Babiash makes commit No. 22 for Wildcats
Arizona added another piece to the puzzle for 2013, and again it came on the defensive side of the ball when three-star cornerback Derek Babiash gave the Wildcats his verbal pledge Sunday evening.
The Poway, Calif., standout was originally committed to Washington earlier this spring, but he opened up his commitment after new programs emerged with offers. One of those programs was UA, and the nation's 41st-ranked cornerback - according to Rivals.com - was interested in Rich Rodriguez's program from the start.
Advertisement
"I loved everything right away," Babiash said about his weekend visit. "And I felt like now was the right time to commit, now is the time to be a Wildcat. I didn't want to hold off any longer. And now I can just get ready."
Often times recruits will shy away from a program with a new head coach, but Babiash felt being part of something new was exciting.
"Well I like the whole coaching staff change," he said last Month. "Because starting next year there's going to be a whole new outlook on the program. So we (2013 recruits) would come in and be some of the first recruits the program puts out, and I like that."
Babiash now joins Darius Allensworth and Devin Holiday as 2013 high school recruits who will likely come in and play the cornerback spot at UA. Junior college transfer Prince Holloway could also play the position as well.
"Me and Devin are friends, so he told me when he was going to commit," Babiash said. "And I called him yesterday and talked to him about committing and told him I was probably going to commit today.
"I'm just excited to come in and be with people who I'm familiar with."
The 6-foot, 173-pound recruit chose the Wildcats over offers from Arizona State, Boise State, Nebraska and Oklahoma - to name a few. He had over a dozen offers overall.
But it ultimately came down to the 'Cats and Sooners. However after taking his trip to Tucson, Babiash knew where he wanted to be.
"I'm not going to visit anymore schools," he said. "The only other school that was in question before I visited Arizona was Oklahoma, but after my visit to Arizona I felt like everything was decided and this is it."
Babiash is the Wildcats' 22nd commit overall in the 2013 class, and the second of the weekend. Derrick Turituri gave the program his pledge Saturday night.
Click Here to view this Link.Matt Moreno
GOAZCATS.com Senior Recruiting Editor