Friday rewind: The week in UA recruiting
It's this time of year when recruiting starts to pick up again for both sports, really, as football recruits have more time to take visits with their seasons coming to an end and basketball coaching staffs get to watch recruits get back into action with their high school teams.
Arizona has been busy in both sports on the recruiting trail, and things are certainly going to be picking up as the winter months continue.
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Here is a look back at the week in recruiting and some of the notable stories from the last few days.
UA running back Ka'Deem Carey has certainly turned some heads with his big rushing stats this season, and that has also caught the attention of a four-star 2014 Wildcat recruit.
Fresno (Calif.) Central East prospect Nick Wilson's only offer is from UA and he has been impressed by what he's seen from the 'Cats this season.
"I've been keeping up and watching Arizona really closely this year, and I've noticed they have the potential to be a real top-10, top-15 team," he told GOAZCATS.com this week. "All the games they lost, they really had a chance to win - I can think of like three right off the top of my head."
Seeing Carey put up the amount of yards he has this season in Rich Rodriguez's offense has piqued Wilson's interest even more about UA.
"It really does interest me," he said. "As a matter of fact coach K (Bill Kirelawich) was saying that I remind him of Ka'Deem Carey a little bit. So I sat down and looked at him, and we're kind of built the same and we run the same.
"It makes it easier to picture myself there when you see somebody who is built like me and runs like me."
There are plenty of notable programs showing interest in Wilson, but none of them have decided to offer yet. Having an early offer from UA is something that stands out to the four-star prospect.
"I was real excited about it, because it was my first one," he said. "I was really grateful, and I expressed that and told them that I was really grateful for it and I'll keep that in mind that they were the first ones to come up and offer me.
"...When I initially got it it was a big relief. I know that I want to play after high school, and now that I have a full ride on the table it's a real burden off my parents and a real burden of me. So it was a real special thing."
Even though the Wildcats are already starting to move on the 2014 class with offers to some recruits, there are still some options for finishing up the 2013 group.
This week one name that came up quite a bit was that of four-star defensive tackle Derrick Calloway.
The Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee prospect continues to focus on a few schools as his recruitment continues.
"Missouri, Arizona and Arkansas, those are the three I'm looking at mainly," Calloway told PowerMizzou this week. "I don't know about Arkansas right now, because I heard they just fired their coach, but those are the three right now."
Things usually get serious when a recruit decides to visit, and Calloway hasn't done that yet with UA. For now his recruitment is one to keep an eye on.
At this point a timetable is not set in stone for the big defensive tackle.
One 2013 recruit who plans to visit Tucson has had the Wildcats among his group of favorites for some time now. Three-star defensive back Patrick Enewally has continually put UA among that group and he still plans on visiting other schools along with the Wildcats.
"Visits are pretty much where I'm going to find a leader," Enewally told Rivals.com this week. "Those are pretty much the schools I'm really serious about in my recruitment.
"I want to make sure I'm making the right decision. I didn't want to rush my decision. You never know what's going to happen so I didn't want to rush into something and not make the right one. I have to analyze the whole situation first."
A date for a trip to UA is still being decided.
It's sometimes a tough situation, but coaching changes happen and that always has the possibility to change some recruitments. Boston College recently let go of head coach Frank Spaziani and that could potentially change things for three-star safety - and BC commit - Matt Milano from Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips.
With the uncertainty at BC, Milano has pegged UA as a possible destination for a visit.
"My dad and I have been talking about after the season trying to get out to Arizona to check out the facilities and have a talk with the coaches," Milano told GOAZCATS.com. "But I want to see how the whole coaching deal works out at BC before I make plans for anything else."
UA was the first big program to offer Milano and that is a big part of why he has interest in visiting Tucson.
"They've played some pretty big teams this year and they played pretty good," he said. "But they were one of the first big schools to offer me, and then everybody else starting coming after me. They were one of the first ones to seek me out, and I thought that was something special right there.
"And that's why I want to pursue that even more."
Milano's team is undefeated with a few more possible games to play, so a visit likely wouldn't happen for some time.
On the basketball side of things the Wildcats continue to work on possibly adding to the 2013 and looking ahead to future classes. With recruiting being what it is making an impression on younger prospects is always important and the 'Cats have continued to keep tabs on a number of recruits in various classes.
One high-priority prospect that continues to wait things out a bit is 2014 point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright. For right now, however, the four-star recruit from Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola is primarily focusing on two programs.
"It's pretty much Arizona, UCLA ... the same schools," he told GOAZCATS.com this week.
Jackson-Cartwright was last in Tucson for the Wildcats annual Red-Blue game and junior liked what he saw.
"It was fun, I really got to see what the atmosphere was like," he said. "I like the way they play, and I love the coach. There's a lot of energy in that building."
Jackson-Cartwright is still taking his time with a decision, but UA has done well with the point guard prospect.
One in-state recruit who UA has continued to stay in touch with is Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle wing Dorian Pickens.
"I'm definitely interested in Arizona," he told GOAZCATS.com this week. "I have been building a relationship with coach Miller and the assistants over there, so it's been good and we're building a good relationship."
For now Pickens will likely focus more on his junior season, however, as things have already begun for the 6-foot-4 prospect.
"You know I'm definitely going to have my recruitment slow down a little bit now that the season is here," he said. "I'm going to try to keep my focus on high school ball and getting this season going."
Click Here to view this Link.Matt Moreno
GOAZCATS.com Senior Recruiting Editor