Commitment: 2022 WR, former UCLA commit AJ Jones picks Arizona

Wide receiver AJ Jones committed to UCLA in the spring, but he remained in contact with Arizona despite his early decision. Eventually the three-star recruit from Colony High School in Ontario, California decided to use his first official visit on a trip to Tucson to see the Wildcats up close. Shortly after the visit ended he backed off his pledge to the Bruins, and Monday he completed his flip by announcing his decision to commit to Arizona.

Jones also holds offers from Arizona State, San Diego State and Dartmouth among others.

UA head coach Jedd Fisch has deep ties to the NFL while other coaches on the Wildcats' staff have also spent a considerable amount of time at the professional level. That resonated with Jones as he mulled the decision about his future ultimately leading to his commitment.

"The coaching staff they made it feel like home," Jones said about why Arizona earned his pledge. "A big thing is the experience they had in the league. It was unbelievable. That's my main goal. I feel like they can help me get to my goal."

The 6-foot-4 receiver will add another key offensive weapon to the program as Fisch continues to build his first recruiting class with the Wildcats. Jones had a productive weekend at The Opening event in California where he showcased his ability to make difficult catches against some of the top defensive backs in the country.

"AJ Jones continued his strong offseason with a few deep touchdowns grabs from both Walker Howard and a game-winning catch from Nick Evers," Rivals.com's Sam Spiegelman wrote of the new Arizona commit's performance at The Opening over the weekend. "Jones showed off his ability to challenge downfield and be effective in the red zone. His stocks up after the summer."

Arizona used a team effort to recruit Jones and eventually sway him away from one of its Pac-12 South foes. Wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings played a pivotal role in the process, but other members of the staff helped contribute to the commitment as well especially when he was on campus in Tucson.

"The energy of the coaches was awesome and you could feel it," Jones previously said about his interactions with the staff on his official visit. "I spent a lot of time with all the offensive coaches especially coach KC [Cummings] and coach DA [graduate assistant Darren Andrews]."

High school recruiting coordinator Ryan Partridge also played an important role in creating a connection with the big wide receiver from California.

Jones is now the 10th member of Arizona's 2022 class and the second prospect to commit during the extended holiday weekend. Versatile in-state defensive prospect Russell "Deuce" Davis II committed to the Wildcats in the morning Saturday.

The California recruit has already started to build a relationship with incoming Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita after having an opportunity to take an official visit at the same time last month. Fifita's four-star teammates, Keyan Burnett and Tetairoa McMillan, remain key Arizona recruiting targets and all four prospects have built a solid bond up to this point.

"It was cool, all three of them are cool," Jones said of his time spent with the trio of prospects from Servite High School in Anaheim, California. "It was real fun, real nice."

Jones is the fifth member of Arizona's 2022 class who will play offense for the Wildcats. Along with Fifita, UA holds commitments from offensive linemen Grayson Stovall and Jonah Savaiinaea plus running back Jonah Coleman.

• VIDEO: AJ Jones discusses his interest in Arizona at The Opening

• STORY: 2022 WR AJ Jones recaps his official visit with the Wildcats

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