Two years ago today, Arizona was the Pac-12 South champion and preparing for a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Boise State.
Even after that game, a loss, the Wildcats had reason for optimism. The coaching staff was returning, most of Arizonaβs top talent was set to come back and the UA was putting the finishing touches on a solid recruiting class.
How quickly things change. The Wildcats have won just 10 total games since winning 10 in 2014.
Rich Rodriguez fired three prominent assistants last offseason with hopes of overhauling the UAβs recruiting efforts. One of his ensuing hires, cornerbacks coach DontΓ© Williams, left the Wildcats for Nebraska last week. Four-star athlete Greg Johnson, the Wildcatsβ top recruit for 2017 and a Williams recruit, decommitted at the same time.
The buzz that has surrounded Arizonaβs recruiting efforts is now gone, replaced by panic from the fanbase.
Rodriguez has said often he expects this incoming class to quite possibly be the best recruiting class in school history.
Can that still happen? Letβs take a point/counterpoint look:
Point: With the loss of Williams, Arizonaβs 2017 class is in trouble.
The Wildcats lost one of their most talented Southern California recruiters, and the centerpiece of their recruiting class when Johnson announced he would be βre-opening his recruitmentβ in the wake of Williamsβ departure. Johnson is likely to join Williams in Lincoln.
Beyond that, the loss of Williams will all but ruin the Wildcatsβ chances of landing a number of highly touted recruits, including five-star wide receiver Joseph Lewis.
Four-star corner Thomas Graham, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, was a near-lock to join Arizonaβs 2017 class, but the loss of Williams puts Arizonaβs stance with Graham in doubt. UA defensive coordinator Marcel Yates visited Graham this week.
“If (Graham) chooses Nebraska, which I think he will,” said Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com, “then I think we know that Donté was the main factor in that recruitment.”
Counterpoint: Losing Johnson hurts, but Arizona still can keep the rest of its class intact β and actually add to it.
When a coach is fired or leaves, the recruiting repercussions are usually felt immediately. Minutes after Jeff Casteel was fired as defensive coordinator last year, junior college linebacker Kapri Doucet backed out of his commitment to the Wildcats.
Still, itβs possible Johnson could be the only player to back out of this yearβs class.
Williams was involved with recruiting a number of 2017 commits, including safety Scottie Young, safety Xavier Bell, receiver Brian Casteel, quarterback Braxton Burmeister and linebacker Joshua Brown, but he wasnβt the lead recruiter for most.
If anyone else leaves, it wonβt be because of Williams.
βYouβre not going to see a linebacker or D-lineman leave, even with DontΓ© leaving, because a guy whoβs not even coaching him left,β Biggins said.
Arizona still considers itself in the running for Graham, and is bringing in four-star offensive lineman Adrian Ealy and four-star linebacker Antjuan Simmons in for visits this weekend. Simmons is a former Ohio State commit; Wildcats coaches visited his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Wednesday.
Point: Arizonaβs replacement hire for Williams needs to have ties to Southern California.
Willliams is considered a star for ability to recruit the West Coast and the relationships he has with coaches in the 7-on-7 circuit.
βHe had a lot of West Coast responsibility,β Biggins said. βIt definitely hurts. Heβs one of the elite recruiters out West and he works really hard at it. (The Wildcats) need a good hire, pretty quickly, and a good, dynamic DB coach.β
Counterpoint: The Wildcats would be wise to expand their recruiting map.
Arizonaβs recruiting priorities are California and Arizona, followed by Las Vegas, Florida and Louisiana. The Wildcats are making headway in Michigan, too, since adding recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary last year.
It might be time for Arizona to rediscover Texas.
The area was fertile recruiting ground for former Arizona coach Mike Stoops, who found wide receivers Mike Thomas, Dan Buckner and David Douglas, defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, quarterback Nick Foles, cornerback Trevin Wade and countless others in the Lone Star State.
Donβt be surprised if Rodriguez tries to tap that region again while staying involved in Los Angeles. Vance Bedford, the former defensive coordinator at Texas, is currently looking for a job and could be a fit.
A Texas-centric coach would help the Wildcats while other coaches recruit Southern California. Yates is highly regarded there, quarterbacks coach Rod Smith does well in San Diego and receivers coach Tony Dews has built good relationships with some powerhouse programs, including Los Angeles Hawkins High School, Johnsonβs team.
