Brandon Dawkins, the only quarterback committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2014 class, has earned a high school nickname.
“A lot of people around here have given him the nickname ‘Baby Cam,’” said Jeff Woodruff, Dawkins’ coach at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, Calif.
Dawkins has a long way to go before drawing legit comparisons to former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, but he is having a great senior season, ranked second in the California by averaging 354.1 passing yards per game and completing about 65 percent of his passes.
“He’s putting up big numbers, so he’s on a phenomenal pace,” Woodruff said.
“He’s also running the ball and bringing his legs into it. He’s extending defenses with his mobility. He has height. He has size. He has a tremendously gifted arm.”
Dawkins, listed at 6-3, 205 pounds, has thrown 31 touchdown passes for Oaks Christian, which is 6-1. He ran for 486 yards as a junior, and rates as the nation’s 15th-best dual-threat prospect, according to Rivals.com.
“I know Arizona found a good fit in him and he has found one in them,” Woodruff said, referring to coach Rich Rodriguez’s read-option offense.
Dawkins took an unofficial visit to campus this summer and committed in late June over offers from Notre Dame, Utah and North Carolina State. He is taking his official (paid) trip this weekend while his high school team has a bye.
Woodruff, a former head coach at Tucson’s Cholla High School and an offensive assistant at UA in 1998 and 1999, said he tried to not influence Dawkins’ decision-making.
“I never want to tell a kid where to go, but if they ask if I liked it, I say I had a great experience there with Coach (Dick) Tomey and loved living there.”
Here is a look at Arizona’s 2014 recruiting class, including rankings from the major recruiting services:
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | School | 247 | Rivals | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devon Brewer | S | 6-0 | 175 | Central East, Fresno, Calif. | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jamie Byrd | S | 5-11 | 190 | Iowa Western CC, Council Bluffs, Iowa | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Rodney Carr | DB | 6-0 | 185 | Salesian High, Los Angeles | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Darrell Cloy | TE | 6-3 | 220 | La Habra (Calif.) High | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jamardre Cobb | LB | 6-2 | 225 | Salesian High, Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jerod Cody | DE | 6-3 | 265 | Glendale (Ariz.) Community College | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Brandon Dawkins | QB | 6-3 | 205 | Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif. | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cameron Denson | WR | 6-1 | 170 | Salpointe Catholic, Tucson | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Tony Ellison | WR | 5-11 | 170 | Granite Bay (Calif.) High | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Patrick Glover | CB | 6-1 | 181 | Scottsdale C.C. | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Jonathan Haden | RB | 5-8 | 189 | Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington D.C. | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Naijiel Hale | CB | 5-11 | 170 | St. John Bosco High, Bellflower, Calif. | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| J.R. Hunt | S | 6-3 | 190 | Chandler High | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kaige Lawrence | OL | 6-4 | 290 | Chaffey C.C., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Kwesi Mashack | CB | 5-10 | 190 | Murrieta High, Vista, Calif. | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jordan Morgan | WR | 6-2 | 200 | Southridge High, Beaverton, Ore. | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Josh Pollack | P/K | 5-11 | 165 | Highland Park (Ill.) High | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Antonio Smothers | LB | 6-2 | 230 | Scottsdale C.C. | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Marquis Ware | LB | 6-2 | 210 | Salesian High, Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jace Whittaker | DB | 5-9 | 150 | Oceanside (Calif.) High | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sharif Williams | DT | 6-2 | 300 | Central East, Fresno, Calif. | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Nick Wilson | RB | 6-0 | 191 | Central East, Fresno, Calif. | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Trevor Wood | TE | 6-6 | 238 | Chaparral High, Scottsdale | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeff Worthy | DT | 6-3 | 285 | Santa Ana (Calif.) College | 3 | 3 | 3 |