5 top defensive recruits that held offers to Arizona

Okay, bring the tissues. This gets sad.

Earlier this week, we looked at some of the top offensive recruits that held offers to Arizona but chose to go elsewhere. Now, we'll take a look at some of the top recruits on the defensive side of the ball that ended up not in Tucson.

Khalil McKenzie (2015)

Easily the most highly-touted and largest (6-3 340lbs) recruit Arizona has missed out in the Rich Rodriguez era. It came down to Arizona and Tennessee for the No. 2 ranked defensive tackle in the nation, No. 6 overall. His father, Reggie McKenzie, the General Manager of the Oakland Raiders, played at Tennessee. McKenzie claimed that his father's footsteps didn't sway him in any way. Let's just say he wouldn't be in this article if he had picked Arizona.

Arthur McGinnis (2015)

This definitely would have been a huge addition to the 2015 recruiting class. At 6-2 230lbs, McGinnis is ranked as the No. 37 linebacker in the country. He could have been an immediate impact player for Arizona, bolstering a linebacker group that lacks depth. McGinnis was Arizona's last chance at landing a big-time recruit on the defensive side of the ball, especially considering the loss of Khalil McKenzie to Tennessee.

Jalen Tabor (2014)

It came down to Alabama and Arizona for the 5-star cornerback, ranked 4th in his position, 14th overall. At the Under Armour All-American Game, he announced that he would be an Arizona Wildcat, stunning all recruiting experts. But, he was a Wildcat for about two weeks, flipping his commitment to Florida and enrolling just a few days later. He had a superior freshman season for Florida, being named SEC all-freshman.

Naijiel Hale (2014)

Another de-commitment from a corner, Naijel Hale committed to Arizona as the No. 23 corner in the nation pretty early in the recruiting process. Washington started to make a move despite his commitment and drew his interest. Rich Rodriguez had apparently threatened to pull Hale's offer if he took an official visit to Washington. Hale went through with his visit and had his offer from Arizona pulled, committing to Washington during his visit. He started twice this season for the Huskies, recording 12 tackles and two pass deflections on the year.

Myles Jack (2013)

Out of Bellevue, Washington, Jack was ranked the No. 10 linebacker in the country. He had offers to Arizona State, Florida State, Georgia, Oregon and Stanford, among others. He ended up at UCLA, where he's emerged as a two-way star, playing both running back and linebacker. And of course, as a true freshman, he had his breakout game on the road against Arizona in 2013, Homecoming night. He rushed the ball six times for 120 yards and a touchdown. He was named both offensive and defensive Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and has since been wreaking havoc in the backfield.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1EO5XAE
via IFTTT