Arizona has been recruiting Texas since long before Kevin Sumlin was hired in January. Still, Sumlinβs Lone Star State roots and Arizonaβs renewed interest in the state has led to a bit of a bonanza.
Four of Arizonaβs 2019 commits hail from Texas, a number that already ties the total from the 2018 class.
Arizonaβs top recruit, quarterback Grant Gunnell, comes from Texas.
So does the Wildcatsβ top target.
Arizona is in serious contention to land Bobby Wolfe, a four-star cornerback from Houston. Per 247sports.com, Wolfe is considered to be the 34th-best cornerback nationally and a top-40 player in the state of Texas.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound Wolfe just wrapped up his last season at Houstonβs Madison High and is focused on graduating and choosing his next destination for next four years.
Wolfe decommitted from Texas A&M on Oct. 28, two days after he watched the Wildcats beat Oregon 44-15 in Tucson. Heβs also considering Arkansas, Ole Miss and Baylor. The Star talked with Wolfe to talk about his visit to Arizona, why he decommitted from Sumlinβs old stomping grounds and what heβs looking for in a school:
How was your visit to Arizona?
A: βIt was lit. It was everything I expected it to be. Coach (Clarence) McKinney and Coach Sumlin have been recruiting even before they left Texas A&M. But Arizona was amazing. The weather was straight: it wasnβt too hot or wasnβt too cold and the players there were super cool. Itβs a place I definitely see myself playing at for the next four years if I were to commit.β
What do you like about Kevin Sumlin?
A: βHeβs straight-up. Heβs really blunt and heβs straight to the point. He doesnβt mess around. Heβs just that type of coach. Heβs cool and you can have fun, but when it comes down to business time, he wants to handle business and Iβm cool with that.β
How about cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin and safeties coach John Rushing?
A: βThose are my guys! Them boys are about their energy and they have everything that Iβm looking for. They keep it 100 and they want to see me play on that football field and thatβs what I need. I need to play and they want me to play so thatβs glory, we both win.β
What makes Texas high school football so special?
A: βBro, itβs incredible. Itβs more lit than college football, itβs more lit than the NFL I promise you, especially during playoff time. Itβs amazing and itβs crazy. We turn stadiums upside down out here in Texas, especially in high school football. And we have so many electrifying athletes in Texas, everybody can play ball.β
Has the recruiting process been stressful for you and your family?
A: βI wouldnβt say stressful, but I have to make sure that I make the right decision. Like for me decommitting, I felt like that was the best decision. As far as it being stressful, I really wouldnβt consider it to be stressful, you just make sure that you make the right choice because at the time it could seem like the right choice, but later down the line you realize that it probably wasnβt the best choice. And thatβs not what I want to do. I donβt want that to happen to me when I graduate and go to college.β
When it comes down to making the right choice, what factors go into your decision?
A: βAm I going to play? And my education. Iβm not going to be a football player for the rest of my life and by the time I turn 40, Iβm going to be an old man and itβll be time for me to stop playing so of course education plays a big part in my decision. And I donβt want my parents worrying about me for the next four years.β
Whatβs life like for you outside of football?
A: βI like to be with my family. I also have a girlfriend and we always go out on dates. We really donβt talk about football unless itβs about the schools that are recruiting me. Other than that, we donβt really discuss football and I really like to keep football away until itβs business time because when itβs business time, Iβm in it. I like to keep football away from my family as much as I can.β
Which NFL player do you model your game after?
A: βJalen Ramsey. Man, thatβs the dude. Thatβs a bad man. Iβm telling you: heβs cold as hell. Itβs not even his raw talent, itβs the work that he puts in and he talks trash to anyone that he wants to. He puts enough work to back it up and thatβs my style. I talk to quarterbacks any type of way I want to because eventually Iβm going to pick him off. Throw it over here three times, Iβm going to pick it off twice.
βI never feel intimidated and I know the difference between overlooking somebody and knowing that you got real competition in your face, but I never feel intimidated by anybody. I donβt care if you have five stars or 50 stars, it really doesnβt matter because once you line up against me, itβs my plate versus your plate.β
How do you find the balance of trash talking before emotions get the best of you?
A: βAs the years go by, you learn that youβre going to get beat. The minute you let your emotions take over you after you get beat, youβre done. The game is over for you and theyβre gonna pick on you all night because youβre not in your right mind. As a defensive back, you gotta keep that to a level. Talk trash, but donβt let anything they say get to you, because the minute that happens, youβre done. Once theyβre in your head, the game is over. You might as well go sit on the bench.β
You dealt with three head coaching changes in high school. Will that experience help you make the transition to college?
A: βI donβt care who I play for, just put me on the field. It doesnβt matter what coach it is, just let me play and I will do whatever you need me to do and Iβm going to get it done. I donβt let my emotions get in front of my future, I just canβt so Iβm not worried about no coaching changes. The coaches donβt play for us, we play for us but not a lot of people think like that.β
If you were to commit to Arizona, what are the Wildcats getting out of you?
A: βYouβre going to get a leader. My style of play is incredible and it rubs off on players and once you put a lion inside of a den, everybody else want to be lions. Everybody wants to make plays, everybody wants the clout and everybody wants the juice. Not like everybody wants to be the alpha male, but everybody wants to make plays because they want to be seen.
βThatβs just me and Iβve never been the type to put my hands on an athlete to make him listen to me because heβs going to see my drive and automatically follow.β
