Arizona has been recruiting Texas since long before Kevin Sumlin was hired in January. Still, Sumlinâs Lone Star State roots and Arizonaâs renewed interest in the state has led to a bit of a bonanza.
Four of Arizonaâs 2019 commits hail from Texas, a number that already ties the total from the 2018 class.
Arizonaâs top recruit, quarterback Grant Gunnell, comes from Texas.
So does the Wildcatsâ top target.
Arizona is in serious contention to land Bobby Wolfe, a four-star cornerback from Houston. Per 247sports.com, Wolfe is considered to be the 34th-best cornerback nationally and a top-40 player in the state of Texas.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound Wolfe just wrapped up his last season at Houstonâs Madison High and is focused on graduating and choosing his next destination for next four years.
Wolfe decommitted from Texas A&M on Oct. 28, two days after he watched the Wildcats beat Oregon 44-15 in Tucson. Heâs also considering Arkansas, Ole Miss and Baylor. The Star talked with Wolfe to talk about his visit to Arizona, why he decommitted from Sumlinâs old stomping grounds and what heâs looking for in a school:
How was your visit to Arizona?
A: âIt was lit. It was everything I expected it to be. Coach (Clarence) McKinney and Coach Sumlin have been recruiting even before they left Texas A&M. But Arizona was amazing. The weather was straight: it wasnât too hot or wasnât too cold and the players there were super cool. Itâs a place I definitely see myself playing at for the next four years if I were to commit.â
What do you like about Kevin Sumlin?
A: âHeâs straight-up. Heâs really blunt and heâs straight to the point. He doesnât mess around. Heâs just that type of coach. Heâs cool and you can have fun, but when it comes down to business time, he wants to handle business and Iâm cool with that.â
How about cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin and safeties coach John Rushing?
A: âThose are my guys! Them boys are about their energy and they have everything that Iâm looking for. They keep it 100 and they want to see me play on that football field and thatâs what I need. I need to play and they want me to play so thatâs glory, we both win.â
What makes Texas high school football so special?
A: âBro, itâs incredible. Itâs more lit than college football, itâs more lit than the NFL I promise you, especially during playoff time. Itâs amazing and itâs crazy. We turn stadiums upside down out here in Texas, especially in high school football. And we have so many electrifying athletes in Texas, everybody can play ball.â
Has the recruiting process been stressful for you and your family?
A: âI wouldnât say stressful, but I have to make sure that I make the right decision. Like for me decommitting, I felt like that was the best decision. As far as it being stressful, I really wouldnât consider it to be stressful, you just make sure that you make the right choice because at the time it could seem like the right choice, but later down the line you realize that it probably wasnât the best choice. And thatâs not what I want to do. I donât want that to happen to me when I graduate and go to college.â
When it comes down to making the right choice, what factors go into your decision?
A: âAm I going to play? And my education. Iâm not going to be a football player for the rest of my life and by the time I turn 40, Iâm going to be an old man and itâll be time for me to stop playing so of course education plays a big part in my decision. And I donât want my parents worrying about me for the next four years.â
Whatâs life like for you outside of football?
A: âI like to be with my family. I also have a girlfriend and we always go out on dates. We really donât talk about football unless itâs about the schools that are recruiting me. Other than that, we donât really discuss football and I really like to keep football away until itâs business time because when itâs business time, Iâm in it. I like to keep football away from my family as much as I can.â
Which NFL player do you model your game after?
A: âJalen Ramsey. Man, thatâs the dude. Thatâs a bad man. Iâm telling you: heâs cold as hell. Itâs not even his raw talent, itâs the work that he puts in and he talks trash to anyone that he wants to. He puts enough work to back it up and thatâs my style. I talk to quarterbacks any type of way I want to because eventually Iâm going to pick him off. Throw it over here three times, Iâm going to pick it off twice.
âI never feel intimidated and I know the difference between overlooking somebody and knowing that you got real competition in your face, but I never feel intimidated by anybody. I donât care if you have five stars or 50 stars, it really doesnât matter because once you line up against me, itâs my plate versus your plate.â
How do you find the balance of trash talking before emotions get the best of you?
A: âAs the years go by, you learn that youâre going to get beat. The minute you let your emotions take over you after you get beat, youâre done. The game is over for you and theyâre gonna pick on you all night because youâre not in your right mind. As a defensive back, you gotta keep that to a level. Talk trash, but donât let anything they say get to you, because the minute that happens, youâre done. Once theyâre in your head, the game is over. You might as well go sit on the bench.â
You dealt with three head coaching changes in high school. Will that experience help you make the transition to college?
A: âI donât care who I play for, just put me on the field. It doesnât matter what coach it is, just let me play and I will do whatever you need me to do and Iâm going to get it done. I donât let my emotions get in front of my future, I just canât so Iâm not worried about no coaching changes. The coaches donât play for us, we play for us but not a lot of people think like that.â
If you were to commit to Arizona, what are the Wildcats getting out of you?
A: âYouâre going to get a leader. My style of play is incredible and it rubs off on players and once you put a lion inside of a den, everybody else want to be lions. Everybody wants to make plays, everybody wants the clout and everybody wants the juice. Not like everybody wants to be the alpha male, but everybody wants to make plays because they want to be seen.
âThatâs just me and Iâve never been the type to put my hands on an athlete to make him listen to me because heâs going to see my drive and automatically follow.â
