Cameron Denson is part of an elite group of in-state recruits in the 2014 class. Photo by Andy Morales, TucsonCitizen.com

Emptying the football notebook after last week’s Signing Day and looking ahead …

The Arizona Wildcats have one committed player for their 2014 class — Salpointe Catholic receiver/defensive back Cameron Denson. Based on the early rankings, he could be the highest-rated recruit of the still-young Rich Rodriguez era.

The major recruiting websites have checked in with their 2014 lists, so let’s have a look.

Denson is:

–41st nationally by 247Sports

–51st by Scout.com

–64th by Rivals.com

Denson is a great start for Arizona as it tries to build its brand in-state. Arizona State, with its third-year coach, Todd Graham, is trying to do the same.

Each coach talks about owning the state in recruiting — “we don’t want just a couple of them; we want them all,” Rodriguez said of the best prospects — but neither program has secured the borders in recent years.

Arizona and Arizona State each signed just one of the state’s top 10 recruits, as ranked by Rivals.com. Linebacker Chans Cox (No. 3) is a Sun Devil; linebacker DeAndre Miller is a Wildcat.

UCLA signed three of the state’s top 10 recruits.

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The Arizona Wildcats are set to sign two running backs who earned all-state honors from CalHiSports.com.

Pierre Cormier from San Diego Madison and Zach Green from Ventura St. Bonaventure were two of the three running backs selected to the California all-state team, covering all schools in all divisions. CalHiSports.com selected three running backs to the first team, including Terrell Newby of West Hills Chaminade.

Cormier (5-10, 180) won CalHiSports.com’s Medium Schools Player of the Year honor. He rushed for 2,233 yards and 29 touchdowns in leading Madison to the CIF Division III state championship. Cormier, who rushed for 272 yards and three scores in that title game, is rated a four-star recruit from 247Sports and Scout.com. Rivals.com gives Cormier three stars.

CalHiSports.com touted Green’s touted big games during a season in which he ran for 1,700 yards and 27 touchdowns. The publication wrote: “He has arguably the best package of size, speed, lower body strength and agility of any back in the state.”

Green (5-10, 210) is rated a three-star recruit by the major recruiting services.

Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 6.

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.

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We are state champs!!! This is the best day of my life im so excited!!! Im a warhawk forever !! My next football chapter is at UofArizona #2

— Pierre Cormier (@PCormierTwo) December 15, 2012

Arizona Wildcats football recruit Pierre Cormier rushed for 272 yards and three touchdowns as his San Diego Madison High team won the CIF Division III state championship Saturday.

In keeping with the Arizona theme of the day in football and basketball, Cormier and his teammates earned the win in comeback fashion, after trailing Kentfield Marin Catholic by 21 points.

Cormier scored on a 79-yard run with 7:24 left for the winning points.

As the L.A. Times noted, UCLA is heavily recruiting Cormier, who will take an official visit to the school on Jan. 18 before making his official trip to Arizona a week later, according to Greg Biggins of Scout.com.

Cormier, a four-star recruit in 247Sports’ ratings, still seems to be solidly in UA’s camp, however, as the above tweet suggests. He has been committed to Arizona since August.

Cormier rushed for 2,212 yards this season on 215 carries, an average of 10.3 per attempt. He rushed for 29 touchdowns.

Cormier’s teammate, receiver Lee Walker, is also committed to UA. He caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the title game.

Tempe Marcos de Niza senior Mauriece Lee runs against Scottsdale Chaparral. Photo by Patrick Breen/azcentral sports

Two of the most recent members of the Arizona Wildcats’ 25-player recruiting class — teammates Pierre Cormier and Lee Walker of San Diego’s Madison High School — made excellent senior debuts Friday night.

Cormier rushed 17 times for 210 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown run, as Madison beat Lincoln 20-7. Lee, a receiver/defensive back, intercepted two passes and returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown.

Overall, it was a good night for the three running backs committed to Arizona.

Mauriece Lee of Tempe Marcos de Niza carries 16 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-27 win over powerhouse Scottsdale Chaparral. And Zachary Green of St. Bonaventure High in Ventura, Calif., ran for 136 yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts.

Another notable performance: Derek Babiash (a Scout.com four-star prospect recruited as a cornerback, caught touchdown passes of 63 and 77 yards in a win for Poway (Calif.) High School.

One recruit from San Diego’s Madison High School is good. Two is even better.

One day after receiver Lee Walker committed to the Arizona Wildcats, his Madison High teammate, running back Pierre Cormier, did the same on Wednesday.

He becomes one of the highest-rated members of coach Rich Rodriguez’s first full recruiting class, which is up to 24 players. Cormier is rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports.

Scout.com and Rivals.com consider Cormier a three-star recruit heading into his senior season. He ran for 1,471 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, averaging better than 8 yards per carry.

He is considered one of the more explosive running backs in the West, and he had scholarship offers from several Pac-12 schools, including Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah and Washington State, according to 247Sports. Nebraska was among others to reportedly extend a scholarship offer, too.

Walker, Cormier and Madison High receiver Michael Garner took unofficial visits to Arizona on earlier this week, attending practice on Monday.

Rodriguez and his staff, who were mostly new to West Coast recruiting when they arrived after last season, has commitments from 11 players in California. Cormier has been a top priority.

Today i commited to the university of Arizona

— Pierre Cormier (@PCormierTwo) August 8, 2012

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Here is an updated look at UA’s recruiting class, with the recruiting service rankings (up to five stars):