Coach Rich Rodriguez unveiled the Arizona Wildcats’ 2017 recruiting class on Wednesday, then boldly declared that the team wasn’t done adding players.
Signing day was highlighted by a last-second decommitment and Arizona’s decision to “blueshirt” three players, essentially meaning they’ll join the team in the fall as walk-ons with their scholarships counting toward the 2018 class.
The 23 players introduced on Wednesday should provide an influx of talent to a UA team that finished 3-9. They must help the Wildcats build depth — and momentum — right away. Many will play right away.
No pressure.
“It only makes me want to work harder to achieve that goal they set for us,” Tempe High School defensive end My-King Johnson said Wednesday shortly after signing with the UA. “They definitely set it high for the class of 2017, so I wouldn’t want to disappoint that.”
Wednesday’s event marked the end of arguably the most chaotic recruiting cycle in Wildcats history. Here’s a look at how it played out:
March 2: Arizona receives a surprise commitment from Greg Johnson, a Los Angeles native and highest-rated athlete in the West. Johnson’s lead recruiter is UA cornerbacks coach Donté Williams.
March 11: Braxton Burmeister re-opens his recruitment. The four-star quarterback had been committed since before his sophomore year at La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day.
April 6: Arizona receives verbal commitments from defensive tackle Kurtis Brown and linebacker Kylan Wilborn, both from Southern California, and tight end Bryce Wolma, who had committed to Northwestern three days earlier.
April 12: Nathan Tilford, a four-star running back from Ontario, California, verbally commits.
April 30: Defensive lineman Elijah Watson verbally commits.
May 13: Burmeister re-commits , saying he plans to enroll at the UA in January.
June 5: Sabino High School star Drew Dixon announces his verbal commitment to the Wildcats.
June 8: Offensive lineman Edgar Burrola commits.
June 11: Receiver Brian Casteel commits.
June 12: Linebacker Joshua Brown commits.
June 13: Tight end Bryce Gilbert commits.
June 14: Linebacker/defensive end hybrid Bryce Brand commits.
June 15: Safety Scott Young commits.
June 17: Xavier Bell commits.
June 20: Cornerback Malik Hausman commits.
June 27: Receiver Warren Jackson commits.
July 1: Offensive lineman Cody Shear, from Eugene, Oregon, commits .
July 3: Safety Rhedi Short commits not long after decommitting from UCLA.
July 11: Speedy receiver Darrian McNeal commits.
July 23: Safety Troy Young, from Mobile, Alabama, commits.
Aug. 5: Jalen Harris commits to the Wildcats and soon adds offers from Washington, Oregon, Notre Dame, others.
Sept. 12: Arizona drops Watson from its 2017 class; he eventually signs with Miami (Ohio).
Sept. 28: Defensive lineman Austin Faoliu commits shortly after receiving an offer from the UA. In the coming months, Faoliu adds offers from Michigan State, Texas, Oregon and Oklahoma.
Dec. 4: Greg Johnson re-opens his recruitment.
Dec. 11: McNeal flips his commitment from Arizona to Oregon. Junior college defensive lineman Sione Taufahema commits.
Dec. 16: Bryce Brand flips his commitment to Maryland.
Dec. 17: Just one day after being offered, cornerback Tony Wallace commits. He soon adds offers from USC, Oregon and Nebraska.
Dec. 24: South Alabama linebacker commit Jose Ramirez flips to the UA.
Dec. 27: Linebacker Colin Schooler commits.
Jan. 11: Faoliu decommits from Arizona, flips to Oregon two weeks later. Arizona’s five early enrollees — not including the expected Burmeister — start school.
Jan. 13: Burmeister flips to Oregon.
Jan. 15: Just days after committing to UCLA, My-King Johnson surprisingly flips to the Wildcats. Kicker Lucas Havrisik commits, too.
Jan. 24: Linebacker Anthony Pandy commits.
Jan. 25: Jackson decommits, flips to Colorado State
Tuesday: Despite heavy interest from other programs, Harris (Notre Dame), Wallace (Nebraska), Young (UAB) and Shear (Oregon) announce they will sign with Wildcats on Wednesday. Tucson High receiver D.J. Hinton commits as a blueshirt.
Wednesday: Shear flips to Oregon after an early-morning offer. Running back Gary Brightwell flips from Temple. Rodriguez announces a 23-person class late in the afternoon, along with 16 additional players ranging from preferred walk-ons to blueshirt players. That includes Hinton and, surprisingly, Burrola and Hausman, both coming off season-ending injuries. Greg Johnson commits to USC.
