Rich Rodriguez said in the weeks leading up to the New Mexico Bowl that he expected somewhere in the range of 7-10 early enrollees for the spring semester, a mix of grayshirts and incoming 2016 recruits.
School starts on Wednesday for Arizona, and all but one expected spring enrollee have arrived on campus. The tally — seven players, including four grayshirts.
The grayshirts: offensive linemen Keenan Walker (Scottsdale Chaparral) and Harper Sherman (New Westminster/British Columbia), corner Antonio Parks (East St. John/Reserve, Louisiana), tight end Jamie Nunley (Vista Murrieta/Murrieta, Calif.).
The 2016 recruits: quarterback Khalil Tate (Junipero Serra/Gardena, Calif.), linebacker Kahi Neves (Timpview/Provo, Utah), defensive back Isaiah Hayes (Calabasas/Calabasas, Calif.).
(Note for those who don't know: when a recruit grayshirts, he signs a letter of intent in February but doesn't report for the fall semester and delays entry to the school until the spring semester, thus keeping his five-year NCAA eligiblity clock from starting. So, the grayshirts arriving now are actually recruits from the 2015 class)
The one name missing from that list is receiver Darrell Clark (Warren Easton Charter HS/New Orleans), a three-star wideout from the 2015 class who won't be reporting for academic reasons. It's unlikely he'll rejoin the Wildcats at a later date, which would in turn open up a scholarship slot for the UA.
A little quick background on the seven guys enrolling this semester. I spoke with all of them outside of Tate in recent days, so I'll have a lot more on them in the coming days...
- Keenan Walker was Arizona's top recruit in the 2015 class out of Chaparral, but tore an ACL in practices leading up the Under Armour All-American game. He probably would've redshirted anyway, but the injury made grayshirting the right move for the Wildcats. I'd expect him to redshirt this year as well. He won't participate in spring practice at all.
- For a minute there, I think there was a little concern about whether Khalil Tate, the centerpiece of the 2016 class alongside Michael Eletise, was going to stick with Arizona. But in the end, he did, and he reported on Sunday afternoon along with Hayes. He'll be in a legitimate competition for playing time at quarterback.
- In Arizona's shoddy secondary, Antonio Parks probably would've played quite a bit this past season had he not torn his ACL as a senior in high school. But he did, so he grayshirted. Of the incoming grayshirt guys, he's probably the most likely to receive immediate playing time, at corner.
- Speaking of the secondary, Isaiah Hayes' early arrival bodes well for him. He primarily played safety, and some linebacker, in high school, and he told me he's comfortable at either spot. With Will Parks, Jamar Allah and Anthony Lopez all gone, he's a good candidate for a "Spur" type role if the UA sticks with the 3-3-5 "odd stack" defensive front.
- LB Kahi Neves is a converted quarterback, and one-time Utah commit, who hasn't actually played linebacker in a couple years, so coming in early is huge for him. Listed at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, he brings size that most teams, and especially Arizona, usually don't get at the linebacker position. Could be an immediate contributor if he can fast learn whatever defensive scheme the Wildcats install.
- Harper Sherman is a guy the Wildcats really liked coming out of high school, but with both Walker and Eletise coming in, along with the pieces already in place on the offensive line — Freddie Tagaloa, Layth Friekh, Jacob Alsadek, Gerhard de Beer, Zach Hemmila and Alex Kosinski all return — it'd be rather surprising if he didn't redshirt. Also, he's Canadian, so maple syrup and poutine for everybody!
- Jamie Nunley is a near-lock to redshirt this season, as the Wildcats are surprisingly quite deep at the tight end position. Josh Kern returns as the starter, Trevor Wood is returning from injury, and Brion Anduze, Darrell Cloy and Matt Morin all return.
Check out the blog, and the daily print edition, throughout the week, as we'll have recruiting-related content pretty much every day until the Feb. 5 National Signing Day.
Cool tweet from Parks...
this means so much to me , I remember I prayed and really wished for this ....#God1st pic.twitter.com/3ntZEdZLNV
— Antonio Parks (@_Str8King) January 11, 2016
