Ricky Elmore (left) and Brooks Reed have been three-year mainstays at defensive end.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops was selling the future in his early days in Tucson, and recruits were listening.

His 2006 group was the highest rated among his seven recruiting classes — ranked 18th nationally by Rivals.com and 19th by Scout.com. That doesn’t always translate to success on the field, but, in this case, it did.

That 2006 class — “they’re the cornerstones,” Stoops said — makes its final stand Wednesday night in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State.

With a foundation that includes Colin Baxter, Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore — plus departed standouts Earl Mitchell, Devin Ross, Nate Ness and Cam Nelson — that 2006 class helped Stoops turn around the program.

Three consecutive winning seasons, three consecutive bowl games.

That came after nine years without a winning record at Arizona.

“Mike Stoops harped on it all the time — that our class was going to have a huge impact,” Brooks Reed said recently. “Mike was always saying that this team was going to get better. We were in the rebuilding process, and I was willing to take a risk. I did, and it turned out to be for the best.”

Of the 25 players who signed in February 2006, eight never really contributed because of medical problems, academics, transfers, etc. That’s going to happen. The notable part of the class is that the Wildcats got so many long-standing contributions from the majority of the class.

Fourteen became Pac-10-quality starters, and the other few players — including fifth-year seniors D’Aundre Reed and cornerback Mike Turner — have been valuable reserves.

“We came in with a chip on our shoulder,” Elmore said this week at an Alamo Bowl press conference.

“We’ve had our ups and downs and definitely made a lot of strides. But we want to leave this program somewhere where they can keep on building. That’s the way these seniors want to go out. We’ve been working real hard these last five years and we want to leave it on a good note.”

Here is a look at what happened to Stoops’ 2006 recruiting class:

DT Conan Amituanai
Moved to offense early in his career. Started six games last season and every game as a senior.

TE Cody Anderson
Anderson, who had become a backup offensive tackle, did not return after the 2007 season.

OL Colin Baxter
Started 48 consecutive games at Arizona and became one of the top centers in the nation.

DB Glyndon Bolasky
Sabino high graduate went on a medical scholarship in spring 2009 because of a back injury.

DE Braylon Broughton
Never made it to Arizona because of academic reasons and landed at TCU, where he has made 11 tackles as a backup this season.

ATH Delashaun Dean
Made 131 career receptions but left the team in the summer of 2010 after being indefinitely suspended following a charge of misconduct involving a weapon. Dean transferred to Texas A&M-Kingsville and suffered a torn ACL this season.

OL Cory Elmore
Ricky Elmore’s twin underwent open heart surgery in the summer of 2007 after doctors found a hole in his heart. Had to give up football but is having success as a body-builder.

DE Ricky Elmore
A three-year starter who has 25.5 career sacks, ranking second in Arizona history behind Tedy Bruschi (52 sacks).

OL Jovon Hayes
Started 10 games this season at right guard after being a backup for his first three seasons.

DE Louis Holmes
The junior college transfer never lived up to his five-star hype, but he was a two-year starter.

DT Gabe Long
Another highly touted junior college prospect, Long never made it to Arizona because of academics and ended up at Utah.

QB Tyler Lyon
Playing quarterback didn’t work out — neither did moves to tight end and receiver — but he left after four seasons with his degree.

DT Lolomana Mikaele
A defensive captain this season and a solid force in the middle of the line, with 32 tackles, including 7.5 for loss.

FB Earl Mitchell
Made the most of a switch to defensive tackle after his sophomore season, becoming a third-round pick of the Houston Texas in the 2010 NFL draft.

DB Cam Nelson
A three-year starting safety and a second-team All-Pac-10 choice as a senior in 2009, Nelson made 74 tackles, with three sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception last year.

DB Nate Ness
Junior college transfer was second on the team in tackled with 75 in 2008. Ness, an undrafted free agent in 2009, is with the Miami Dolphins.

RB Brooks Reed
Became a hard-charging defensive end who earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors this season. He and Ricky Elmore are 33-game starters at end.

DE D’Aundre Reed
Considered a starting-quality end by the UA coaches, Reed had been a key part of the rotation for the past three seasons.

WR Terrell Reese
Did not return after the 2008 season.

ATH Derke Robinson
Four-star recruit ran into NCAA clearinghouse issues and enrolled at Stephen F. Austin in the fall of 2006.

DB Devin Ross
Two-year starter was second-team All-Pac-10 in 2008 and led the team with 81 tackles in 2009.

DE A.J. Simmons
The two-way player was given tight end duties when he arrived. Not a big pass-catcher, but the team’s top tight end the past two seasons.

OL James Tretheway
Junior college transfer started some games in 2008 as a senior.

DB Mike Turner
Saw decent time this season in dime coverages and has been a valuable special teams player the past two seasons. Will be remembered for the victory over ASU in 2009, when his late-game recovery of Kyle Williams’ muffed punt allowed Arizona to kick the game-winning field goal.

WR Terrell Turner
Dependable three-year starter ended his career last season with 142 career receptions, including a team-high 48 in 2009.

Note: Keenyn Crier, the four-year starter at punter, is also a fifth-year senior after arriving at Arizona as a walk-on.