Five-star recruit DE Elijah Rushing decommits from Arizona Class of 2024
Oct 8, 2023, 8:31 PM
Head coach Jedd Fisch of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after a touchdown call during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The Arizona Wildcats are losing one of its biggest recruits ever.
Local product and five-star recruit Elijah Rushing announced Sunday night he was decommitting from the program. He had initially announced his commitment to the Wildcats football program in early July.
Rushing, a defensive end out of Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, was projected to join Arizona as part of the Class of 2024.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Rushing said, “As a hometown kid, my desire was to rep my city while becoming the best version of myself. … Although it is evident that the program is on the rise, I have to consider my future goal.
“I have come to the conclusion that the program is not the right fit for me to take the next step with regard to my development.”
Recruitment open again pic.twitter.com/mXQGJtdT9s
— Elijah Rushing (@elijah_rushing) October 9, 2023
According to ESPN, Rushing took official visits to UCLA, Notre Dame and Oregon in addition to Arizona.
The loss of Rushing as a recruit comes at a time when head coach Jedd Fisch’s team has lost two straight games but has impressed.
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In two games without starting quarterback Jayden de Laura, Noah Fifita has led the Wildcats to a 31-24 loss to No. 7 Washington at home and a triple-overtime loss to No. 9 USC on the road. Despite the losses, Arizona is 3-3 on the season.
