Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats attracting talented pass catchers from across the nation

We got a chance to talk to some of Arizona's latest offers at receiver and tight end

With spring practice put on hold this past week, thanks to a Rich Rodriguez trip to Hawaii for a Nike-sponsored coaching event, the rest of the Arizona Wildcats staff got busy with recruiting. There were at least a dozen offers that went out, and many of them went to pass catchers and defensive backs.

I was able to talk to quite a few of the recipients of those offers and got some insight on their thoughts about Arizona.

Bryce Wolma, 6-4 235lb tight end

Arizona is in pursuit of a tight end that has had been able to build a deep relationship with Rich Rodriguez.

"I've actually been best friends with Rhett [Rodriguez] ever since he lived in Michigan, we went to school together," Wolma said about his relationship with the Rodriguez family. He's been in communication with Charlie Ragle, Tony Dews, Vincent Amey and Matt Dudek as well.

Just a week ago, he was in Tucson for an unofficial visit, knocking out a few birds with one stone. Wolma had nothing but good things to say about his visit.

"I went down to visit Rhett and also tied in a visit with the football program as well. The Arizona visit was amazing in Tucson. I love Coach Rodriguez, the program and the university down there," he said when asked about his visit. "I like how all the coaches want to interact with the players on a level higher than just football. Also I'm in love with the campus at U of A too."

Arizona is in need of some big time targets and the tight ends have been slowly implemented into the offense.

"It's really cool to watch how Coach Rodriguez uses the tight end in their offense," Wolma said about the Arizona offense. "It may not be the biggest target on the field for their offense, but the tight end plays in the backfield, on the line and even split out. A lot like the offense I run in high school, it's a very versatile role."

He's been garnering the attention of some big time programs lately and is way ahead of the game, scheduling multiple unofficial visits. He'll be heading to Illinois and Western Michigan on February 20th, Texas A&M on the 28th and then Tennessee on March 5th. This is a kid who is well on top of his recruiting process.

There are a few things he'll be looking forward to when it comes to choosing a school.

"Honestly one of the biggest things for me when looking at schools is a close-knit coaching staff and the campus. If I'm going to be there for 4+ years I want to have great mentors who care about me as a person and an athlete, as well as a campus that I love living at," he explained. "I can 100 percent see myself at The University of Arizona."

Jeremy Singleton, 3-star receiver

Arizona is recruiting in the deep south once again, going after another Louisiana product. Jeremy Singleton is a 6'0" 170lb receiver, ranked 78th at his position according to 247Sports. He has a great deal of speed and can catch the ball in space.

"It's starting to pick up," he said about his recruiting process. "And it's great having an offer from Arizona. They play in one of the best conferences in the country and compete every year. A lot of coaches started following me but the offer was unexpected."

"I like the type of spread offense they run," when asked about his first impressions on Arizona. "Academics will play a role, location will not," he said about his decision factors.

He currently holds offers to Arkansas and Vanderbilt, both of which he will plan to visit. He also says that Mississippi State is looking as good as well.

Bryan Thompson, 3-star receiver

Arizona went back to some familiar territory to find a big receiver in Bryan Thompson, 6-2 180lb product out of Racho Verde High School (Moreno Valley, CA), the same school as former Arizona tight end/receiver Terrence Miller. Thompson is currently ranked 67th among all wide receivers by 247Sports.

"My recruiting process was very exciting and when I got the [Arizona] offer it was very exciting and humbling to hear the coach offer me a scholarship," he said.

"I had first been in contact during CIF playoffs but then I didn't really hear from them for a while. Then last week I talked to them for the whole week," he said about his communication with the staff. He had primarily been talking to Miguel Reveles, Kylan Butler and new defensive backs coach Donté Williams.

Thompson has been picking up attention from across the Pac-12 and holds offers from Arizona State, Colorado and Washington, while also garnering interest from California and Washington State.

"I would like to take as many unofficial visits to as many schools but I compete on a high level in track so I have a tight schedule so I have to see," he said about visiting all these schools.

But there are a few things that stick out to Thompson when thinking about Arizona.

"I like that they have had other athletes from my school to attend there. They are looking to build a program where I can go in and compete for a position if I was to go there," he explained. "Just a good, fast offense. But I am open to everything. I'm never close-minded."

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Arizona offered a few other pass catchers, although I could not get a hold of them, they're listed below. Tyjon Lindsey and I are currently playing a game of phone tag, so stay tuned for that. Also, keep your eyes out for a piece on Jalen Harris, 6-3 wide receiver out of Desert Ridge High School (Mesa, AZ), who's father was Sean Harris, a member of the Desert Swarm defense. He received an offer from Arizona last week, his first scholarship.

Brian Casteel

Tyjon Lindsey

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