Arizona Wildcats land Chandler native, Northwestern transfer Gunner Maldonado

Monday was a productive day for the Arizona Wildcats football program. 

Just hours after the UA announced the finishing touches to Jedd Fisch's offensive staff, Arizona's new head coach landed his first recruit, when former Northwestern safety and Chandler High School product Gunner Maldonado posted on Twitter his decision to join the Wildcats. 

COMING HOME🤞🏼🌵🅰️ #blessed #beardown pic.twitter.com/o6a3LkD0kV

— Gunner Maldonado (@gjett03) January 4, 2021

The 6-foot, 180-pound Maldonado, rated as a three-star safety in the 2020 recruiting cycle, was recruited by Arizona during the Kevin Sumlin era but chose Chicago's Wildcats over UA, Arizona State, Iowa State, Indiana and Memphis, among others.

Maldonado also had offers from BYU, Tulane, Washington State and Northern Arizona after he entered the NCAA transfer portal. 

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As a freshman at Northwestern, Maldonado played in one game against Maryland and recorded a tackle. 

At Chandler, Maldonado was a part of a Chandler Wolves dynasty and won three straight championships between 2017-19. In 30 games at Chandler, Maldonado had 100 tackles and 10 interceptions.

Arizona picking up Maldonado checks off two boxes of Fisch's blueprint he laid out in December: recruit the state of Arizona, and "use the portal in a similar fashion as you would use free agency."

The addition of Maldonado, who will have at least four years of eligibility at the UA, improves Arizona's defensive secondary in dire need of depth, after a season that consisted of multiple players either opting out or transferring. Likely scholarship safeties to return to the Wildcats in '21 are Jaxen Turner, Jarrius Wallace, Isaiah Mays and Christian Young. The UA also signed Dallas-area safety Javione Carr, New Orleans safety-linebacker hybrid Kolbe Cage, Katy, Texas safety Dalton Johnson and Northern California safety Logan Kraut for its '21 recruiting class. 

The Wildcats are also in the market to land Maldonado's Chandler and Northwestern teammate, running back Drake Anderson, who announced his offer from Arizona on New Year's Eve.