The game was out of reach and the stands were nearly empty when Matt Morin, Arizona’s third-string tight end, lined up at quarterback two weeks ago against USC.
Was it the low point of the Rich Rodriguez era? At the time, it was a fair question.
But after the game, an exasperated Rodriguez — fresh off Arizona’s worst loss of the season with a team as banged up as any he’s coached in Tucson — pointed to the future.
Arizona had, after all, hosted a large number of recruits for its game against USC. Five-star offensive lineman Austin Jackson and four-star cornerback Thomas Graham both braved the heat to watch an ugly loss.
Arizona’s 2016 struggles can be traced to poor recruiting. The Wildcats can dig themselves out by landing better players.
Recruiting can solve the Wildcats’ problems. Injuries aren’t as big of a deal when there are competent backups. And added depth means less midseason tinkering, the kind that forced Morin under center against the Trojans.
“You’re always going to make a few mistakes in recruiting,” Rodriguez said during Arizona’s bye week. “We weren’t aggressive enough (in the past) in trying to get certain guys. We’re going to get told no a lot, and we know that, but we still have to be aggressive with some of the top talent. The mindset with some of the new guys is to be that.”
Does losing hurt recruiting, or does it attract players who want to see the field right away?
We posed that question to a few coaches and incoming recruits.
How do the coaches address losing on the recruiting trail?
Four-star athlete Greg Johnson surprised many when, in March, he announced a verbal commitment to Arizona. The Wildcats have since added 25 other verbal commitments. Arizona’s 2017 class is unanimously ranked the best in the Pac-12 by all the major online recruiting services.
Arizona’s list of recruits includes three prominent four-star recruits — quarterback Braxton Burmeister, running back Nathan Tilford and Johnson — and a bunch of highly regarded three-star players.
Arizona is still in the running for a whole lot more.
The biggest question right now for Arizona, at least externally, is how much does, or will, the losing impact those who have already committed? Or those who are considering the Wildcats, like Graham and Jackson, or Arizona’s top target, five-star receiver Joseph Lewis?
Rodriguez isn’t that concerned — yet.
“I think every year is a new year, kids are looking for different opportunities,” Rodriguez said. “You always sell what you do in your program, and the results, the wins and losses, help, but I think you also try to sell the program itself and what goes on internally.”
The UA’s entire coaching staff spent last weekend traveling all over the map to check in with some of their commits.
Charlie Ragle, Arizona’s special teams coach, checked in with Jackson, from Phoenix North Canyon, and Scottsdale Saguaro offensive lineman Jax Wacaser, a three-star who UA offered recently. He chatted with some prominent recruits in future classes — 2019 defensive lineman Matthew Pola-Mao from Phoenix Mountain Pointe, 2018 receiver Solomon Enis from Phoenix Canyon — and offered a scholarship to 2018 safety Kenny Churchwell.
Ragle says his approach to recruiting has never been about wins and losses.
“Here’s the reality,” Ragle said. “When we sit here and talk, it’s about people. It’s about relationships. When you’re recruiting, that’s what you’re selling. You’re selling the University of Arizona, the people in this building (and) not the building, although that helps, obviously.
“In recruiting those kids, they need to understand that it’s not going to be 4-5 years of peaches and cream. You’re going to have ups and downs. That’s life and that’s college football.”
How do the recruits themselves feel about the struggles?
Johnson is the crown jewel of Arizona’s recruiting class. He’s also a target.
Last weekend, Johnson visited Nebraska. He told the Star that while he had a good time, he sounds like someone who plans on reporting to Tucson next year. Johnson plans to visit Arizona for the Nov. 12 game against Colorado, and is expected to visit Notre Dame and USC.
“I’ve been watching the games. I know they’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries and stuff, but I’m pretty sure they’ll get a couple more W’s,” Johnson said. “I know that when myself and the rest of the 2017 class gets there we’re going to change a lot of that. We’re looking forward to getting a lot of wins and a lot of bowl wins.”
Arizona’s coaching staff has put on a full-court press to keep Johnson in the fold. Cornerbacks coach Donte Williams visited him recently and he hears from the entire coaching staff on a regular basis, including Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Marcel Yates.
“They’ve been saying they know what’s going on right now but they feel with the guys committed right now, they recruited them for a reason, and that’s to come in and change things,” Johnson said.
Long Beach Poly linebacker Joshua Brown is a unique recruiting case study. He verbally committed to Arizona sight unseen, and said he will remain committed to the Wildcats regardless of what happens. Brown will likely contribute immediately on defense next season. Brown, who plans to visit UA after the season is over, said Yates speaks with him almost every other day.
“Teams have ups and downs and have to rebuild. With this class, it’s just about making noise when we get there,” Brown said. “If it comes to true freshmen getting on the field, that’s what has to happen. We’re just coming to win games and compete.”
Cody Shear, a three-star recruit from Eugene, Oregon, committed to Arizona over the summer despite offers from 29 other programs. He’s watched every UA game this season, and said everything is not as bad as it seems.
“The situation they’re in isn’t ideal, especially as far as recruiting goes, too. It’s hard for them because they’re probably worried about some of their recruits,” Shear said. “But if you look at it the way I’m looking at it, you know, if you pay attention to detail, there’s a lot of injuries there, and that’s something you can’t stop from happening. The recruits they’re bringing in and the guys that are redshirts right now, there’s going be a lot of good players there.”
More to come?
For now, Arizona’s commits for 2017 are saying all the right things. Shear and Burmeister are among the commits visiting for Saturday’s game against Stanford.
Also in town: four-star running back O’Maury Samuels, who is already committed to Michigan.
The Wildcats are still trying to bring in Lewis for a visit. Four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas of Detroit plans to visit in December, and three-star defensive end Jacob Callier from Bellflower, California, could follow.
The Wildcats haven’t received a single decommitment since Burmeister backed out in March. He eventually recommitted anyway.
Thomas Graham has long been a high-priority target for Arizona in this recruiting cycle, to the point that Williams visited him in Los Angeles last weekend. The Wildcats are considered a favorite.
That might still be true, even after the USC game, if Graham’s comments to Scout.com are any indication.
“I feel very comfortable at Arizona and there is a lot to like there,” Graham told Scout. “I know the team isn’t doing great right now but they’re young and I think they’re a lot closer to turning things around then people think. … Once they put it all together, I think you’re going to see a different program.”
The stands might be emptying, the injuries piling up, the likelihood of a bowl bid slipping away, but there’s still hope.
For now.
“We’ve hit a bump in the road,” Ragle said. “It’s just a matter of turning that corner and I think in the big picture, guys see that. We’re going to have to tweak a few things here and there, but the future is going to be extremely bright for us.”
