Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Football recruiting SitRep: Arizona hosts big-time QB, lands first 2019 commit & more

There’s a lot to cover in the season’s first SitRep

The 2019 recruiting cycle is in full swing now for the Arizona Wildcats. On Monday, the coaches started hitting the road, visiting schools and prospects to start the spring evaluation period.

Recruiting under the new coaching staff has felt different than the last regime, which is a good thing.

Arizona secured one commitment, is in the running for multiple high-level recruits, and hosted one of the best players this past weekend.

Let’s dive into it in the first SitRep of the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Logan Wilson, CB

We’ll start with the newest and only member of Arizona’s 2019 class. The 3-star from Bishop Dunne High School (Dallas, TX) had previously called Arizona his dream school when I talked to him at the beginning of March. Well, he visited Tucson for Arizona’s Spring Game and fell in love with the school, city, and coaching staff. He has a strong relationship with new cornerback coach Demetrice Martin and talks to him everyday.

Wilson is a great first addition to Arizona’s class. He has the instincts coaches love and helps the ‘Cats get into Texas even further.

COMMITMENT ARTICLE

Grant Gunnell, QB

The big news over this past weekend was that Arizona had the third-ranked pro-style quarterback on campus for an official visit. Gunnell committed to Texas A&M when Kevin Sumlin and Noel Mazzone were still in College Station and he does have a really solid relationship with both coaches. It earned the ‘Cats an official visit.

Now players don’t just randomly, willy-nilly take official visits to schools. They have to like the school and really be considering them. We are comfortable saying that UA is in a really good position in his recruitment and this will be one to watch. His next official visit will be to Ohio State this coming week.

Khyheem Waleed, WR

I spoke with the talented in-state receiver after he visited Arizona for their junior day earlier this month. He definitely came away impressed. He stated that the education aspect of the visit is what really stood out to him and his family, as well as the attention that UA’s staff had on education. Of note, head coach Kevin Sumlin sat down with him and talked to him for about 30 minutes. That’s always an important aspect of a recruitment.

Arizona is one of the schools recruiting him hardest to go along with California. Oregon State is his other Pac-12 offer with Iowa State and Vanderbilt rounding out his Power Five offers. Waleed is someone I can see garnering more attention as the spring/summer play out.

INTERVIEW

Jaden Tauanu’u, OLB

Tauanu’u is a player to keep a close eye on. Arizona is talking to him the most out of his three offers. The other schools that have offered him are Utah State and San Jose State. Tauanu’u said that the UA staff is looking at him to come in as an stud linebacker/edge rusher. He also really likes that he has the opportunity to become part of the re-established Poly Pipeline into Tucson.

As a junior, Tauanu’u mainly played tight end and not much outside backer because there were seniors ahead of him. Honestly, he looks like a really good tight end prospect as well. He did confirm that his coaches are looking to, and will be, playing him more on defense.

Below are some clips of him playing edge rusher during a camp earlier this spring.

INTERVIEW

Mykael Wright, CB

The fifth-ranked corner in the nation has Arizona in his Top 8 schools and there is a reason. The ‘Cats are in better position than anyone will give them credit for and a lot has to do with Wright’s relationship with cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin. It will be a battle for UA to land the SoCal talent, but they are giving it everything they got. Wright just wrapped up a weekend visit to Oregon.

ARTICLE

Stephon Wright, DE

Another recruit I’d keep an eye on is this 4-star Los Angeles-Cathedral standout. Wright gave rave reviews of his visit to Tucson for the Spring Game. He just finished up a visit to Washington and told 247Sports that he could be very close to a decision after his upcoming visit to Colorado.

2019 Offers

Name: Charlie Ham

Position: Kicker

Ranking: 5-star (Kohl’s Kicking); 7th-ranked kicker (Kohl’s Kicking)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 175 pounds

School/Hometown: Westminster School/Atlanta, GA

Notes: Ham very much reminds me of Lucas Havrisik. He has a huge leg and can blast field goals through uprights from long distances. He also is a heck of a kick-off specialist. When he booms the ball downfield it looks very fluid and effortless.

Highlights:

Name: Porter Wilson

Position: Punter

Ranking: 5-star (Chris Sailer Kicking & Kohl’s Kicking); 5th-ranked punter (Chris Sailer Kicking) & 11th-ranked punter (Kohl’s Kicking)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds

School/Hometown: Copley High School/Akron, OH

Notes: Wilson is a punter with a high ceiling that he hasn’t fully reached yet. During his junior season, he booted 39 punts for an average of 33.3 yards. During his sophomore year he only averaged 25.4 yards. I haven’t been able to find any junior film for him, but I believe Jeremy Springer wouldn’t offer unless he absolutely loves the player. Plus CSK and Kohl’s are the best specialist ranking services in the nation.

Reader Questions

From Andreas F: Who are the players most likely to commit to Arizona at this point in time, and what are the chances of Casey Kline recommitting?

I don’t see Casey Kline recommitting. He was shocked, for lack of a better term, at the head coaching change, and I have not seen or heard the new staff getting involved. It is possible the new staff re-engages with Kline, but right now it seems Boise State leads.

Now for players who are likely to commit, not only will I name them below but I’ll also add players UA is doing really well with, too.

Mykael Wright: 4-star Cornerback; 5th ranked CB; Valencia, CA

Grant Gunnell: 4-star Pro-style QB; 3rd ranked Pro QB; Houston, TX

Stephon Wright: 4-star Strongside Defensive End; 14th ranked SDE; Los Angeles, CA

Isaiah Rutherford: 4-star Cornerback; 27th ranked CB; Carmichael, CA

Chris Adimora: 4-star Safety; 22nd ranked S; Lakewood, CA

Logan Sagapolu: 3-star Center; 4th ranked C; Lehi, UT

Bralen Trice: 3-star Weakside Defensive End; 33rd WDE; Glendale, AZ

Khyheem Waleed: 3-star WR; 74th ranked WR; Queen Creek, AZ

Austin McNamara: 3-star Punter; 1st ranked P; Gilbert, AZ

Shae Suiaunoa: 3-star Athlete; 73rd ranked ATH; Houston, TX

Seth Robinson: 3-star Outside Linebacker; 55th ranked OLB; Scottsdale, AZ

Brandon Joseph: 3-star Safety; 87th ranked S; College Station, TX

Cameron Wiley: 3-star Athlete; 99th ranked ATH; Las Vegas, NV

Bailey Elder: 3-star Offensive Tackle; 101st ranked OT; Tacoma, WA

McKade Mettauer: 3-star Offensive Guard; 36th ranked OG; Houston, TX

Eddie Siaumau: 3-star Safety; 119th ranked S; Pago Pago, American Samoa

Jaden Tauanu’u: 3-star Outside Linebacker; 119th OLB; Pittsburg, CA

Devyn Butler: Unranked Cornerback; Allen, TX



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