Matt Bushman at the Rich Rodriguez 7-on-7 camp earlier this summer. Andy Morales Photo.
A pair of Arizona Wildcats recruiting targets announced Monday they are headed out of state, which wasn’t a big surprise.
Arizona was not considered the leader for Sabino tight end Matt Bushman (BYU) or Phoenix Mountain Pointe receiver Jalen Brown, whose stepfather is former UA running back Chuck Levy.
Bushman, who has family ties to BYU, including a brother on the team, also was considering Utah. He is scheduled to begin a two-year church mission this summer. Brown committed to Oregon over Vanderbilt, Arizona, Oregon State and Wisconsin.
He has 40 catches for 992 yards and 16 touchdowns for Sabino.
Arizona has 24 players committed to its 2014 class, including Scottsdale Chaparral High’s Trevor Wood, one of two tight ends in the class. Wood is rated the eighth-best prospect in the state by Rivals.com.
UA coach Rich Rodriguez and Arizona State coach Todd Graham, each in their second season, have each emphasized in-state recruiting, but results are mixed and, obviously, still incomplete.
Among the state’s Top 10 prospects, Arizona has Wood and Salpointe Catholic receiver Cameron Denson. ASU has Chaparral’s receiver/defensive back Tyler Whiley.
The state’s top three prospects — QB Kyle Allen (Texas A&M), WR Mark Andrews (Oklahoma) and Brown — are headed elsewhere.
Arizona is still pursuing other in-state prospects, including offensive lineman Layth Friekh from Peoria Centennial; he is scheduled for a visit this weekend, according to WildcatSportsReport.com. Other local targets include Sabino offensive lineman Andrew Mike and Salpointe receiver/defensive back Kaelin Deboskie.
In other recruiting news, Arizona commit Naijiel Hale, a cornerback from St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif., announced via Twitter he would visit Washington State on Nov. 23. He took a trip to Utah last weekend.
Here are the state’s Top 20 recruits, according to Rivals.com, and where they are headed:
| Rank | Name | Pos | City, High School | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Allen | QB | Scottsdale Desert Mountain | Texas A&M |
| 2 | Mark Andrews | WR | Scottsdale Desert Mountain | Oklahoma |
| 3 | Jalen Brown | WR | Phoenix Mountain Pointe | Oregon |
| 4 | Casey Tucker | OL | Chandler Hamilton | |
| 5 | Qualen Cunningham | DE | Chandler Hamilton | |
| 6 | Tyler Whiley | ATH | Scottsdale Chaparral | Arizona State |
| 7 | Cameron Denson | WR | Tucson Salpointe | Arizona |
| 8 | Trevor Wood | TE | Scottsdale Chaparral | Arizona |
| 9 | Natrell Curtis | OL | Phoenix Mountain Pointe | Washington |
| 10 | Ismael Murphy-Richardson | LB | Goodyear Desert Edge | |
| 11 | Andrew Mike | OL | Tucson Sabino | |
| 12 | Austin Hall | OL | Phoenix Brophy Prep | Stanford |
| 13 | Luke Rubenzer | QB | Scottsdale Saguaro | California |
| 14 | Layth Friekh | OL | Peoria Centennial | |
| 15 | Jalen Jelks | DE | Phoenix Desert Vista | Oregon |
| 16 | Kaelin Deboskie | WR | Tucson Salpointe | |
| 17 | Lane Veach | DE | Gilbert Perry | Stanford |
| 18 | Dominique Fenstermacher | ATH | Phoenix Mountain Pointe | |
| 19 | J.R. Hunt | LB | Chandler | Arizona |
| 20 | Matt Bushman | TE | Tucson Sabino | BYU |