Juron Criner was the only all-conference player for Arizona from its 2008 recruiting class. Photo by Chris Morrison-USA Today Sports

The Arizona Wildcats football recruiting class of 2008 is in the books.

Arizona was coming off a 5-7 season in coach Mike Stoops fourth season and hadn’t had a winning record in nine seasons.

The Cats weren’t operating from a position of strength and finished 39th nationally in the recruiting rankings of Rivals.com and Scout.com, which put Arizona slightly below average among BCS conference teams.

So, how did Arizona do with its 2008 recruiting class?

Somewhere around average sounds about right.

The Cats hit on about half of the class, with “hit” defined as a starting player, but there wasn’t a lot of star power and not nearly enough defense.

Let’s take a look …

Good: You wouldn’t have known it at the time, but the eventual headliner of the 23-player class was three-star receiver Juron Criner (who was rated as only as two-star recruit by Scout.com). Criner was the only first-team All-Pac-10/12 player in this class, becoming one of the most prolific receivers in school history.

“We knew in high school he was pretty special,” Stoops said in 2010.

“He was a big, strong, physical guy. Played basketball. Could jump. I don’t know … we didn’t see anything that showed us he wasn’t going to be a very talented player.”

Good: The class was heavy on offensive linemen; seven signed with the Cats and six proved to be starters, including a pair who helped lead the 2012 line as fifth-year seniors — center Kyle Quinn and guard Trace Biskin.

Bad: Three of the offensive linemen were junior college transfers, so Arizona filled a need but didn’t get much lasting benefit. And the career of promising guard Vaughn Dotsy was cut short because of injury.

Bad: The best offensive lineman of the group — junior college transfer J’Marcus Webb — never made it to Arizona but has gone on to be a three-year starter for the Chicago Bears.

Good: Defensive back Robert Golden was one of the top-rated players in Arizona’s class and became a three-year starter and a NFL player last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Criner, Golden and wide receiver David Douglas (who appeared in one game with Tampa Bay late in the season) all made the NFL from this class.

Good: Not included here is a player Arizona landed in the spring of 2008 — Michigan State transfer quarterback Nick Foles.

Good: Quarterback Matt Scott, able to redshirt in 2011 behind Foles, was a fifth-year senior last season. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 team and was the foremost reason why the Cats posted a surprising 8-5 mark in coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season.

Bad: With a class that featured six junior college transfers, five players who never played a down for the Cats, injuries, and guys who simply weren’t good enough, Arizona got useful play from only three fifth-year seniors: Scott, Quinn and Biskin. Lack of depth from the upperclassmen was a huge hurdle for Rodriguez in 2012.

Bad: Arizona went 0 for 5 in defensive linemen in this class, a huge reason why the Cats failed to have a suitable pass rush in 2011 and 2012. UA also went 0 for 2 on high school linebackers. The alarming lack of enduring defensive talent in this class helps explain Arizona’s woeful stats in the past two seasons.

Here is a player-by-player look at the 2008 class, with ratings by Rivals.com:

Keola Antolin, RB, Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman HS (3 stars)
He gave Arizona steady production for four seasons, finishing with 2,398 rushing yards, 508 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns.

Dominique Austin, DE, La Puente, Calif., Bishop Amat HS (3 stars)
He was little-used before this year. He started the first five games before being sidelined with an injury, able to return briefly in the New Mexico Bowl.

Kenny Barnes, DE, Glendale, Raymond S Kellis HS (2 stars)
Never played. Quit the team in the summer of 2009 after redshirting.

Trace Biskin, OL, Westlake Village, Calif. Oaks Christian HS (3 stars)
Started 17 games over the past two seasons, including seven in 2012, when he battled a toe injury.

Juron Criner, WR, North Las Vegas, Canyon Springs HS (3 stars)
With excellent body control and leaping ability, Criner excelled at catching the deep pass from Nick Foles. He finished with 209 catches for 2,859 yards and a school-record 32 touchdown receptions, going on to play for the Oakland Raiders as a rookie.

Mike Diaz, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
He started 20 games in two years, including 11 at left tackle in 2009.

Vaughn Dotsy, OL, Ventura, Calif., St. Bonaventure HS (3 stars)
He started two games as a junior early in the 2010 season before being sidelined by a back injury that forced him to give up football after the year.

David Douglas, WR, McKinney, Texas, McKinney North HS (2 stars)
Douglas caught 151 passes for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns at Arizona. He was on the New York Giants practice squad for most of last season before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up late in the season.

Zander Fabbri, LB, Bakersfield, Calif., Centennial HS (3 stars)
He suffered a concussion in 2008 fall camp and eventually had to give up football.

Phillip Garcia, OL, Cerritos, Calif., Cerritos CC (3 stars)
Redshirted in 2008 because of a knee injury, made a couple of spot starts in 2009 and then started every game in 2010 at right tackle.

Robert Golden, DB, Fresno, Calif., Edison HS (4 stars)
He started two seasons at safety and one at cornerback for the Cats before sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season as an undrafted free agent.

Herman Hall, OL, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (2 stars)
He started 11 games as a senior in 2009, playing both guard spots.

Solomon Koehler, DT, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Castle HS (4 stars)
Plenty of recruiting hype but didn’t have the quickness needed at defensive tackle and was moved to the offensive line late in his redshirt freshman season. He was gone a year later.

Sterling Lewis, LB, Brenham, Texas, Blinn CC (3 stars)
Was a solid player, starting 15 games in two seasons and making 97 tackles.

Chris Merrill, DT, Scottsdale, Saguaro HS (3 stars)
He merely saw spot duty through his career, coming up with 15 tackles, including five in 2012.

Greg Nwoko, RB, Pflugerville, Texas, Pflugerville HS (2 stars)
Had a role in 2009 and 2010 as a bigger running back, but he lost 2011 to a knee injury and 2012 to a hip injury after moving to linebacker in fall camp.

Kyle Quinn, OL, Brentwood, Calif., Liberty Union HS (3 stars)
Quinn was a two-year starter at center, extending the program’s stability at the position after taking over for Colin Baxter. Worked out for scouts at the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

Matt Scott, QB, Corona, Calif., Centennial HS (4 stars)
Got his chance to be the full-time starter as a senior, completing 301 of 499 passes for 3,620 yards, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Scott has the potential to be a mid-round NFL draft pick in April.

Vuna Tuihalamaka, LB, Torrance, Calif., El Camino CC (4 stars)
He was productive as an every-game starter in 2009, with 72 tackles, including 5.5 for loss.

Jowyn Ward, DT, Katy, Texas, Mayde Creek HS (2 stars)
Only saw spot duty (11 tackles) for three years before being moved to backup offensive guard during the 2012 season.

Mark Watley, DB, Encino, Calif., Crespi HS (2 stars)
He seemed to be in line to be a contributor in 2012, but he made only four tackles as he slipped on the depth chart after making 27 stops in 2011.

J’Marcus Webb, OL, Corsicana, Texas, Navarro JC (4 stars)
He was the only member of Arizona’s recruiting class who failed to qualify, landing at lower-division West Texas. Webb, who began his career at the University of Texas, was a seventh-round pick of the Bears in 2010.

R.J. Young, LB, DeSoto, Texas, DeSoto HS (3 stars)
After making 25 career tackles at Arizona, Young transferred after the 2010 season to Louisiana-Monroe, where he led the team in tackles in 2012 with 94, including 11 for loss.

This season wouldn’t have been possible without the play and leadership of Matt Scott. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Soon after Arizona hired Rich Rodriguez, the seniors-to-be filed into his new office, one-by-one, to hear the same message.

Center Kyle Quinn remembers Rodriguez saying something like this:

“This is your team. It’s the seniors’ team. I may not have recruited you guys, and this is your last year, but I want you guys to have the best senior year possible. You’re my guys.”

This is always the worry with a coaching change — the tenuous relationship between the new coach and the old players. The guy with the long-term plan doesn’t always have use for the short-timers. The short-timers tune out the guy with the long-term plan.

“We really bought into his philosophy and his mindset,” Quinn said.

“We were eager to change,” said senior defensive lineman Chris Merrill. “We knew we had to buy in for change to be implemented.”

“It started with us,” added senior fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi. “We talked to the guys and said, ‘Look at this guy’s record; he’s done a lot of good things at previous schools.’ The guys followed their leaders.”

Compare that to the situation at Washington State, where first-year coach Mike Leach said last month some of his seniors have an “empty-corpse quality.”

At Arizona, the senior class has helped pulled the Wildcats up from a 4-8 record last season to a 7-4 mark this year heading into Friday night’s regular-season finale against Arizona State.

It’s not that this senior class is supremely deep or talented — there are only five seniors who have started a majority of the games, none on defense. Several seniors are merely deep reserves, but they haven’t poisoned the well while filling small roles.

“I thought it was a good group of guys, but I didn’t know if they could play or not and what their contributions would be on the field,” Rodriguez said of his first impression of the seniors.

“But I loved their attitude. I thought they had a willingness to listen and learn and to lead in the right way. Particularly if you’re a senior and you’re not playing a whole lot, you could go a couple of different ways.

“You could buy into the team concept and help us out that way, or you could kind of go the other way and be a detriment. I think our guys chose to go the right way.”

This was hardly a seamless transition. Rodriguez asked the Wildcats to learn a new scheme on offense, a new scheme on defense, to practice differently — fast-paced all the time — to condition differently and harder than ever in the offseason. What’s more, the coaching staff has a different collective personality than that of the previous staff, another factor that could lead to unease and unhappiness.

“The guys that are here are happy that they stayed. I know it’s the best decision I’ve made,” Tutogi said.

“I’m just happy that Coach RichRod is doing what he is doing. It’s been a 360 (degree) difference from last year. Guys have stepped up. Now I wish I would have redshirted my freshman year. That’s just a product of how Coach RichRod coaches and his philosophy. I like that it’s a family.

“I’m sad, but I’m happy for the younger guys, because that’s what they are going to get for the rest of their career.”

The whole feel-good vibe has been a stark contrast to Rodriguez’s first year at Michigan.

These are some of the things that have been different at Arizona: UA didn’t have a public, anguished coaching search; Rodriguez nailed his introductory press conference; he’s had the full support of the administration; he hasn’t been publicly bad-mouthed by former players; his good ol’ boy personality has played well to the masses; he inherited an experienced senior quarterback … and any grumbling has stayed behind the scenes.

The proof of the buying-in is in the win-loss record and an on-field effort that can’t be called disappointing. Much credit goes to the seniors.

“He asked a lot of us as a group,” Tutogi said.

“It’s been easy when you’ve got a group of guys like the ones you’ve got. We didn’t know what guys were going to think when Coach Rod came in because you have a lot of different opinions with a lot of different coaches. But it started with us.”

Arizona rotates captains on a weekly basis but on Wednesday named captains through the bowl game — Scott, Quinn, Biskin and junior linebacker Jake Fischer, a fourth-year player who is the leader of a defense that does not start a senior.

“A few of the guys have been not just good leaders but great leaders. I think that has really helped us in a year of transition,” Rodriguez said.

“We’ve been fortunate to make steps as a program while the seniors have been all in.”

* * *

Arizona’s 2012 senior class

*Note: WR Terrence Miller not listed because it is expected that he will get a medical hardship for this season, able to return as a fifth-year senior in 2013.

Jowyn Ward now has to worry about protecting quarterbacks, not tackling them. Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

An Arizona player wearing No. 55 came in for offense during the second quarter Saturday night. That was curious. There has not been a No. 55 on the roster.

Turns out, the new guy is an old guy.

No. 55 for the Wildcats is senior Jowyn Ward, a defensive tackle who has been practicing at offensive guard for all of about two weeks.

“I wish I would have moved him in the spring,” coach Rich Rodriguez said after a 56-0 victory over South Carolina State.

“I think he would have been in the mix. But at the time we were still looking for guys defensively. He’s clearly a second-team guard. He got a lot of reps today.”

In addition to seeing some time in the first half, Ward (6-2, 282) played with the second-team unit in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback B.J. Denker came into the game.

That line was, from left: Shane Zink, Cayman Bundage, Addison Bachman, Ward and Lene Maiava.

Ward started three games at defensive tackle last season and had 11 tackles in 19 career games entering the season. But with Arizona moving to a three-man front under new coordinator Jeff Casteel, and having an ample number of bodies up front, Ward was squeezed out of playing time on defense.

“He’s growing up pretty fast in practice the last two weeks,” said senior center Kyle Quinn.

“He’s got good feet. He’s big and strong. The second quarter, we rotated him in and he was a little nervous at first, but he was out there playing fast.”

Quinn’s advice to Ward?

“Just go fast and block the guy in front of you,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with that idea.”

* * *

While the coaches switched Ward to offense with an eye for immediate help this season, they moved another player this week with an eye on the future. Redshirt freshman Dame Ndiaye is now a tight end.

Ndiaye (6-4, 220) arrived from San Diego’s Hoover High — the same school that produced basketball classmate Angelo Chol — as an athletically raw defensive end. Coaches tried him at outside linebacker in spring and fall camp, and now will see how his skills translate to offense.

He had a day or so of practice on offense before playing in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats went deep into the bench vs. the Bulldogs.

“I don’t even know if he knows how to get into a stance,” Rodriguez said with a smile. “He didn’t jump offsides. I’ll have to see the film to see if he blocked somebody.”

* * *

Two defensive players who figure to be in the playing rotation made their season debuts Saturday night after missing the first two games because of injuries.

Sophomore defensive end Dan Pettinato (knee) played in the first half, and sophomore linebacker Hank Hobson (shoulder) came in after halftime. Each was credited with three solo tackles.

* * *

Two true freshman linebackers — Dakota Conwell and C.J. Dozier — shed their potential redshirt seasons on Saturday night.

Conwell, coming back from a foot injury suffered in camp, had the team’s only sack against South Carolina State. Dozier drew positive reviews in the spring as an early enrollee but slipped on the depth chart in fall camp.

According to participation charts from the school, Arizona has played nine true freshmen. They are:

OL Cayman Bundage, DB Jamar Allah, DB William Parks, OLB/DE Keoni Bush-Loo, DB Wayne Capers Jr., S/LB Anthony Lopez, RB J.T. Washington, Conwell and Dozier. Most of their contributions have been on special teams.