Arizona Wildcats announce 22 signings in 2016 class
Feb 3, 2016, 7:14 PM
Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez yells to his team during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The University of Arizona football program announced their full 2016 National Letter of Intent Class Wednesday. The class has 22 players, with nine on offense and 13 on defense.
There were 15 National Letters of Intent that came in on Wednesday.
Five of the 22 signings are listed as four-star recruits by at least one recruiting service.
Some of the four-star recruits include California dual-threat quarterback Khalil Tate, who was the Los Angeles Times QB of the year and UA coach Rod Smith is quoted saying that “he is simply one of the best football players in the state of California.”
There’s also quarterback turned linebacker Kahi Neves from Utah. Neves is 6 feet 4 inches tall and threw for 2,439 yards and 19 touchdowns in his senior season. He had 64 tackles and three sacks in his time at linebacker his junior season.
The class has a predominant focus on defense. There are four linebackers, two cornerbacks and four safeties in the class.
Three of the signed players are mid-year enrollees, meaning that they have completed their high school course work in December and are enrolled in January classes at UA. There are also four “greyshirts,” who are already enrolled and participating in team functions.
“I think we filled a lot of needs and wants with this class,” head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I believe these are great additions and we are very excited to officially welcome them into our program.”
The full class is listed below:
| Name | Position | Year | Height | Weight | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ Allen | DE | SO | 6-4 | 250 | Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach CC |
| Lorenzo Burns | CB | FR | 6-0 | 185 | Temecula, Calif./Linfield Christian HS |
| Bryson Cain | OT | FR | 6-4 | 270 | Temecula, Calif./Great Oak HS |
| Jalen Cochran | LB | FR | 6-4 | 225 | Canton, Mich./Canton HS |
| Jacob Colacion | LB | FR | 6-1 | 210 | La Habra, Calif./La Habra HS |
| Devaughn Cooper | WR | FR | 5-11 | 175 | Harbor City, Calif./Narborne HS |
| Tristan Cooper | S | FR | 6-1 | 180 | El Paso, Texas/Andress HS |
| Michael Eletise | OT | FR | 6-4 | 295 | Honolulu, Hawaii/Kaiser HS |
| Isaiah Hayes | FS | FR | 6-0 | 165 | Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas HS |
| Justin Holt | DT | FR | 6-4 | 285 | Tucson, Ariz./Saplointe Catholic HS |
| Francisco Nelson | LB | FR | 6-3 | 215 | Lakeland, Fla./Kathleen HS |
| Kahi Neves | LB | FR | 6-4 | 240 | Provo, Utah/Timpview HS |
| Jamie Nunley | TE | FR | 6-5 | 205 | Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS |
| Antonio Parks | CB | FR | 5-10 | 177 | Reserve, LA./East John HS |
| Shawn Pondexter | WR | JR | 6-6 | 210 | Peoria, Ariz./Glendale CC |
| Gavin Robertson | S | FR | 6-2 | 200 | Auburn, Wash./Mountain View HS |
| Harper Sherman | OT | FR | 6-5 | 260 | New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster School |
| Khalil Tate | QB | FR | 6-2 | 206 | Gardena, Calif./Junipero Serra HS |
| J.J. Taylor | RB | FR | 5-6 | 155 | Corona, Calif./Centennial HS |
| Chaco Ulloa | S | FR | 6-0 | 190 | Corona, Calif,/Centennial HS |
| Keenan Walker | OT | FR | 6-5 | 266 | Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral HS |
| Jarrius Wallace | S | FR | 6-2 | 180 | Merrero, LA./John Ehret HS |
