Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez received a commitment from three-star quarterback Brandon Cox on Thursday, which would have been a fine recruiting day.
Then, three-star linebacker Ryan Dunn committed to Arizona.
And, before the night was through, defensive back Devin Holiday, another three-star prospect, said yes to the Wildcats.
Rodriguez has been on a shopping spree, adding 11 players in the past two weeks to bring the total in the recruiting class the 17, the most among Pac-12 schools at this point.
During spring ball, Rodriguez talked about maybe have “half a dozen” committed players by the end of summer, but he has zoomed well past that number. A common thread among most of the players who are committing is that Arizona was the first, or one of the earliest, BCS schools to offer a scholarship.
There is no doubt that Rodriguez and his veteran coaching staff know exactly the kind of athlete they are looking for, or, as they say, “OKG” — Our Kinda Guy.
Another frequent theme is that many of these committed UA recruits, although generally modestly rated at the moment, often are described as rising fast on the summer-camp circuit, perhaps another example of the Arizona coaches spotting a talent and extending an offer before the rest of the colleges make a move.
As for the latest guys, Dunn (6-3, 210) is from San Ramon Valley High in Danville, Calif. He projects as an outside linebacker.
He is the third linebacker to commit this week.
“This class is going to surprise the Pac-12,” Dunn told WildcatSportsReports.com, one of TucsonCitizen.com’s sports partners. “It is going to be a new destiny or phase of Arizona football.”
Dunn, who made 107 tackles and intercepted four passes last season, is rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com.
The same ratings are true for Holiday, who is ranked as the 28th-best cornerback in the country by Scout and is a skilled return man, as you can see in the highlight video below. Holiday (5-10, 170) is from Mission Hills High in San Marcos, Calif.
Here are UA’s committed recruits:
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Allen | DE | 6-5 | 225 | La Cueva | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Darius Allensworth | CB | 5-11 | 175 | Heritage HS | Brentwood, Calif. |
| Jack Banda | DE | 6-4 | 225 | Grayson HS | Loganville, Ga. |
| Brandon Cox | QB | 6-2 | 185 | Pasadena HS | Pasadena, Calif. |
| Ryan Dunn | LB | 6-3 | 210 | San Ramon Valley HS | Danville, Calif. |
| Paul Elvira | WR | 5-11 | 175 | Marcos De Niza HS | Tempe |
| Zachary Green | RB | 5-10 | 210 | St. Bonaventure HS | Ventura, Calif. |
| Steven Gurrola | C | 6-2 | 280 | Glendale CC | Glendale |
| Devin Holiday | DB | 5-10 | 170 | Mission Hills HS | San Marcos, Calif. |
| Prince Holloway | CB | 5-9 | 160 | Hutchinson CC | Hutchinson, Kan. |
| Mauriece Lee | RB | 5-8 | 185 | Marcos De Niza HS | Tempe |
| DeAndre Miller | LB | 6-3 | 215 | Buckeye HS | Buckeye |
| Nate Phillips | WR | 5-9 | 165 | Basha HS | Chandler |
| Anu Solomon | QB | 6-0 | 195 | Bishop Gorman HS | Las Vegas |
| Logan Stott | OG | 6-3 | 300 | Pine View HS | Saint George, Utah |
| Tommy Woodson | QB | 6-1 | 215 | Gateway HS | Monroeville, Pa. |
| Philip Wright | LB | 6-1 | 225 | Cardinal Newman HS | Santa Rosa, Calif. |