For a long time, recruiting in Southern California went something like this:
USC gets whichever players it wants. UCLA is up next.
The Arizona Wildcats battle everyone else for whoever is left.
Since Rich Rodriguez was hired in 2012, though, the Wildcats have made a more concerted effort to recruit Southern California. With cornerbacks coach Donte Williams and defensive coordinator Marcel Yates on board, the UA is making even deeper inroads.
Eleven Southern California players have committed to the Wildcats’ 2017 recruiting class. The latest, two-star defensive lineman Austin Faoliu from Santa Ana’s Mater Dei High School, verbally committed Wednesday. Arizona has already reeled in four-star athlete Greg Johnson from Los Angeles’ Augustus Hawkins High School and four-star running back Nathan Tilford of Ontario Colony, and has convinced safety Rhedi Short — a three-star prospect from Los Angeles Cathedral — to flip on his commitment to UCLA.
UA coaches will spend the next few months convincing three more SoCals — wide receiver Joseph Lewis and cornerbacks Thomas Graham and Darnay Holmes — to choose the Wildcats over the Bruins.
Times are changing.
“They’re going to get their fair share,” Rodriguez said. “As I always tell the staff, there’s players everywhere. From a recruiting standpoint, I feel real good about where we’re at and the guys that we’re getting, whether USC, UCLA or anybody else is recruiting them. I like where we’re at, and I’m pretty excited about what the next few years are going to look like for us.”
Here’s a look at the eight best recruiting battles between UCLA and Arizona over the last decade. See who won:
Brett Hundley (2011)
Position: Quarterback
From: Chandler
Recruiting ranking (Scout.com): Five stars, No. 3 QB in the country
Winner: UCLA. Hundley was from Arizona, and his father went to the UA, but the Mike Stoops regime instead chose to pursue Daxx Garman from Southlake, Texas. Arizona didn’t even recruit Hundley’s high school teammate, running back Paul Perkins, who wound up a standout at UCLA.
Did he pan out?: Absolutely. Hundley had a stellar career, went 3-0 against Arizona and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
Rob Golden (2008)
Position: Cornerback
From: Fresno, California
Recruiting ranking: Five stars, No. 4 CB in the country
Winner: Arizona. Golden might have been the biggest recruiting coup of Stoops’ tenure.
Golden committed to the UA early, then decommitted and considered UCLA before ultimately returning to the Wildcats.
Did he pan out? Golden had 183 tackles, four interceptions and two touchdowns in four years. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after going undrafted in 2012 and has since carved out a nice NFL career. Golden is a co-captain this season.
Devin Fuller (2012)
Position: Quarterback
From: Old Tappan, N.J.
Recruiting ranking: Four stars, No. 3 QB in the country
Winner: UCLA. Rodriguez made Fuller a priority shortly after being hired, but the quarterback ultimately picked Westwood over Tucson.
Fuller cited family reasons: His uncle, the comedian Sinbad, lived near UCLA’s campus.
Did he pan out? UCLA coach Jim Mora moved Fuller to receiver, and the speedster became a downfield threat. The Atlanta Falcons took Fuller in the seventh round of this year’s draft.
Marquis Flowers (2010)
Position: Safety
From: Goodyear
Recruiting ranking: Four stars, No. 23 safety in the country
Winner: Arizona. Flowers picked the Wildcats over UCLA and USC, among others. Flowers was the state’s second-highest rated recruit in 2010.
Did he pan out? Flowers took off after moving to linebacker in 2012, amassing 100 tackles in 2012 and 94 in 2013. He is in his third season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rahim Moore (2008)
Position: Safety
From: Los Angeles
Recruiting ranking: Five stars, No. 2 safety in the country
Winner: UCLA. Moore committed to UCLA early but still took a visit to Arizona and told Scout.com it was “amazing” and the campus “was great.” Moore ultimately signed with the Bruins.
Did he pan out?: Without question. He led the nation in interceptions in 2009 and was an All-American. He played five years with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.
Shaq Richardson (2010)
Position: Cornerback
From: Los Alamitos, California
Recruiting ranking: Three stars, No. 27 cornerback in the country
Winner: Both? Richardson initially signed with UCLA but was kicked off the team following an arrest. He ultimately transferred to the UA.
Did he pan out? Richardson contributed for four years, registering 186 tackles and intercepting nine passes. The Steelers picked Richardson in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
Devon Modster (2016)
Position: Quarterback
From: Las Flores, California
Recruiting ranking: Four stars
Winner: UCLA. Modster verbally committed to the Wildcats in the summer before his senior season but flipped to UCLA close to signing day.
Did he pan out? TBA: Modster is redshirting his freshman season in Westwood.
DaVonte’ Neal (2012)
Position: Wide receiver/cornerback
From: Scottsdale
Recruiting ranking: Five stars, No. 1 cornerback in Arizona
Who won: Arizona … sort of. Neal went to Notre Dame out of high school but lasted just a year before leaving. Neal planned to transfer to UCLA before Rodriguez and the Wildcats swooped in.
Did he pan out? The five-star rating suggests Neal should have been a star. He has struggled with the Wildcats, though he has made progress since moving to cornerback last year.
OTHERS
RB Pierre Cormier (2013, four stars, to Arizona), OL Keenan Walker (2015, four stars, to Arizona), DL Brian Price (2007, four stars, to UCLA), LB Eric Kendricks (2010, three stars, to UCLA), LB Jamardre Cobb (2014, four stars, to Arizona), DB Brandon Burton (2016, four stars, to UCLA), RB Jordon James (2010, four stars, to UCLA.)
