RCS LA: Several recruits speak highly of Sumlin, Arizona in SoCal

GLENDORA, Calif. — One of the things the Rivals 3-Stripe Camp does is put a number of the top prospects in one place and it helps to give a better gauge of where a program sits with recruits and how a school's recruiting efforts are impacting things on the road. Arizona has been aggressive on the recruiting trail in the first couple months under new head coach Kevin Sumlin.

He mentioned that would be the case since he was officially introduced and Sumlin's ability to lead a staff of noted recruiters was something that was a big part of his hiring at UA. The Wildcats need to take things to a new level in the coming years when it comes to recruiting and right now it is clear the buzz is all positive heading into an important few months for the program.

Finding coaches who can both develop and recruit was a key element to Sumlin putting together his staff and so far it is leading to positive results for UA. The Wildcats have limited room as of now for the 2019 class, but we spoke to a number of prospects who already hold offers from UA or have recently visited about the new staff and how their perception of the program has changed in recent months.

"The old staff I kind of felt like the head coach wasn't too involved with the recruiting, but coach Sumlin he's kind of putting the full-court press on me now. That's a really big thing for me because I want to be able to have a relationship with the whole staff instead of just one or two coaches or just the defensive coaches."

Steele, who is the top-rated cornerback in the West, holds offers from over 40 programs including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford and USC.

"Coach Sumlin already knows what he's doing with a lot of kids. He's really knowledgable about the game and recruiting-wise. He's a really smart guy. Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin) is a really big recruiter for me. He was my first offer at UCLA and when he made the transition to U of A it was a big-time move. He's still recruiting me at U of A. Coach (Marcel) Yates is a really good coach and the whole entire coaching staff feels like they're going to have a lot of camaraderie."

Criddell, a top-five prospect in California, holds offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC and Washington among many others.

"Noel and Taylor (Mazzone) recruited my older brother Kelly ... so I've known them since I was a little kid. They're great people. They tell no BS and I love it. When they called me they were telling me all that stuff and straight up telling me all that stuff and I love it. They're good guys. I think they're great and they're gonna do great things at Arizona."

Hilinski, who won the quarterback MVP of the Rivals 3-Stripe Camp in California on Sunday, has been on fire with offers as of late with Arizona State, Duke, Georgia, Ole Miss, Northwestern, Oregon, South Carolina and Wisconsin as some of the schools that have jumped into his recruitment already.

"The new staff is a big part of it. That's why it's buzzing right now. I think the new staff is a big reason."

Adimora was one of the first 2019 offers Sumlin's coaching staff made soon after it was fully assembled and the high three-star defensive back holds offers from schools such as Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, UCLA and USC among others.

"Coach Sumlin he's a great coach. He's a great recruiter and he knows what he's doing down there. He's going to take over the Pac-12. I hope so."

Patterson, who is fresh off a visit to Arizona two weekends ago, has a strong connection with Martin but was also impressed by UA on the trip. The tall defensive back and receiver holds offers from UCLA and USC.

"I like how he's (Martin) fired up. He's fired up for who he offers and he's ready to get them there. He jumps on it pretty much."

Jackson, who won the defensive line MVP at Sunday's camp, is already getting recruited at a high level with offers from ASU, BYU, Oregon, USC and Utah among others. He is one of the prospects Arizona offered last week.

"It's very important actually knowing he (Sumlin) came from where he did."

Wiley attends Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas where Sumlin made one of his first stops after officially being introduced as Arizona's head coach. There were several prospects from the Las Vegas area at the camp who mentioned it was important for them to see Sumlin at their school so early in the process.

The three-star athlete recruit who worked at running back Sunday holds an offer from Kansas in addition to UA.

"I feel like coach Sumlin is getting more involved talking to the players more as they come in, but I feel like that's a better move."

Williams is in the unique spot of having been offered by Arizona's old staff and re-offered by the new staff as well. The Bakersfield standout was offered as a quarterback by UA's old staff and it was the first program to offer him, but the new staff is looking at him on defense as he makes the transition to safety this year. Among his other offers are Arizona State, Boise State, UCLA and Wisconsin.

"I like the way his (Sumlin) demeanor is and his attitude is towards players. I feel like he's a player's coach and I like that a lot about him. He's a cool dude."

Uiagalelei could end up being the most sought after West Coast quarterbacks by the time he reaches his senior season, but he already has the ball rolling in his recruitment even as a sophomore. With an uncle on the coaching staff at UA, the Wildcats will be in the mix for his commitment but other programs such as Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Tennessee, USC and UCLA are all involved already.