Gilbert Higley defensive end Jason Harris is no longer with the Arizona Wildcats football program. 

 Michael Chow / The Arizona Republic 2018

The Arizona Wildcats are one step closer to landing a difference-making recruit. 

Defensive end Jason Harris has listed the UA as one of the six finalists for his college choice, along with Oregon, Colorado, UCLA, Arizona State and Texas A&M. Both the 247Sports.com and Rivals.com recruiting services list the 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound Harris as a four-star recruit, with 247Sports.com calling him the sixth-best player in the state of Arizona. 

Harris, a Gilbert Higley High School standout in the Class of 2020, was initially considering offers from more than 20 schools — including Alabama and USC. Neither the Crimson Tide or Trojans made his final six. 

While Arizona has struggled to land in-state prospects of note lately — Salpointe Catholic's Lathan Ransom, Bijan Robinson and Bruno Fina didn't even list the school among their finalists — the Wildcats may have the inside track when it comes to landing Harris. Harris' father, Sean, played at Tucson High and was a linebacker on the UA's "Desert Swarm" teams of the 1990s before playing for the NFL's Bears and Colts. Jason Harris' mom, Cha-Ron, played basketball for the Wildcats from 1996-98, and his older brother, Jalen, is a young standout on the Wildcats' defense. Jalen Harris had 27 tackles and three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2018. 

Both 247Sports.com and Rivals.com predict that Jason Harris will ultimately choose the Wildcats. 

Harris' announcement kicks off what promises to be a busy week for coach Kevin Sumlin and his team. UA representatives will take part in Pac-12 Media Day on Wednesday before opening training camp on Friday. 

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