Mere weeks before Chacho Ulloa signed his letter of intent and became an Arizona Wildcat, he hadnβt even considered UA. The Wildcats barely registered on his radar.
At that point, in early January, Ulloa was committed to Stanford since October, a recruit out of Arizonaβs reach for most of the process with the UAβs previous defensive coaching staff.
In the wild world of recruiting, though, things can change, and fast. Somehow, Ulloa is now a freshman, enrolled at Arizona, a top candidate to play right away in Arizonaβs inexperienced secondary.
βItβs been a learning experience my first year here, trying to get used to coach Addae and all the defensive coaches, the scheme,β Ulloa said. βThatβs been my main focus, learning the ropes, learning the defense and trying to fit best where I can.β
The fit was supposed to be at Stanford, but Ulloa reopened his recruitment in January, starting the process all over again.
It was a whirlwind couple of weeks, but his change of heart couldnβt have been timed better from Arizonaβs perspective.
Around the same time, Arizona announced it was hiring Donte Williams from San Jose State as its cornerbacks coach, and Williams β who Ulloa already had a relationship with β was one of the first to call him.
Ulloa decommitted on a Wednesday, and by Friday he received a phone call from Boise Stateβs defensive coordinator, trying to recruit him to the Broncos.
That would be Marcel Yates, hired by the Wildcats two days later.
βThat Sunday I wake up and go on my Twitter and see Yates was hired as the defensive coordinator at Arizona,β Ulloa said. βI thought βOKβ. Then a week later, Miguel (Reveles) and the staff offered me.β
Ulloa took a visit to campus, loved it, but was exploring his options, including interest from California and Oregon.
In the end, Arizona was the right fit, even if they werenβt a thought just weeks before Signing Day.
Ulloa declined to say why it didnβt work out with Stanford, but did say it was an unexpected surprise.
βThat was a bad day for me,β he said.
Now, Ulloa β rated a four-star recruit coming out of Centennial in Corona, California, and listed at 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds β is competing for playing time in an attack-heavy defense focused on forcing turnovers. That plays right into his skillset.
βYeah, at first I was trying to learn the defense, but then they told me βsee ball, go get ball,β β Ulloa said. βEvery coach says βas long as youβre running full speed, everything will be fine.β β
For Ulloa, heβs just happy he found the right fit.
βLooking back on it, even when before I was (talking to UA) in the summer, I was thinking Arizona wasnβt the right fit for me,β Ulloa said. βBut looking back on it now, my family, everybody after what happened with Stanford everybody said God works in mysterious ways and everything happens for a reason. Me being here, I never thought I would be here, but now I am.β
Tate, Ulloa reminisce
Ulloa and freshman quarterback Khalil Tate are teammates for the first time, but itβs not the first time theyβve crossed paths.
Back in the first round of the 2014 state playoffs, Tateβs Serra battled Ulloaβs Centennial in an epic game that both players remember quite well.
Itβs easy to understand why β the final score was 68-64.
βIt was like a video game,β Tate said.
It was so high-scoring that the game didnβt even end until after 11 p.m.
The game ended because of his new teammate. Serra faced a fourth down at the 14-yard line, trailing by four with three minutes to play when Tate threw a pass that was intercepted by Ulloa. It was Tateβs fourth interception of the game, and sixth turnover. Ulloa also forced a fumble.
βI remember that game well,β Ulloa said. βMe and him still talk about it.β
Tate finished with 434 passing yards, four touchdowns, and another 166 rushing yards and for more scores.
Ulloa amassed six tackles, and Centennial running back J.J. Taylor β now a UA freshman βhad a rushing touchdown of his own.
2016 recruit adjusting to center
Michael Eletise was heavily recruited as a guard, a four-star prospect according to Scout.com, and the top guard in the West.
At Arizona, heβs in the process of a transition to center, competing with Nathan Eldridge and Levi Walton for the starting job. He never played center before college.
The toughest part?
βSnapping the ball,β Eletise said. βBecause you gotta hear the count then you gotta look at the fronts, youβre trying to keep it as simple as possible so you can move fast.β
Eletise is still practicing some at guard, and if he doesnβt win the job heβs a candidate to redshirt. But in the meantime, heβs enjoying his new position.
βI really enjoy it,β Eletise said. βItβs a funny feeling because when youβre the center youβre basically controlling the whole o-line, you tell them where to go, what theyβre doing, youβre the center. Youβre the middle man, and the supervisor.
Extra points
Pierre Cormier has re-joined the Wildcats as a student assistant, helping on offense. Cormier is a former UA running back forced to retire before the 2014 season due to a blood clot. He was a four-star recruit out of Madison in San Diego in 2013.
