When a team is struggling, as Arizona is this season, everyone β coaches, players, media and fans β tries to figure out just where everything went wrong.
How could the Wildcats go from Pac-12 South Champions and a 10-win team in 2014 to a 2-5 team in disarray just two years later?
Injuries are a concern and bad luck is a factor, for sure. But college football often comes down to one thing β recruiting. A bad class, or two, can set a program back.
After Arizonaβs 48-14 shellacking at the hands of USC on Saturday, UA coach Rich Rodriguez was asked why he has optimism for the program in the short term.
First, he said the attitude of this yearβs team. Second, he pointed to the young talent on the roster. Quarterbacks Brandon Dawkins and Khalil Tate, receiver Shun Brown and safeties Tristan Cooper and Isaiah Hayes have shown flashes of talent this season.
Lastly, Rodriguez pointed to recruiting.
The Wildcatsβ 2017 recruiting class is rated tops in the Pac-12, though it remains to be seen how their struggles will affect the players who have verbally committed.
βI think a lot of problems I know we can fix in the next year or two in recruiting,β Rodriguez said. βSome of them weβll try to fix in the short term.β
The future of recruiting looks good, the past? Not as great.
Based on rankings from the Scout.com recruiting service, Arizona’s 10 highest-rated recruits since Rodriguez was hired in 2012 are Anu Solomon, Nick Wilson, Cam Denson, Keenan Walker, Marquis Ware, Jamardre Cobb, Marcus Griffin, Pierre Cormier, Derek Babiash and Dakota Conwell. That does not include the 2016 class.
Only Wilson and Denson played against USC. Cormier retired in 2014, Ware retired this year, Babiash now plays at San Diego State. Conwell, recruited to Arizona as a linebacker, was last seen playing quarterback for Division II West Liberty University in West Virginia.
Hereβs a closer look at those top-rated recruits and how, or if, they panned out.
All rankings according to Scout.com.
Cam Denson (2014)
Position: WR
From: Salpointe Catholic (Tucson)
Rating: 4-star, No. 71 overall, No. 14 WR
Committed: January 2013, over ASU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, Washington
What happened: Denson switched to cornerback as a freshman, and after an inconsistent two years at the position, switched to receiver before this season. He has five receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown.
Keenan Walker (2015)
Position: OL
From: Chaparral (Scottsdale)
Rating: 4-star, No. 82 overall, No. 8 offensive lineman
Committed: April 2014, over ASU, Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, USC
What happened: Walker was Arizonaβs prize of the 2015 class, but an ACL injury forced him to grayshirt. He joined UA in the spring, but got into some legal trouble in the offseason and hasnβt yet dressed for a game.
Jamardre Cobb and Marquis Ware (2014)
Position: LB
From: Bishop Mora Salesian (Los Angeles)
Rating: (Cobb) 4-star, No. 183 overall, No. 9 middle linebacker; (Ware) 4-star, No. 252 overall, No. 23 outside linebacker
Committed: August 2013, over Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford
What happened: Cobb and Ware are grouped together because they came to Arizona as a package deal, and have equally made the same amount of impact for Arizona β that is, none. Ware medically retired before the season, and Cobb has changed from defense to offense multiple times, and now is scarcely seeing the field as a fullback.
Pierre Cormier (2013)
Position: RB
From: Madison Senior (San Diego)
Rating: 4-star, No. 226 overall, No. 29 running back
Committed: August 2012, over UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Purdue
What happened: Pegged as a potential replacement for KaβDeem Carey, Cormier medically retired before ever playing a game. Now, heβs a student assistant.
Derek Babiash (2013)
Position: CB
From: Poway HS (Poway, California)
Rating: 4-star, No. 275 overall, No. 25 cornerback
Committed: July 2012, over ASU, Nebraska, Utah, Washington
What happened: Never played a down for Arizona, redshirting the 2013 season before transferring to San Diego State.
Dakota Conwell (2012)
Position: LB
From: Upper Saint Clair (Pittsburgh)
Rating: 4-star, No. 294 overall, No. 29 outside linebacker
Committed: January 2012, over Maryland, Pittsburgh, Temple, Toledo.
What happened: Conwell βretiredβ from Arizona in 2013 before resurfacing as a Division II quarterback just a year later. He had 12 tackles and one sack as a true freshman at UA in 2012.
Nick Wilson (2014)
Position: RB
From: Central High (Fresno, California)
Rating: 4-star, No. 29 running back
Committed: March 2013, over ASU, California, Tennessee, UCLA, Washington
What happened: Wilson was stellar as a freshman in 2014, rushing for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he has since been decimated by injuries and has only 66 total rushing yards in Arizonaβs last five games.
Anu Solomon (2012)
Position: QB
From: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Rating: 4-star, No. 35 quarterback
Committed: May 2012, over ASU, Colorado, UNLV, Utah
What happened: Itβs been a gradual decline for Solomon since an impressive redshirt freshman season in 2014, followed by an average 2015 campaign. Because of injury, heβs played in only one game this season.
Marcus Griffin (2014)
Position: DL
From: Bellevue HS (Bellevue, Washington)
Rating: 4-star, No. 28 defensive tackle
Committed: February 2014, over Mississippi State, Washington, Washington State, California
What happened: Griffin came with a lot of hype but has yet to contribute. Heβs appeared in only five career games, amassing three tackles.
Extra points
The Arizona-Stanford contest on Oct. 29 will kick off at 8 p.m., the UA announced Monday morning. The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1.
The only remaining home game with an undetermined start time is the Colorado game on Nov. 12. The season-ending Territorial Cup vs. ASU will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.
