Four-star forward DaRon Holmes Jr. is going to finish his high school career in Florida, but he is from Arizona and the big in-state program has made him a priority for quite some time. Arizona is one of four schools that remains in contention for Holmes' commitment after he trimmed his list down Wednesday evening.

Marquette, Cal and Dayton are the other three top contenders in his recruitment as he looks ahead toward eventually making a decision.

The versatile 6-foot-8 prospect has shined at Millennium High in Goodyear during his high school career, but he will finish at Montverde Academy in Florida. There had been some thought that his recruitment could change because of the move, but two Pac-12 programs remain in the race including the Wildcats.

Some of the notable programs that have been cut from Holmes' list include Kansas, USC, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.

UA has prioritized the 36th-best recruit in the 2021 class over the last year-plus and he has reciprocated that interest. Not only was he in the crowd for the team's Red-Blue Game last year but he also turned up at many UA games throughout the season.

"It means a lot to me," Holmes previously said about the amount of time Arizona has dedicated to his recruitment. "Sean Miller is a great coach and their coaching staff is excellent. The city of Tucson is amazing and the campus is nice, so it's meant a lot to me."

The four-star prospect is versatile and he has only continued to develop all parts of his game over the last couple seasons. While he could be a force in the front court, he has the skills to play on the perimeter and extend the floor with his shooting ability. The Wildcats have featured several versatile power forwards under Miller and Holmes believes he could fit into a variety of systems at the next level.

"It's positionless now, but I'm not gonna say like all the other bigs that I want to be a guard," he previously said. "I'm gonna be a big and guard. Anywhere a school wants me to play is where I'll play and do my role. ... I can play all three levels, so it doesn't matter. Whatever is the best."

One thing that the Wildcats have working in their favor is the success the program has had in getting its players to the NBA. Arizona will three more players in line to be drafted later this year and that is something Holmes has paid attention to when evaluating the program.

"They get people to the NBA," he said. "That’s big."

Marquette could be considered the biggest remaining challenger for the Wildcats. Holmes has already made an official visit to the school and came away with a favorable impression of the program that now features former UA assistant coach Justin Gainey.

"I was surprised," he said about his trip to Marquette. "It was amazing. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. Everything about it was great.”

Former Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans recently made a FutureCast prediction in favor of Arizona earning a commitment from Holmes who was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year last season.

As a junior he averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 assists in what was his final season at Millennium. As of now Holmes does not have a set date to announce his commitment.

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