as a middle linebacker next season.
"Well we need some size, especially at linebacker," Rodriguez said. "And he's a middle linebacker who has good size and a tough guy. He can probably help us in the pass rush too."
- The last recruit who we'll discuss is another one who will likely have a chance to play right away is Santa Ana (Calif.) Santa Ana College defensive tackle Jeff Worthy. The three-star prospect is rated just behind Smothers in the Rivals.com JUCO100 rankings and like the linebacker he has a great shot to earn a starting spot right away with the departure of outgoing senior Tevin Hood.
Worthy has already been part of a Division I program in the past at Boise State, but it will be his first chance to get a taste of action when he arrives in Tucson and begins playing next season.
* With their junior college recruits signed, the next question is where do the Wildcats go from here? Well, there are certainly still some options, but the spots are really dwindling for UA in the class. The spots to look at as things move forward are along the offensive and defensive lines. With the addition of Freddie Tagaloa from Cal, UA received a boost when it comes to the offensive tackle position.
However, hometown recruit Andrew Mike still has the 'Cats in his top three and he hopes to have his decision made within the next month.
"I'll be going to Vanderbilt in January as well as Arkansas in January," Mike told Rivals.com. "Those are the last two trips. Right now, I'm thinking I'd like to choose in January, but it's tentative ."
His current top three includes the 'Cats, Vanderbilt, and Washington. Mike has had plenty of opportunities to make his decision in favor of the 'Cats, but he has yet to do so. So moving forward it will be interesting to see where things go as he takes some more visits.
Another in-state recruit I'd continue to look at is three-star linebacker Ismael Murphy-Richardson. The Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge prospect remains in play with the Wildcats after his recent visit. With his 6-foot-5 frame it's not impossible to imagine the versatile prospect moving to a defensive end position and making his impact felt there as a pass rusher.
Then there is five-star cornerback Jalen Tabor, who could really change the look of the Wildcats' class in 2014. At this point Tabor is essentially down to two schools with Arizona and Alabama being those final two. Maryland is not completely dead, but for now the decision is really going to be between the Wildcats and Nick Saban's program.
The plan is still set in place for Tabor to come to a decision on Christmas Day then announce that choice at the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 2. Tabor is an early enrollee, so he would then be ready to go for his school in the spring.
Basketball recruiting
The Arizona coaching staff made its way to Las Vegas on Friday for the Tarkanian Classic event at Bishop Gorman High School and the Orleans Arena. GOAZCATS.com was in attendance for the event and there were certainly plenty of top UA targets to watch at the tournament.
* One prospect the Wildcats' staff was able to watch was four-star point guard Derryck Thornton, who played well all week for his Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep squad. At this point it looks like Thornton will make a big move up the 2016 rankings next time around, and deservedly so.
The sophomore recently made a visit to Arizona for its "white out" game and he came away impressed with what he was able to see this time around on an unofficial visit.
"It was great to see the team," he told GOAZCATS.com. "I like to see the way they play, and the atmosphere in the gym was crazy. It was a lot of fun with some of the guys out there, and it was just a real cool vibe."
Thornton is a big priority for the Wildcats in the 2016 class, and at this point Arizona is doing what it can to make its presence felt in his recruitment.
"They are probably one of the schools that's hardest on me right now," he said. "So I like Arizona a lot."
While it's still early in the process for any leaders to emerge, one source I spoke with said Thornton really likes the Wildcats a lot and right now it's probably the program that looks the best in the young point guard's eyes.
Thornton echoed a similar sentiment when discussing how UA's No. 1-ranking looks to him.
"Both of those things are going to be a big part of my decision in the long run," he said. "Not a lot of people can say they played for the No. 1 team in the country, so that's a really cool thing on their part. I hope they stay in that No. 1 spot."
When it comes to his overall recruitment, Thornton told us that he would say USC and Kentucky are the two other schools putting forth the most effort in his recruitment right now.
* Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman also both played fairly well in front of the Arizona staff at the Tarkanian Classic. Zimmerman recently visited Arizona, while Jeter hopes to be visiting Tucson soon as well. Both big men have the Wildcats in a good spot in their recruitments as things stand right now.
* Another recruit who had an outstanding week at the tournament was five-star big man Ivan Rabb. The 2015 prospect sits just behind Zimmerman in the Rivals.com rankings, but he really made an impression on everybody in attendance last week. That may lead to him being moved up as things move forward.
Rabb is one of the biggest targets for Arizona in the 2015 class and UA made sure to keep a close eye on him during its time at the event. The Wildcats continue to do well with Rabb who plays at Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O'Dowd, and it will certainly find itself on his list of schools when that gets released to the public.
* Arizona signee Stanley Johnson had a huge week at the tournament once again, and for the second consecutive season he was named the Tarkanian Classic MVP as his team from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei won the tournament for the second year in a row.
* Arizona will wrap up its on-campus practices for the season Monday morning with a light session and the team will then head its separate ways for the holidays. The Wildcats will be back on campus for Friday's departure to Shreveport, La., for the bowl game.
UA will practice Saturday and Sunday at the bowl site, in between the bowl week festivities.
* Head coach Rich Rodriguez said the practices in preparation for the AdvoCare V100 Bowl have been "as intense as any time during the season."
"We've pushed them a little bit to that regard," Rodriguez added.
* Running back Ka'Deem Carey is unsure when his NFL evaluation results will come back, but Rodriguez said he will have talks with general managers and others in the league to get a grasp on his projection.
* As far as the redshirt receivers go, Rodriguez said Davonte' Neal and Cayleb Jones haven't just stood off to the side, waiting to prove themselves in the spring. That process started this season.
"They've done it every day," he said. "I mean, Davonte's favorite part of practice is usually running down on scout team kickoff and seeing if he can get anyone to block him.
* When you look at the quarterback competition in 2014, you could say the Wildcats and the self-described quarterback collector in Rodriguez will have every style of signal caller in spring camp.
But let's look at the five most likely front-runners for the starting job:
Javelle Allen, the backup to B.J. Denker this season, is more of a runner than he is a passer. The same could be said for ex-LSU quarterback and incoming JUCO transfer Jerrard Randall. Allen has more size to him while Randall could be among the fastest on the team - period.
Connor Brewer is a decent athlete but has more of the pro-style arm, much like Jesse Scroggins. Among the things that stand out to him, Rodriguez said Brewer is "conscientious" and by all accounts appears to make good decisions with the football, but he may not necessarily wow anyone.
Scroggins, meanwhile, is looking at a make-or-break spring and could be the one quarterback on the roster who could lose his opportunity before the fall ever arrives.
"He's either going to be in the mix or he's not by the end of spring," Rodriguez said of Scroggins.
With Brewer, there is the dynamic of previous experience throwing passes to Neal in high school and Jones at Texas. That wrinkle, Rodriguez said, is "unique."
"I know when we do our rookie scrimmages, it looks like Connor throws it to Cayleb or Davonte' every time - but I don't blame him either," Rodriguez said, smiling. "I think those guys do have good chemistry, but more than anything the respect they have for each other I think has spread throughout the whole team."
Added Jones: "Connor is a very smart player. He doesn't really make a lot of mistakes. He reads the defense well, he's very patient. He's got a strong arm.
"In other ways, Connor's got to compete like everybody else. So there's no edge for anybody."
And then there is true freshman Anu Solomon, who redshirted this past year. He may be the best mix of all the quarterbacks on the roster. Among his better traits in high school was thinking on the fly and moving the chains when it looked like nothing was there.
Time was not on his side, however, as he had less than a month of practices before this season started to learn everything and satisfy the staff with his grasp of the system. That's not a knock, it's just youth. You also figure that if he could not win the job as a true freshman in a year with so much uncertainty, it may be tough for any true freshman at any other position to arrive in the fall and win a job over someone with more knowledge.
One interesting to watch in Solomon is how that laid-back, calm demeanor translates on the football field at this level and when the staff is no longer easing him into offense.
While Allen has the most experience on the team, in terms of years with the coaching staff, all five will have the benefit of a spring and fall camp before the season, barring injury.
"This is going to be as interesting a quarterback competition I've had," Rodriguez said.
"We're going to run obviously what we run, but we have so much flexibility in our offense. Will you change the plays based on which quarterback is in there? Probably, a little bit. But initially we're going to make 'em all do it all and see who's the best at doing it all."
Basketball
* The Wildcats return to action Monday night against Northern Arizona, sporting a 12-0 record and the top spot in the major polls. But Arizona will not have a unanimous No. 1 vote in the Associated Press Top 25, as Louisville journalist Rick Bozich voted for Syracuse at No. 1 for a second consecutive week.
* The $80 million McKale Center renovation is now set and the initial phase is in motion. Head coach Sean Miller and athletic director Greg Byrne saw a number of different arenas throughout the planning stages to help come up with the additions.
Like the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility for football, Byrne said the idea was to not get overly gaudy with the renovation but do enough to keep up with the rest of the elite programs in the country.
Both Miller and Byrne said you can see a direct correlation in those programs' success and the upgrades so here's a look at the facilities they visited and how they are faring this season:
KFC Yum! Center, Louisville: $238 million opened in 2010 (won the national championship last season); 11-1 this season
Crisler Center, Michigan: $23.2 million in 2011 (lost in the national championship game last season); 7-4 this season
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State: $55 million renovation in 2001 (lost in NCAAs, 2nd round and finished 3rd in Big 12); 11-1 this season
Pauley Pavilion, UCLA: $136 million completed last season (won the Pac-12 Conference); 10-2 this year
Galen Center, USC: $147 million opened in 2006 (last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011); 8-4 this season
* Now, here's an update on how the former Wildcats in the NBA are faring this season:
Jerryd Bayless, Memphis Grizzlies (11-15, 5th in Southwest Division): 7.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 20.9 minutes through 24 games
Chase Budinger, Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15, 4th in Northwest Division): Has yet to play this season due to injury.
Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns (16-10, 2nd in Pacific Division): 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists in 27 minutes through 26 games
Jordan Hill, Los Angeles Lakers (13-14, 4th in Pacific Division): 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1 assist in 20.9 minutes through 27 games
Solomon Hill, Indiana Pacers (22-5, 1st in Central Division): 1.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 9 minutes through 16 games
Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors (15-13, 3rd in Pacific Division): 11.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds in 34.7 minutes through 16 games
Richard Jefferson, Utah Jazz (8-22, 5th in Northwest Division): 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists in 26.2 minutes through 30 games
Jason Terry, Brooklyn Nets (9-17, 3rd in Atlantic Division): 5.3 points, 1.5 assists, 1.2 rebounds in 17.3 minutes through 11 games
Derrick Williams, Sacramento Kings (8-18, 5th in Pacific Division): 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 26.2 minutes through 13 games since his trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves
Now, onto Matt Moreno's weekly recruiting round-up:
With the end of the year getting closer it was an eventful week for the Arizona Wildcats on both the football and basketball recruiting fronts. For Arizona football last week meant the addition of six new recruits with the early junior college signing period taking place. We'll discuss those additions more in depth in this week's War Room and also discuss where things go from here with the rest of the 2014 class with the next signing period.
On the basketball side Sean Miller and his staff were able to get out to Las Vegas to go watch some of the top prospects in the country participate in the Tarkanian Classic. Some of Arizona's top targets in the upcoming classes were at the event, and so were we.
There will be plenty of updates from the event in this week's War Room.
So with plenty to discuss let's get right into the recruiting portion of the War Room for the last week in December.
Football recruiting
Last Wednesday marked the start of the early enrollee junior college signing period and on that day the Wildcats added six new prospects into the mix at Arizona. There were not many surprises when it came to that group as all the recruits who signed were expected to do so.
* Among that group UA added some quality pieces who will likely see the field in a big way next season. Here's a more in-depth look at who the Wildcats added and what to expect from those prospects in the upcoming season.
- Jerod Cody will provide some depth along the defensive line for the Wildcats next season and he really does have a good chance to see the field for UA. The line on that side of the ball could be a little uncertain next season as there are a lot of pieces, but not a ton of experience. The Wildcats will be looking for somebody to step up in that role and Cody could be the guy to do it.
- Patrick Glover is certainly another prospect who could push for some playing time. With Arizona's current starting cornerback Shaq Richardson being a senior and exhausting his eligibility after this season the Wildcats will be looking for a starter at that spot. There will be plenty of options at the position, but Glover has the size that not many of the incoming recruits have.
He also has the advantage of being the only incoming defensive back who will be ready to go in time for spring practice as the others are high school prospects who won't arrive until the summer.
One other thing with Glover is that he definitely has the size to potentially move to safety if Arizona decided to make that move.
- Adding recruits up front on both lines is something Arizona wants to continue to do and the Wildcats did that with JUCO100 offensive line prospect Kaige Lawrence. The Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Chaffey College recruit will be participating in spring practice, and he believes that will give him an advantage when the season rolls around.
"They tell me that they're not bringing us in to be depth chart players," he said about UA's junior college signees. "They want us to try and play right away, but at the same time you have to compete and work just as hard as anybody else. "It's not just going to be handed to you, and that's what they've basically been telling me."
Arizona's offensive line will only lose current senior Chris Putton after this season, so earning a starting spot might be difficult in the early going for Lawrence. However, Rich Rodriguez has always mentioned he'd like to have at least eight offensive linemen to rotate in during a given season.
- Jerrard Randall is another interesting recruit in that Arizona brought him into the mix late in the process. The former LSU quarterback has a situation that is similar to current junior Jesse Scroggins in that he was a highly-rated signal caller out of high school who then went to a big program and later a junior college. Rodriguez said that Randall will likely be the fastest quarterback he's had at Arizona, and that could play into things depending on what UA wants to do at the position.
The quarterback battle this spring will be an interesting one with Anu Solomon, Connor Brewer, Randall, and the others in the mix. With the competition seemingly being wide open at the moment the former four-star recruit will likely have as good a chance as any of the others to earn the starting nod next season.
- There are two incoming JUCO recruits who likely have the best shot at playing and starting right away next season. One of them is Scottsdale (Ariz.) Scottsdale Community College linebacker Antonio Smothers. The three-star recruit is UA's highest-rated incoming JUCO prospect and after watching him this season we feel he has the size and ability to be a contributor right away for the Wildcats as a middle linebacker next season.
"Well we need some size, especially at linebacker," Rodriguez said. "And he's a middle linebacker who has good size and a tough guy. He can probably help us in the pass rush too."
- The last recruit who we'll discuss is another one who will likely have a chance to play right away is Santa Ana (Calif.) Santa Ana College defensive tackle Jeff Worthy. The three-star prospect is rated just behind Smothers in the Rivals.com JUCO100 rankings and like the linebacker he has a great shot to earn a starting spot right away with the departure of outgoing senior Tevin Hood.
Worthy has already been part of a Division I program in the past at Boise State, but it will be his first chance to get a taste of action when he arrives in Tucson and begins playing next season.
* With their junior college recruits signed, the next question is where do the Wildcats go from here? Well, there are certainly still some options, but the spots are really dwindling for UA in the class. The spots to look at as things move forward are along the offensive and defensive lines. With the addition of Freddie Tagaloa from Cal, UA received a boost when it comes to the offensive tackle position.
However, hometown recruit Andrew Mike still has the 'Cats in his top three and he hopes to have his decision made within the next month.
"I'll be going to Vanderbilt in January as well as Arkansas in January," Mike told Rivals.com. "Those are the last two trips. Right now, I'm thinking I'd like to choose in January, but it's tentative ."
His current top three includes the 'Cats, Vanderbilt, and Washington. Mike has had plenty of opportunities to make his decision in favor of the 'Cats, but he has yet to do so. So moving forward it will be interesting to see where things go as he takes some more visits.
Another in-state recruit I'd continue to look at is three-star linebacker Ismael Murphy-Richardson. The Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge prospect remains in play with the Wildcats after his recent visit. With his 6-foot-5 frame it's not impossible to imagine the versatile prospect moving to a defensive end position and making his impact felt there as a pass rusher.
Then there is five-star cornerback Jalen Tabor, who could really change the look of the Wildcats' class in 2014. At this point Tabor is essentially down to two schools with Arizona and Alabama being those final two. Maryland is not completely dead, but for now the decision is really going to be between the Wildcats and Nick Saban's program.
The plan is still set in place for Tabor to come to a decision on Christmas Day then announce that choice at the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 2. Tabor is an early enrollee, so he would then be ready to go for his school in the spring.
Basketball recruiting
The Arizona coaching staff made its way to Las Vegas on Friday for the Tarkanian Classic event at Bishop Gorman High School and the Orleans Arena. GOAZCATS.com was in attendance for the event and there were certainly plenty of top UA targets to watch at the tournament.
* One prospect the Wildcats' staff was able to watch was four-star point guard Derryck Thornton, who played well all week for his Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep squad. At this point it looks like Thornton will make a big move up the 2016 rankings next time around, and deservedly so.
The sophomore recently made a visit to Arizona for its "white out" game and he came away impressed with what he was able to see this time around on an unofficial visit.
"It was great to see the team," he told GOAZCATS.com. "I like to see the way they play, and the atmosphere in the gym was crazy. It was a lot of fun with some of the guys out there, and it was just a real cool vibe."
Thornton is a big priority for the Wildcats in the 2016 class, and at this point Arizona is doing what it can to make its presence felt in his recruitment.
"They are probably one of the schools that's hardest on me right now," he said. "So I like Arizona a lot."
While it's still early in the process for any leaders to emerge, one source I spoke with said Thornton really likes the Wildcats a lot and right now it's probably the program that looks the best in the young point guard's eyes.
Thornton echoed a similar sentiment when discussing how UA's No. 1-ranking looks to him.
"Both of those things are going to be a big part of my decision in the long run," he said. "Not a lot of people can say they played for the No. 1 team in the country, so that's a really cool thing on their part. I hope they stay in that No. 1 spot."
When it comes to his overall recruitment, Thornton told us that he would say USC and Kentucky are the two other schools putting forth the most effort in his recruitment right now.
* Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman also both played fairly well in front of the Arizona staff at the Tarkanian Classic. Zimmerman recently visited Arizona, while Jeter hopes to be visiting Tucson soon as well. Both big men have the Wildcats in a good spot in their recruitments as things stand right now.
* Another recruit who had an outstanding week at the tournament was five-star big man Ivan Rabb. The 2015 prospect sits just behind Zimmerman in the Rivals.com rankings, but he really made an impression on everybody in attendance last week. That may lead to him being moved up as things move forward.
Rabb is one of the biggest targets for Arizona in the 2015 class and UA made sure to keep a close eye on him during its time at the event. The Wildcats continue to do well with Rabb who plays at Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O'Dowd, and it will certainly find itself on his list of schools when that gets released to the public.
* Arizona signee Stanley Johnson had a huge week at the tournament once again, and for the second consecutive season he was named the Tarkanian Classic MVP as his team from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei won the tournament for the second year in a row.
