Michael Eletise to Arizona: Big-time OL recruit signs with Wildcats

It's not possible to overstate how important this signing is for Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats had several issues in 2015, but on the offensive side of the ball, those issues were brought about by inconsistent offensive line play.

The way Rich Rodriguez and co. are addressing this? Having their highest-ranked recruit of the 2016 class, Michael Eletise, come right in and potentially make an immediate impact.

Eletise had offers from all over the college football world, but when it came down to his decision in July, it seemed like it was between Arizona and Washington, and the top prospect out of Hawaii chose the Wildcats.

NO WORDS #Excited #OKGDay #UniversityOfArizona #ThankingGod #LetterOfIntentHERE #BearDown #Wildcats http://pic.twitter.com/XPhY5n8GcI

— Michael Eletise (@MichaelEletise) February 1, 2016

At 6'4" and 313 pounds, Eletise already has the size to play at the college level, and as the 11th-best offensive guard of all 2016 prospects, you would expect him to be right in the mix this fall in Tucson.

So what was so special about Tucson that made Eletise choose to go to school at Arizona? Well, when he was at the Under Armour All-America game in January, he said that his favorite part of his official visit was going to Lindy's and taking the OMFG challenge. I've always been a firm believer that Lindy's had magical powers, but convincing one of the best offensive lineman in the country to choose Arizona was not one of those powers I thought of, until now.

Of course, it was more than just the Lindy's. The Arizona coaching staff made him a priority from the get-go. The staff went to visit him several times (which, why not take a free trip to Hawaii), and even roasted a pig at a recruiting event last summer that Eletise was unable to attend, but certainly saw the pictures of. Matt Dudek was even shouting him out when he was a guest speaker at a class last spring.

I love my Coaches. #Arizona #Hawaii Mahalo for the Visit Coach ✈️ @RagleCharlie #LivingMyDream #Wildcats http://pic.twitter.com/D971Xot5mz

— Michael Eletise (@MichaelEletise) January 27, 2016

The Wildcats lose Cayman Bundage and Lene Maiava to graduation from last year's line, and rotational guy T.D. Gross has announced he won't be back either. Assuming that Freddie Tagaloa can move back out to tackle, you would think Eletise has a good chance to be at left guard opposite of Jacob Alsadek.

If there's one guy in this recruiting class you should be excited about, it is Eletise. A successful offense starts with solid offensive line play, and Eletise brings in the possibility of a four-year starter anchoring that front line.

The right pick up can make all the difference to a program. Same goes for your rental car experience. Pick Enterprise and see how we go the extra mile for our customers every day.

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