Arizona signed 15 recruits during the three-day early signing period last week, which is quite impressive when considering the team remains without a head coach. The Wildcats had 18 commits heading into the early signing period overall, so it was a positive week for the program.
UA's class currently sits at No. 64 overall in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings, so there is still plenty of work to do before the next signing period in February. Still, there are some intriguing pieces in Arizona's incoming freshman class and we will take a closer look at some of our favorite members of the group now that the early signing period has come to a close.
Most impressive get
Washington State was the only other Power Five school the Wildcats had to beat out for the versatile Southern California recruit, but there were several other Group of Five programs in the mix such as San Diego State, San Jose State and Boise State. Bohls made a visit to Arizona in the summer before committing to the Wildcats shortly after that trip. He will make the move to a new position in college with Arizona brining him in as a nickel/SAM meaning he will have the freedom to do some different things within the defense. Bohls came up as a recruit on the offensive side of the ball as a running back, but he does have some experience playing in the secondary already. He is likely to settle in as an outside linebacker in Tucson allowing him to take advantage of his size and athleticism to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. We believe he has a chance to become one of the top recruits in the class by the time his career comes to an end.
Current UA comp: Rourke Freeburg
2020 winner: Regen Terry
Most underrated signee
He plays at one of the top programs in Southern California that continues to produce Power Five-level talent each year, including this one, yet Hand never quite saw his recruitment take off like we believe it should have. Some of that might have to do with the fact that he was always going to pick Arizona if offered in addition to the lack of a viewing period in the spring. Either way, it worked out for the center prospect from Mission Viejo High School as he was eventually offered by Arizona, his parents' alma mater, and he proceeded to commit to the program late in the spring. UNLV was the only other offer on the table for Hand at the time and we think that many schools are going to be mad about not getting involved. Finding Power Five true center prospects is difficult at the high school level, so that is one benefit for the Wildcats since Hand has experience playing the position. We watched him last season and he worked at guard with impressive results so he has some versatility to move around as well. Hand has good size for the position and all the skills to be a difference maker in college and looks like one of the biggest steals for UA in this class.
Current UA comp: Josh Baker
2020 winner: Jalen John