Jalen Tabor at a high school all-star event this summer. Photo by Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
With only a few days to go before he moved to Tucson and enrolled for the spring semester, five-star cornerback Jalen Tabor switched his commitment from Arizona to Florida on Thursday.
It was quite a coup just a week ago when Tabor, on ESPN during the Under Armour All-America Game, announced he had chosen Arizona over Alabama.
“When I went on my visit, it was just a lot of family atmosphere-type stuff,” Tabor said at that time, explaining his decision.
“They play for each other down there. I feel I can go in and provide a spark right away.”
The plan was for Tabor and running back Jonathan Haden — his teammate and friend from
Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C. — to enroll at Arizona next week. Tabor’s change of heart doesn’t affect Haden at all.
He tweeted:
Think 100 times before you take a decision, But once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.
— Jonathan haden (@tonburr5) January 9, 2014
The Tabor commitment was a nice, albeit temporary, publicity boost for the Wildcats and Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez. It was a great storyline — Tabor, rated as high as the 15th-best high school prospect in the nation, according to ESPN.com, would be an early enrollee at a position of need for UA.
Senior-to-be Jonathan McKnight, a returning starter who had an inconsistent 2013, is the only cornerback on the roster with any notable experience.
Devin Holiday played a bit as a true freshman this season, as did Derek Babiash, although mostly on special teams. Patrick Glover, from Scottsdale Community College, arrives this spring.
Arizona could still get help from the freshman class, including Naijiel Hale (ranked the 46th-best prospect in California by Rivals.com) and three-star recruit Kwesi Mashack. Others being brought in as receivers could also end up in the secondary.