In the heart of Tucson, AZ there was a lot reason for celebration this year. The Wildcats had a very good season, ending 8-5 (7-5 normal season and 5-four conference play), starting with a lop-sided 70- beating of Idaho and a 41-16 win against Toledo. This was also the initial season in practically a decade that the University of Arizona even went to a bowl game. They defeated Brigham Young University 31-21 in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats went on to finish the season fifth in the Pac ten conference.
More than the last couple of years University of Arizona Head Coach Mike Stoops has been fired up in the course of the recruiting season. Two years ago Stoops accused Oregon of stealing his recruits at the last minute, and last year he was reported as saying state rival Arizona State was a “Junior College” among other points following losing 3 recruits to the Sun Devils. Despite getting a recruiting class that ranked seventh in the Pac-ten and about 50th nationally, the Arizona Coach was not taking any shots at anybody.
Stoops joking mentioned, “I have not attacked anybody and I’m not obtaining attacked. I am not as defensive as I have been in the past. I guess winning cures all ills, even with me.” The first winning season in ten years and the fact that Stoops was also given a three year contract extension most likely helped to calm him in the course of the arduous recruiting method.
The newly level headed Stoops admits he didn’t get every person he wanted, but with the season opener against Central Michigan coming up in six months, he has a lot of time to mold his new talent. The highlight of the recruiting season for the University of Arizona was Parade All-American Safety Adam Hall. They also got two spread choice tailback specialists in Daniel Jenkins and Kylan Butler.
With Arizona school-record quarterback Willie Tuitama graduating, the Wildcats have a 4 man battle to fill his shoes. Pac-ten receiving record holder Mike Thomas’ absence has also been filled with the signing of Junior College transfer Travis Cobb from Blinn College and DeWayne Peace of South Grand Prairie, Texas.
The top recruits for the Wildcats show promise that Arizona will continue to grow. Adam Hall will play safety, but in high school Hall was extremely versatile and played receiver, running back, safety and returned kicks in his senior year on his way to scoring 38 touchdowns. Tailback Daniel Jenkins of Moreno Valley, Ca is a 5-foot-9, 187-pound operating back who has shown he can rush for 1,000 yards in a season, but a lot more crucial for the Wildcat offense, he has shown that he can catch out of the backfield, with 212 yards and 3 touchdowns against St. John Bosco this season. Even so, Arizona is nonetheless young at Tailback and he may have to be red shirted this year. Trevor Erno from Lakewood, Ca is a bruising linebacker that had 128 tackles and five.five sacks this season. Erno had committed last year but that did not stop UCLA and California coaches from going to his school to try to recruit him. The Wildcats should be in a position to make an additional bowl game this season.
Our 1st house game at the University of Arizona against NAU. We went out onto the mall to document the chaos of tailgating at the U of A.
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