The weirdness of recruiting led Arizona to an unusual place at the conclusion of national signing day.
There was as much chatter about the players who arenβt on the Wildcatsβ roster as the ones they added.
Arizona announced 23 signees Wednesday, bringing athleticism, pass-rush potential and tailback depth to a program in need of all that and more. Also, in an unconventional move, Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez began his annual signing-day address by listing 16 additional prospects who are expected to join the program at a later date as preferred walk-ons or βblueshirtβ recruits.
And signing day wouldnβt have been complete without Arizona losing a player to an 11th-hour decommitment.
The upshot of it all is a class thatβs slightly smaller than originally projected and slightly better received than last yearβs. Arizonaβs average ranking from Scout, Rivals and 247Sports is 42nd in the nation. The average in 2016 was 46th. In both years, the Wildcatsβ average rank in the Pac-12 puts them in the bottom third in the conference.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez expressed optimism that the 2017 class can help Arizona rebound from a 3-9 season.
βYou canβt put your head in the sand about what happened, but at the same time you canβt dwell on it,β Rodriguez said in his first remarks to local media since the Nov. 25 Territorial Cup. βWeβve got to learn from what happened, why it happened and try to make sure it doesnβt ever happen again.
βThe first, easiest way to fix that is to get some players that can come in and provide immediate help and immediate depth and immediate competition. This class β¦ will give us that. Weβll be so much more athletic. Weβll look like a different team. Weβll play like a different team.
βTrue judgment is two, three years down the road, but Iβm pretty happy that weβre getting a lot of help right now.β
The 23-player class features 15 defensive players, seven offensive players and one kicker. In one of the pleasant surprises of the day, the offensive haul includes two running backs: Nathan Tilford of Ontario, California, who already had enrolled; and Gary Brightwell of Baltimore, who previously had been committed to Temple.
It does not feature a single offensive lineman. Three-star prospect Cody Shear of Eugene, Oregon, was expected to sign with Arizona on Wednesday. But his hometown school β and dream school β swooped in with an offer between 5:30 and 7 a.m. Shear announced via Twitter, at 8:02 a.m. Arizona time, that he would become an Oregon Duck.
The 16 additional players Rodriguez referenced include three offensive linemen. One of them is longtime commit Edgar Burrola of Las Vegas. Burrola, who missed most of last season because of a shoulder injury, is expected to join the team in August as a blueshirt. Blueshirt recruits can be added on the second day of training camp. They count toward the following yearβs class.
Without naming names or schools β Oregonβs class includes four players who had been committed to Arizona β Rodriguez expressed frustration over the rash of decommitments that marred the 2016-17 recruiting cycle.
According to research by Matt Dudek, the UAβs general manager/director of player personnel, 757 players had decommitted from Division I schools as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday β about 23 percent of the entire class. Rodriguez lamented the time and money spent β and ultimately wasted β on those players.
βThereβs been more decommitments this year than any time I can remember,β Rodriguez said. βWhen a young man decommits a week or a day or a couple days before the signing period, it kinds of puts everybody in a bind.β
Rodriguez said schools spend about $27,000 per player once they commit on travel and other expenses.
βAll the ADs that are out there listening, if you want to save your program money, get out of this ridiculous circus that is national signing day,β Rodriguez said.
Extra points
- With five of the 23 signees enrolling early, Arizona should have seven open scholarships. Rodriguez said he and the staff will be on the lookout for potential transfers.
- Asked what tailbacks J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson would be able to do this spring, Rodriguez said: βEverything.β Both suffered season-ending injuries last year β Taylor a broken ankle, Wilson a sprained knee. Spring practice is scheduled to start Feb. 18.
- Arizona has three scholarship quarterbacks: returning starter Brandon Dawkins, sophomore Khalil Tate and incoming freshman Rhett Rodriguez. Rich Rodriguez said thatβs enough βas long as they stay healthy.β He said incoming freshman Drew Dixon (Sabino High School) could see some time at quarterback. Heβs being listed as a wide receiver.
