The text messages come in flurries, at all hours of the day and night.
The members of the chain have one thing in common. All are committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2017 recruiting class.
“Sometimes there’s so many texts you have to turn it off and put on Do Not Disturb because you’ll have 1,000 texts in five minutes,” said Cody Shear, an offensive lineman from Eugene, Oregon.
The number of participants swelled during the summer, as Arizona coaches binged on verbal commitments. It shrunk following a 3-9 season and the departure of an assistant coach, Donté Williams, who was popular among both players and coaches.
But the chain never broke. Today, the players on that text chain will sign letters of intent and become Wildcats. Some have been committed from Day 1, while others fell back in love with the UA after looking elsewhere.
“It’s a really close group of guys,” Shear said, “and you can tell we’re all excited to play together.”
An accident, a purpose
Malik Hausman remembers the moment he knew he was going to be a Wildcat. It came just after the worst moment of his young life.
The Las Vegas-born defensive back verbally committed to Arizona on June 20. On July 23, he drove with his mother from Las Vegas to Tucson. Hausman’s mother wanted to meet some of Arizona’s coaches, and Malik wanted to meet the rest of the players committed to Arizona’s class.
“It was super exciting,” Hausman said.
Then, things turned terrifying.
Hausman was clipped by a speeding Jeep Wrangler while walking around Tucson later that night with fellow recruits. Future teammate Tony Fields pushed Hausman out of the Jeep’s way just before impact, possibly saving Hausman’s life. Hausman tore his left ACL in the accident, costing him his senior season at Bishop Gorman High School.
Hausman awoke in the hospital to find Arizona’s entire coaching staff waiting for him. It was then, he said, that he first felt like a Wildcat.
“Some of those coaches I didn’t even know, I’d never even met before,” Hausman said. “I was just like, dang. That really showed my mom, like damn, this is where you need to be.”
Other recruits needed more convincing.
Shear was tempted at the last minute by Boise State and Oregon. UA coaches convinced him to stay committed.
“I’ve heard from (offensive line coach Jim) Michalczik probably three, four times per week since I’ve been committed,” he said. “I hear from coach Rodriguez too. They definitely have been along the whole way. Every time after you hang out with those guys, even just a couple hours, it just goes back to why you committed in the first place. Those are the type of coaches I want to play for.”
Cornerback Tony Wallace came to a similar conclusion after he was courted by Nebraska. UCLA, Oregon and Washington State have been talking to receiver Brian Casteel. Notre Dame pushed hard to flip defensive end Jalen Harris, the son of former “Desert Swarm” standout Sean Harris and former UA women’s basketball player Cha-Ron Walker. On Tuesday, the younger Harris reaffirmed his commitment to the UA.
USC offered Nathan Tilford, a four-star running back from Ontario, California. Tilford stuck with the UA, enrolling early at the school last month.
Tilford will participate in spring drills — as will Fields, linebacker Jose Ramirez, defensive lineman Sione Taufahema and tight end Bryce Gilbert.
“Watching coach (Calvin) Magee and coach Rodriguez,” Tilford said, “it was just like: This is where I want to come for school.”
The Wildcats aren’t victims in recruiting. Far from it. UA coaches successfully flipped Rhedi Short (UCLA), Ramirez (South Alabama) and Bryce Wolma (Northwestern) from their initial commitments. Tempe’s My-King Johnson, the top-rated defensive end in the state, was once a silent commit to UCLA. He chose the UA over offers from USC, Oregon and Texas A&M.
For some, it’s family
Players commit to schools for myriad reasons.
Sometimes, coaches make the high-schoolers feel like family. And in the case of Catalina Foothills quarterback Rhett Rodriguez, they are family.
RhettRod committed to play for RichRod before his senior season with the Falcons. He then led Foothills to the best season in school history and an appearance in the state championship game.
RhettRod might be credited with an assist in luring Wolma, a tight end from Saline, Michigan. He and Rhett have been best friends since middle school, when Rich Rodriguez was Michigan’s coach.
Wolma’s relationship with Rhett “was a factor” in coming to Arizona, he said, but it’s the school itself that sold him.
“When I had the opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up,” Wolma said.
Incoming linebacker Joshua Brown played for former Wildcat Antonio Pierce at Long Beach Poly High School. Taking a cue from his coach, Brown has been passionately committed to Arizona since June.
Scott Young, from La Mesa, California, stayed committed to the UA even after cornerbacks coach Williams left for Nebraska. Just listen to him rave about Arizona’s future, even coming off a 3-9 season that might’ve placed coach Rodriguez on the hot seat.
“We’ve told ourselves, the commits, that we can build our own legacy at Arizona,” said Young, a safety. “We can do something special that’s never been done here before.”
Arizona was linebacker Colin Schooler’s first Power Five conference offer. Schooler didn’t fret after watching his brother Brenden struggle in his recruitment last year until Oregon came in at the last minute with an offer. His brother is a Duck, and now Schooler is a Wildcat.
“He basically showed me to stay patient,” Schooler said, “and it’ll work out.”
Edgar Burrola, an offensive lineman from Las Vegas Desert Pines, went to an Arizona summer camp with offers from only Adams State and Idaho, without a ranking on Scout.com or much interest in general, and left with an Arizona offer. One day later, he committed.
“It’s really exciting,” Burrola said. “I just realized it recently after watching the college football championship, just realizing that next year, I’m going to be playing in college football.”
Arizona is bringing in four players from Las Vegas: Burrola, Wallace, Fields and Hausman.
“I honestly just think we’re excited to leave where we’re at and come together as brothers and ball out in college together,” Hausman said.
Hausman, who says he should be 100 percent by March, knows this is where he belongs. He’s been waiting for Wednesday since he sat in the hospital seven months ago.
“I’m really bummed I missed the season because I really feel like I’m one of the top players in the country and I feel like I didn’t get to show everybody that in my last year,” Hausman said. “But, I’m happy to be where I’m at, I’m excited by where I’m at, it’s cool, and I’m excited for the future.”
Extra points
- Tucson High standout D.J. Hinton announced his commitment to Arizona on Tuesday. Hinton will join the Wildcats as a “blueshirt” recruit, meaning Hinton will essentially be a walk-on in the fall, then receive a scholarship for the 2018 season.
“I will make sure I’m ready to be the best teammate I can be when the time comes,” Hinton said in a text message to the Star.
Hinton was previously committed to play at Northern Colorado, and the 5-foot-8-inch, 155-pound athlete said he’s being recruited to Arizona as both a running back and receiver.
Hinton’s father, David, is a former UA cornerback.
- Arizona could still add a few players on Wednesday. Two candidates: Los Angeles defensive lineman Chris Green, also a blueshirt candidate, and running back Gary Brightwell, a Delaware native currently committed to play at Temple.
- UA recruit
- Troy Young
- told AL.com said he “came pretty close” to flipping to UAB, but in the end realized he made the right choice by choosing Arizona.
