Arizona adds No. 1 athlete in the West to 2017 recruiting class

Arizona is making early moves on its 2017 recruiting class, and the Wildcats are aiming high.

Athlete Greg Johnson announced on Twitter his verbal commitment to the Wildcats on March 1. From Augustus Hawkins High School in Los Angeles, Johnson is rated as a four-star recruit by Scout.com and the No. 1 athlete in the West. He's the No. 50 recruit overall. 

In a note posted to Twitter, Johnson said "this decision wasn't as hard as I thought it would be" and that he "felt the time and the situation was right."

#BearDown 🔴🐻⬇️ #HawkinsFootball 😈 pic.twitter.com/HMXaAOgzyP

— Greg Johnson (@quick6gjohnson) March 2, 2016

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The lead recruiter on Johnson was cornerbacks coach Donté Williams, who was hired in January as part of a defensive coaching staff overhaul for UA coach Rich Rodriguez.

When Williams was hired from his assistant coaching position at San Jose State, the word was that he had strong recruiting ties to Southern California. Johnson's commitment, at the very least, confirmed Williams is already a player in that area. 

Johnson, listed at 5 foot 10 and 180 pounds, picked the Wildcats over offers from 19 other schools, including Michigan, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, UCLA and USC.