Arizona's Hawaiian, Polynesian connections played key role for Gavin Hunter
Versatile safety Gavin Hunter was one of the early summer commitments for Arizona in what ended up as a big time for the Wildcats on the recruiting side. Jedd Fisch and his staff have added 13 commitments since the beginning of June, and the three-star prospect from Mililani High School in Hawaii was one of the early official visitors last month to ultimately give the program his pledge.
The Wildcats had been the favorite for Hunter before his decision, but he wanted to make sure he was making the right decision by seeing the school in person before officially giving the coaches his commitment.
It didn't take long after arriving to Tucson from Hawaii for Hunter to feel secure about his choice. He committed on the trip but kept it quiet until the following week.
Arizona's consistent efforts in pursuing him made the difference over offers from schools such as Oregon State, San Diego State, Hawaii and Utah State.
“From day one, Arizona has just been the one school that’s been showing the most love and showing that they really want me,” he said. “From day one, they believed in me and been showing a lot of love. ... I wanted to make sure I could check out the school and everything in person before I made a decision.”
The official visit to Arizona in early June played a big role in Hunter ultimately making his decision. Had he not liked that trip his recruitment could have taken a different turn. However, that wasn't the case as it gave him an opportunity to get a feel for his future in person.
“I loved it,” he said of the trip. “I loved everything about it. It was a good trip and I ended up committing on the trip. Me and the other boy Kamu [Kamuela Kaaihue], he’s from Hawaii too, we were both up on the trip and we both committed at the same time.”
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