Just one day after the Wildcats missed out on a local offensive lineman recruit for 2018, Arizona reeled in another. And this one will enroll right away.
Ventura (California) College's Maisen Knight announced a verbal commitment to Arizona's 2017 recruiting class on Tuesday, posting on Twitter "blessed to announce that I have committed to play football at the University of Arizona." He plans to enroll in two weeks.
Knight is a 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pound tackle who also held offers from Houston, Fresno State, Nevada, SMU, Hawaii, UMass, Idaho and Old Dominion. Knight played high school football in Salt Lake City but didn't hold any offers after his senior season so he went the junior college route.
Arizona desperately needs depth on its offensive line, particularly after seniors Jacob Alsadek, Gerhard de Beer and Layth Friekh all run out of eligibility. The only players currently on roster set to return in 2018 with starting experience are former walk-on Christian Boettcher, tackle Cody Creason and center Nathan Eldridge, with redshirt freshman guard Michael Eletise expected to compete for a starting position this season.
Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Harper Sherman recently left Arizona's program.
Knight is the only offensive lineman in the class of 2017, though the Wildcats have Amphitheater High School lineman David Watson already committed for 2018.
Knight told Scout.com last week that "I really enjoy run-blocking a lot. I feel good as a pass-blocker, but I definitely want to improve in that area and get some quicker feet."
