Wildcats selling opportunity to 2023 recruits as they attempt to fix defensive problems

Arizona coaches used their bye week to pause the present and focus on the future.

The Wildcats’ staff packed their bags, rolled up their sleeves and went to work on the recruiting trail. They hit a total of 28 games across Airzona, California, Colorado, Texas and Hawaii.

Coach Jedd Fisch attended four on his own. He and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty took in Friday’s Chandler Basha-Chandler Hamilton game with hopes of seeing a number of UA targets, including four-star Basha quarterback Demond Williams, three-star Hamilton safety and 2023 commit Genesis Smith and wide receiver Tre Spivey.

Arizona has 18 commits for its upcoming recruiting cycle, and 13 of them are defensive recruits. The list includes five defensive linemen and seven defensive backs. A year after bolstering the offensive side of the ball with a historic recruiting class, the Wildcats’ efforts are “a little bit different,” Fisch said.

Not only has Arizona struggled on defense, ranking 11th in the Pac-12 in total defense, but the Wildcats could lose nearly half of their defensive starters heading into next season.

“The reception has been great, but I think the messaging, the way it looks for us, is pretty simple: last year, we were trying to figure out exactly what we were going to be. This year, we’re pretty confident that we’re going to become a really good offensive football team,” Fisch said. “If you’re out there as a recruit on offense, you want to be a part of a team that’s explosive, that scores a lot and throws the ball a lot with a sophomore quarterback, unlike the programs we’re facing that have senior quarterbacks.

“If you’re a defensive player, you have an opportunity to come in here and start right away. We have a lot of veterans on the defensive side, so you have the same opportunity to make the same impact as our offensive guys made this past offseason.”

Fisch wants his program to take a another step forward, and said the 2023 class is “going to be a huge part” of it.

“The young freshmen we have are going to get better, as we see every week,” Fisch said. “And then the guys coming in to join that group — we’re probably bringing in 16 or 17 guys mid-year in January again. If we can do that, which we will be able to do that, there will be a lot of new (players) — again — but that’s OK.”

Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, joined Spears and Ali on ESPN Tucson to provide his insight on UA football recruiting during the bye week. Here’s part of the conversation:

As a Southern California resident, you’ve watched most of Arizona’s impactful freshmen for several years. What do you make of how the Wildcats’ freshmen are performing?

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

A: “From what I’ve seen so far, the guys who we’d hope would step up — (Tetairoa McMillan) T-Mac, (Jonah) Savaiinaea. I’m still kicking myself for not ranking Savaiinaea higher. The running backs look pretty good. I think it’s a great building block. … The 2023 class looks strong as well, but the 2022 class has been a nice foundation and building block and put together back-to-back great classes.”

What jumps out to you when you analyze Arizona’s 2023 recruiting class?

A: “I would say balance. It’s always smart to have a quarterback every single year, and (four-star quarterback) Brayden Dorman has had an excellent season so far. You don’t want to have a class of 10 guys and eight of them are receivers. You want to have your quarterback, running back, three or four O-linemen every year, three or four D-linemen every year, a couple linebackers and versatile defensive backs that could sway between cornerback and safety.

“You see that in this class. You see a blend of offense and defense. … I’ve had a chance to see (cornerback) Carter Stoutmire from Texas, I like him a lot. I’ve had a chance to see (two-way player) Gavin Hunter from Mililani, (Hawaii) and I like him a lot. (Mililani High School) has played a couple mainland teams over here, and he stood out in both games. Big, physical, long, rangy kid who plays with an attitude. He plays with an edge. … It’s balanced and there’s guys who can come in and make a difference. It’s a solid, all-around class on both sides of the ball.”

Even if Arizona has a losing season, how important is it for the program to show significant progress to stack more impressive recruiting classes?

A: “You want to be entertaining, even if you lose, especially if you’re recruiting Southern California. … You want to get those wins obviously, you can only sell hope for one year, and then you want to see some improvement and say, ‘If I go there, will we be competitive in my second or third year?’ I think they are showing that and they’re playing a very entertaining brand of football. They put up a lot of points and they have elite wide receivers. … If you put out that entertaining brand, I think they’re going to be successful recruiting, because it’s a style kids want to play in.”

Arizona is likely to lose three offensive linemen after this season in left tackle Jordan Morgan, guard Josh Donovan and right tackle Paiton Fears. The Wildcats have two offensive line commits for 2023, Los Angeles-area tackles Rhino Tapaatoutai and Elijha Payne. Can Arizona manage having two freshmen tackles?

A: “I honestly can’t tell if either of them are like Jonah Savaiinaea, where you look at them and say he’s a starter from Day 1. … (Payne) is an interesting kid, because he has a tackle frame and tackle body — and Rhino as well. Rhino, I think, is further along because he’s a little bit better athletically, but both those kids could be in the rotation, but I don’t know if they’re Day 1 starters. I think that’s the beauty of the (NCAA transfer) portal. Right now if you’re Arizona, you can sell a starting spot.

“If you’re a portal kid, that’s your biggest goal, is to go find a place and start right away. Those guys want to win, but more so playing for a championship, they want to find a place, start and get to the league as quickly as they can. … If I’m Arizona, I’m continuing to recruit offensive linemen, but I’m going heavy portal.”