Rich Rodriguez has plenty of quarterbacks to choose from — all of them inexperienced at the Pac-12 level. Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Soon after he was hired in November 2011, Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez was all alone with one quarterback on his roster.

He went to work. He has brought in 10 quarterbacks, including a trio on Wednesday’s Signing Day, in the past 13 months. He even tried to re-convert wide receiver Richard Morrison to the position.

Playing the odds?

“People have accused me before of collecting quarterbacks. Guilty as charged,” Rodriguez said with a chuckle Wednesday. “I like having a lot of quarterbacks and I like to have competition at that position and having at least two, preferably three, we can with.”

First, Arizona has to determine if it has one who can capably replace Matt Scott.

Arizona’s big theme of Signing Day — and the one that will endure for at least the next nine months — is the competition at the quarterback position.

The Wildcats added junior college transfer Jesse Scroggins at the semester break, signed high school star Anu Solomon on Wednesday and pulled a surprise by adding athletic Khari McGee to the recruiting class Wednesday.

Arizona lists McGee as an “athlete,” but Rodriguez says he will get a crack at quarterback.

“He was too good of an athlete not to take, whether it was as a quarterback or a receiver or what have you,” Rodriguez said. “Khari McGee can play at this level.”

Chances are better that Solomon is the future of the position. The Arizona staff identified him early in the recruiting process, about this time last year. Solomon’s numbers and his mountain of victories were obvious. After committing to Arizona last spring, he threw for 35 touchdowns, with only five interceptions, as a senior.

Rodriguez honed in on Solomon’s intangibles and made him an early, high-priority target.

“That’s part of the evaluation process that’s important to us,” Rodriguez said.

“We call them OKGs. Our Kinda Guys. Certainly, you have to have a certain size and ability, but also the type of mentality that they are competitive and want to keep getting better. Especially at the quarterback position — you want to have guys who are gym rats, so to speak.

“Guys who want to study the game, want to keep working on it, want to know everything there is about your program inside and out — and he’s one of them. He’s proven that throughout his high school career.”

Solomon went 56-4 at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High and won four state titles as he passed for more than 10,000 yards.

“A lot of times, guys recruit on potential, and I understand that, but production is better than potential,” Rodriguez said.

“If you want to see a guy who will be productive in college, find a guy who was productive in high school.”

Well, that applies to Scroggins, too, although you have to go back to the 2009 season to find that production. After redshirting at USC in 2010, he played one snap in 2011 and transferred to El Camino Junior College in 2012.

He was bothered by knee and shoulder injuries last season, and his output was modest: He completed 79 of 172 passes for 1,148 yards, with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

“I don’t want to say he was forgotten about, but I think he was kind of lingering about there in junior college land and maybe looking for a place to prove himself,” Rodriguez said.

“So, I think the timing was really good for us. I think he’s matured from his experiences and I think he’s hungry to prove himself all over again.”

Solomon and Scroggins fall into the same category — quarterbacks who are athletic guys, not athletic guys who are quarterbacks. The latter might better describe McGee. Whatever. RichRod has won with both styles of quarterback in his read-option offense.

“They are three guys who can athletically throw and run, and I think can all play quarterback at this level,” Rodriguez said.

Solomon is rated the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com. Scroggins was the No. 5 pro-style QB in his class, according to Rivals.com.

While Solomon finishes high school, Scroggins gets the first chance to make an impression in spring ball, which begins March 2.

The other scholarship quarterbacks vying this spring will be senior B.J. Denker and redshirt freshman Javelle Allen. Redshirt freshman Josh Kern has been moved to tight end/H-Back, Rodriguez said.

The Cats also have Louisiana Tech starter Nick Isham and fellow walk-on Jack Nykaza.

So, let the competition begin.

Now we just have to wait and see if The Collector has accumulated anything valuable.

Related link: Anu Solomon: Another Russell Wilson?

Arizona’s 25 signed players

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It’s Signing Day, so now is the time to dream big, when every coach gets exactly what they need and every recruit is the next (fill in the blank of your favorite superstar).

Which brings us to Arizona signee Anu Solomon.

The quarterback from Bishop Gorman High School is the headliner of the Wildcats’ class, rated the second-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation, according to Rivals.com.

Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth, who has worked with Solomon at the Elite 11 quarterback camp, made this impressive comparison when talking Tuesday with local sports talk host Jody Oehler (1490-AM).

“You’re going to think I’m a little boisterous here, but I look at Russell Wilson,” said Roth, talking about the undersized quarterback who had a standout rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks. “They’re very similar in the way they throw the football.”

Solomon is listed at 6-feet. Wilson is 5-11.

Solomon threw for more than 10,000 career yards at Bishop Gorman and won four state titles.

“They play a national schedule. He’s been on big stages,” Roth said.

“He could play there as a true freshman. I think the system is similar to what he did at Bishop Gorman. I think he’s got the headiness that you need. Very similar to Russell Wilson — he has that natural voice to him, that leadership ability. …

“In this offense, he’s not just serviceable, he can really thrive.”

Anu Solomon is Arizona’s top-rated recruit, according to Rivals.com. Photo: YouTube still

Arizona Wildcats quarterback recruit Anu Solomon cracked the top 100 in Rivals.com’s final player rankings of the 2013 class.

Solomon was unranked in Rivals’ Top 250 before the season, but jumped to No. 131 after the season and climbed to 99th in the ratings released Monday, about two weeks before Signing Day. He is the only UA recruit in the top 100.

While Rivals.com thinks very highly of Solomon, he is not ranked in Scout.com’s list of top 300 or 247Sports top 247.

Also among Arizona recruits, running back Pierre Cormier is ranked 226th by Scout.com and 238th by 247Sports. Scout.com puts cornerback Derek Babiash at 275th overall.

Solomon, a four-year starter at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School, passed for more than 10,000 yards, throwing for 138 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, and winning four state championships.

Solomon will be Arizona’s first Rivals.com top 100 recruit since Marquis Flowers, who was 78th in the 2010 class.

By way of comparison, USC has commitments from 11 top 100 recruits this year. Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington and Oregon have two, and Stanford has one.

Here is Arizona’s 2013 recruiting class so far; Signing Day is Feb. 6.

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Rich Rodriguez’s feet won’t be on grass next season at Arizona Stadium. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Wildcats will be installing artificial turf at Arizona Stadium — “sooner rather than later,” athletic director Greg Byrne said — which means the team’s spring game will be displaced for the second consecutive year.

Arizona is finalizing the details of the new surface, Byrne told TucsonCitizen.com, but the pending installation in the offseason means the spring game likely will be held at Jerry Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium.

The former home of the Arizona baseball team, across the street from the Arizona Stadium, served as the football team’s practice home last season.

A year ago, construction of the Lowell-Stevens football facility in the north end zone of Arizona Stadium forced the team to hold its spring game at Kino Stadium, home of the Triple-A Tucson Padres. That was before changes were made to accommodate the football team at Kindall/Sancet.

A date for this year’s spring game has not been announced.

Byrne has considered multiple options for Kindall/Sancet now that the baseball team successful transitioned to Hi Corbett Field, but he said it will remain a football facility, at least for the short term.

“As of right now, we’re going to continue to use it as football practice fields,” he said.

“That has worked really well. It’s good space for our football program. I won’t say you never change, but as of now, we’re going to stay focused on that.”

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez always has expressed a preference for artificial turf. His teams played on FieldTurf late in his tenure at West Virginia and through his three years at Michigan. He has said the installation of artificial turf will allow the Cats to practice in Arizona Stadium a couple of times a week during the season.

The football program should be able to begin use of the Lowell-Stevens facility in the summer.

* * *

By the time Byrne hired Rodriguez in November 2011, it was too late to submit changes to Arizona’s Nike-made uniforms for the 2012 season.

There will be some tweaks for 2013.

“I guess it’s a little bit different look, but it’s not a whole lot different. I mean, it’s not drastic,” Rodriguez recently told TucsonCitizen.com.

Arizona hasn’t released details or pictures of the new design, and Rodriguez said he wanted to show the players before discussing it.

“It’s not something that you would be like, ‘Sheesh, that’s completely off the wall,’” Rodriguez said.

Arizona wore four helmets this season, including the introduction of copper and red, contributing to the Cats using a different uniform combination for each game (see them all at this link). Red and copper helmets will continue to be in the mix on occasion.

“Our colors are still going to red, white and blue,” Rodriguez said. “There are no plans for a copper jersey.”

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Scout.com released its final list of the top 300 high school recruits Wednesday, upgrading a pair of players committed to Arizona — running back Pierre Cormier and quarterback Anu Solomon — to four-star status.

Scout.com ranks Cormier as No. 226 overall and UA cornerback recruit Derek Babiash at No. 275. Solomon, ranked 35th among quarterbacks, didn’t crack the top 300 despite his upgrade from a three-star recruit.

Anu Solomon is Arizona’s top-rated recruit, according to Rivals.com. Photo: YouTube still

Arizona Wildcats quarterback recruit Anu Solomon, one of the centerpieces of coach Rich Rodriguez’s second recruiting class, had a more-than-solid showing at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Friday night.

Solomon completed 6 of 9 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown while directing two series in the first half.

His playing time was cut short when he suffered a bruised thumb on his first play of the second half while blocking on a reverse.

Solomon was picked No. 10 in a rating of the game’s top performers by 247Sports.

“Solomon has the look of a gamer,” wrote Barton Simmons. “When he was behind center, he just displayed a poise and comfort level throwing inside and outside of the pocket and using his feet effectively when necessary.”

You can see some of his highlights starting at about the 3:20 mark of the video below.

Solomon, wearing No. 12, makes a nice throw across his body for a completion while running to his left. Although he’s not big at 6-0, 195, you’ll see him lower his shoulder and run over a defender (replayed multiple times on the video). He’s not super-fast, but he would have effective running skills in Rodriguez’s offense to go along with a very good arm.

In the video, after his run, you’ll see him throw a nice ball on a slant for a touchdown.

In a in-game interview on the NFL Network, Solomon said: “Coach Rich Rodriguez, he can really help me success in the next four years of my life.”

Solomon is rated No. 131 in Rivals.com’s ranking of the nation’s top prospects.

Anu Solomon is Arizona’s top-rated recruit, according to Rivals.com. Photo: YouTube still

Arizona Wildcats quarterback recruit Anu Solomon made the biggest jump of any high school senior in the postseason rankings released by Rivals.com on Tuesday.

Solomon, who won his fourth state title with Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School last weekend, went from unranked to No. 131 in the Rivals.com Top 250.

He passed for more than 10,000 yards as a four-year starter, throwing for 138 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Solomon is the only UA recruit in the Rivals.com 250.

Arizona has 27 committed players, including JC transfer quarterback Jesse Scroggins, who spent his first two seasons at USC.

Scroggins was on an official visit last weekend, as was outside linebacker Myke Tavarres from College of the Siskiyous. Tavarres, a long-time Arizona target, committed to Arkansas in the summer but has been keeping his options open while the Razorbacks look for a coach.

The Hogs on Tuesday went with Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.

Tavarres told WildcatSportsReport.com — one of our TucsonCitizen.com partners — that he will pick among Arkansas, Arizona and Boise State. He is a mid-year transfer.

Another recruit in town last weekend was mammoth offensive lineman Aaron Cochran from Bulach Colony in Atwater, Calif. The 6-8, 360-pound senior is also considering Cal, Oklahoma, Nebraska and perhaps Washington, according to WildcatSportsReport.com

“People look at me and don’t think I can move,” Cochran told WildcatSportsReport.com. “Hopefully after watching me they see what I can do. Just don’t judge me by how I look.”

In other recruiting news, three players committed to the Wildcats made the Arizona Football Coaches Association all-state team. They are Tempe Marcos de Niza running back Mauriece Lee, Marcos de Niza receiver Paul Elvira and Chandler Basha receiver Nate Phillips.

Here is a look at Arizona’s recruiting class, with updated rankings:

University of Arizona-bound quarterback Jarrett “Anu” Solomon won his fourth Nevada state title Saturday afternoon and surpassed 10,000 career passing yards.

Solomon, a four-year starter for Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School, threw for four touchdowns as the Gaels routed Liberty 63-10 at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium. Solomon was 7 of 11 for 199 yards.

Solomon, who holds all the major passing records among big schools in Nevada history, completed 532 of 838 passes for 10,111 yards, with 138 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, in his career. He also rushed for 19 touchdowns.

Solomon (6-1, 200) committed to Arizona in May; he can sign in February.

He was Sports Illustrated’s High School Player of the Week this week.

“This is a kid that has been blessed with a lot of great gifts: an incredibly strong arm, a great sense of competitiveness and a lot of mental toughness,” Bishop Gorman coach Tony Sanchez told SI.com. “In football, he just has a great ability to see plays and extend them. He’s done such a tremendous job.”

In the video above, Sanchez said the Solomon family developed a “really tight connection” with Arizona and coach Rich Rodriguez early in the recruiting process. Solomon’s other finalists were Washington, Utah, Arizona State and UCLA.

“I think the University of Arizona really liked Jarrett for a number of reasons,” Sanchez said in the Si.com video.

“Obviously, he has incredible arm strength, is an incredible athlete. But they really liked the person he was, too. After getting to know him and meeting his family, they really felt comfortable with the intangibles — just his character, his work ethic, all those little things. I think he is going to do a great job there.”

Solomon, starting his fourth year as the starter for powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, completed 13 of 17 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-22 home victory over Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.).

Solomon also ran for a 9-yard score off a play-action rollout against Good Counsel, which entered the game ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com, riding an 18-game winning streak. The game was televised by ESPN2, and you can see a replay on ESPN3.com.

Solomon, who committed to Arizona and coach Rich Rodriguez in May, passed for 2,744 yards last season, with 47 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He also ran for 402 yards.

Rivals.com rates Solomon — who is sometimes listed as “Anu” Solomon — as a four-star recruit and the 10th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He is rated a three-star prospect by Scout.com and 247Sports.

Arizona has three committed quarterbacks in its 2013 recruiting class, including Brandon Cox from Pasadena, ranked the 16th-best dual-threat QB by Rivals.com.

Soon after Rich Rodriguez became the Arizona Wildcats football coach last November, he was left with one quarterback — senior Matt Scott — on the roster.

Since then, Rodriguez added six other possibilities at quarterback for 2012, including trying receiver Richard Morrison at his old his high school position … and, now, the coach has his first recruit for the 2013 season.

That would be Anu Solomon, who will be a fourth-year starter for Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman High and is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com.

This is the kind of quarterback recruiting prowess expected from Rodriguez and his veteran coaching staff, which worked with Pat White at West Virginia and helped develop Denard Robinson at Michigan in a prolific read-option offense.

Solomon, rated the nation’s fifth-best dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com, has passed for 7,215 yards and 101 touchdowns in three seasons at Bishop Gorman, leading the Gaels to three state titles and a 43-3 record.

He ran 57 times for 402 yards and six touchdowns as a junior.

Solomon (6-1, 200) also held scholarship offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Illinois, UCLA and UNLV, according to Rivals.com.

“I feel like Arizona is the right place for me,” Solomon told the Las Vegas Sun. “I am comfortable with (committing early).”

Since the beginning of the year, Rodriguez added two walk-on quarterbacks from junior college (Tyler D’Amore and Alex Cappellini), signed two freshmen (Javelle Allen and Josh Kern) and later signed a junior college transfer who can play in 2012 (B.J. Denker from Cerritos Junior College in California).

Solomon has been one of Arizona’s top quarterback targets, and the Cats are likely to pursue more in the 2013 class. This will be a key class for Rodriguez, who could use some high-profile recruiting victories — and Solomon is one of those, rated No. 132 nationally by Rivals.com.