Some recruiting updates and rumors for both football and basketball
Rich Rodriguez' recruiting class checks in at No. 37 in the nation, with just about a month before National Signing Day. There's been some news throughout the last week, and I felt like it was worthy of getting another recruiting roundup going. I reached out to Twitter earlier this week and asked you all what you wanted to know, so below are some of those topics as well. If there's anything I missed that you would like to know in the future, drop your suggestions in the comments below.
3-star corner Terrell Burgess sets commitment date
Arizona has been on Terrell Burgess' recruitment for quite some time now. It appears as if he's finally settled on a decision date, which will be January 29th.
He told me a few weeks ago that it would ultimately come down to the three schools he officially visited, as well as San Diego State and California. Those three visits included Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. He said no school was in the lead. However, he has said that Arizona and Utah are recruiting him the hardest, and I would think Arizona holds a slight advantage.
Are people overanalyzing Khalil Tate's social media?
Probably. Khalil Tate's tweet sent out late on Christmas Eve started a whirlwind of panic.
Tate's social media game has always been ambiguous, and people always seem to think that it surrounds his recruitment, especially as of late. He was flirting with USC for a bit, and even took a visit, but said he was 100% with his commitment to Arizona. I haven't been worried about Khalil's commitment, and I would still be surprised if he ditched Arizona.
He's set to enroll early, and I wish I knew when these recruits actually enroll, but I do not. It has to be sometime in early January, as Jalen Tabor once quickly switched from Arizona to Florida, and enrolled at Florida in the following days.
3-star JUCO linebacker Kapri Doucet trims his list to six
I've talked a lot about Kapri Doucet, so I won't say much more here. He trimmed his list to six, and there's no surprise that Arizona made that list. He's set to visit Louisville and West Virginia in January, and I think Louisville gives Arizona the biggest run for his services. As of now, I feel confident saying he'll commit to Arizona, just before or on signing day. Here's my interview with him if you want a little bit more on his recruitment.
Sean Riley recruiting rumors
Some big time recruiting drama here for Arizona. Apparently, Sean Riley was asked to grey shirt, and it seems as if that's not an enticing option for him. His high school coach openly said that Utah should get back on Riley's recruitment, meaning that there's a chance he could leave Arizona.
Utah missed out on 4-star running back Melquise Stovall, who was also an Arizona target, and now it seems as if the Utes' staff will be trying to make a move for a running back in this class.
It seems a little odd that Arizona asked him to grey shirt, especially when you have Russell Halimon, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and likely won't be playing at all his freshman year. Although, I understand why this happened. Riley might be the rawest running back commit of the four, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
For those who aren't familiar with the grey shirt route, here's a brief explanation. A grey shirt will not join the team in the summer after their high school graduation, or even be on campus during the fall semester. Instead, they will be enrolling the following January, and essentially pushing back their eligibility an entire year.
They'll have that spring to be with the team, and begin as a true freshman in the subsequent fall. This is where the recruit can even redshirt, allowing them to be with the team for essentially five and a half years. The only problem is the fact that you're delaying your plans an entire semester, and you might not even see the field until what would have been your second year with the program had they not been asked to grey shirt. Beneficial for some, but frustrating for all.
Arizona has been grey shirting a few guys in the past, and it's a smart move, especially when you have injuries for some recruits, especially with guys like Keenan Walker and Antonio Parks, or even incoming guys like Jacob Colacion, Russell Halimon and Justin Holt.
London Iakopo and his Louisville visit
So there seems to be a mutual interest between Iakopo and Louisville, so much in fact that he is apparently taking an official visit on January 22nd. A scary thought for sure, considering the fact that Arizona will be losing William Parks, Anthony Lopez and Jamar Allah, which would give Iakopo a great opportunity to play immediately.
He was offered by Louisville at the end of November, and talks must be going well considering his plans. He said he is still committed to Arizona, but wants to visit Louisville before signing. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Louisville is a long ways away from home, and proximity to home and family seems to be fairly important for Iakopo. I wouldn't be overly concerned here, but there is a chance that Louisville makes a move.
What goes to show Iakopo's talents is the fact that Rich Rodriguez didn't pull his offer. Rodriguez is adamant that his commits do not take any other official visits. We saw Naijiel Hale take a visit to Washington, even after Rodriguez specifically said he would pull the offer if he went. Hale went, and committed to UW during his visit.
A few mid-year enrollees
Rich Rodriguez had said that he anticipates about 7-9 guys or so to enroll early, a mix of early enrollees and grey shirts.
Here are a few that I have figured out/learned over the last few weeks.
Isaiah Hayes (CB), Khalil Tate (QB), Kahi Neves (LB), Antonio Parks (CB), Jamie Nunley (TE), Darrell Clark (WR), Keenan Walker (OT) and Harper Sherman (OT).
Arizona could replace Casey Skowron with 5-star kicker
I got a request to talk about kicking prospects, and I love talking about this guy. Collin Riccitelli came to town on an unofficial visit for the Washington State game, and absolutely loved it. Here's my interview with him about his visit and recruitment.
He said that if Arizona had an extra scholarship, they would likely offer him. I'm not exactly sure where Arizona's scholarship number lines up considering the grey shirts and what not, but I'd be surprised if Arizona fills this class with 25 commits.
As a kicker, he'll have to wait until the final minute to commit, because he would like to go somewhere on scholarship. If that doesn't happen, he'll go as a preferred walk-on where ever he chooses. He currently only holds an offer to Navy, but there are many schools who could offer him.
He said he was a fan of kicking in the desert, because it's at elevation and the air is very dry, allowing the ball to travel better through the air. I would love Arizona to be able to offer Riccitelli, not only because having a 5-star kicker would be amazing, but because he would make the transition from Skowron flow a little better. If not, Josh Pollack is the next kicker in line, who is on scholarship.
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I got a request for some hoops info, so here it is.
Josh Jackson's list is not finalized
There were reports earlier in the week saying that Josh Jackson's recruitment had come down to two schools; Arizona and Michigan State. This came at the heels of his visit with Michigan State, watching the Spartans win in overtime against Oakland.
So if those aren't the final two, it seems as if Kansas would be the other school truly in the mix. UNLV and Maryland are in his final five now, but those don't seem to be threats. He plans to decide in late February.
Harry Froling will be Arizona's next best option
If Arizona doesn't land Josh Jackson, things might not look good for the Wildcats. With Andrew Jones committing to Texas a few weeks ago, Mitch Lightfoot committing to Kansas, Markelle Fultz heading to Washington, and TJ Leaf flipping, this hasn't been a great recruiting year for Sean Miller.
All that seems left would be Harry Froling, an Austrailian big man. Here's what his recruitment looks like as of now.
Don't fret with his ranking, only rated as a three-star prospect. This is likely because he's overseas, and it's much, much harder to assess the talent over there and compare with what we have in the states.
He has offers from Illinois, SMU and Wisconsin. He will be visiting SMU on January 5th, Illinois on January 10th, Arizona on Janaury 13th and Wisconsin on Janauary 16th. Given the timing of his four visits, you would think he'd be ready to make his decision soon after his visit to Wisconsin.
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