2008 Arizona Wildcats - Recruiting Class

2008 Arizona Wildcats Head Coach: Mike Stoops

Arizona Wildcats

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Robert Golden CB 5-11 190 9-13-90 Fr. Fresno, Calif. (Edison)
Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West… Tacoma News Tribune Western 100… PrepStar Dream Team 2007…All-(Fresno) Bee 2007 Football All-Star… Second-team all-state by CalHiSports and All-Valley first-team honors… U.S. Army All-American game… MaxPreps Division II All-State first team… Helped Edison 10-1-1 record and state semifinals… Among top-rated on Arizona’s list of signees…Three-year starter for Edison, which has turned out a number of D-I defensive backs over the years…Tigers coach Tim McDonald – of USC fame – says hardly anyone completed any passes against lockdown-corner Golden in 2007, who was joined in the secondary by Tim Jr., a safety… In 2006, had 65 tackles and four interceptions playing opposite all-state pick Courtney Viney

Potential Instant Impact Players

Mike Diaz OT 6-5 340 2-22-88 Jr. Montebello, Calif. (Schurr/Cerritos C.C)
First-team all-conference as a sophomore tackle and unanimous first-team All Mission Conference Northern Division in 2006… At Schurr High School he was named 1^st –team All-Almont League on offense as a senior for coach Frank Mazzotta after earning all-league on both sides of the ball as a sophomore and junior… Also caught three passes for 15 yards and had five quarterback sacks on defense his senior year… Was a 2^nd-team All-CIF selection on defense his prep junior season… Pulled in five passes for 25 yards and had two sacks… Spent three years on the basketball team and averaged 11 points a game his senior year.

Phillip Garcia OT 6-7 340 9-2-88 Jr. Montebello, Calif. (Schurr/Cerritos CC)Named 2^nd Team All-Mission Conference Northern Division in 2006… Injured half way through senior year otherwise was en route to similar honors as soph for coach Frank Mazzotta… Teamed with high school teammate Mike Diaz to help anchor the offensive line… At Schuur High School he helped lead his team to three consecutive Almont League championships… Recorded 20 pancake tackles as a prep senior… Was the freshman team’s Lineman of the Year… Was a 1^st Team all-league selection in track and field as a senior after earning 2^nd Team honors as a junior… Also played a year on the basketball team and helped them to the league title.

Rest of the Class
Keola Antolin RB 5-8 180 1-14-90 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman)
Dominique Austin DE 6-4 255 11-11-90 Fr. La Puente, Calif. (Bishop Amat)
Kenny Barnes DE 6-2 235 10-29-89 Fr. Glendale, Ariz. (Kellis)
Trace Biskin OT 6-5 270 12-3-89 Fr. Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian)
Juron Criner WR 6-4 205 12-12-89 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. (Canyon Springs)
Vaughn Dotsy OG 6-5 355 9-7-89 Fr. Ventura, Calif. (St. Bonaventure)
David Douglas WR 6-1 190 6-27-89 Fr. McKinney, Texas (North)
Zander Fabbri LB 6-1 255 6-6-89 Fr. Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial)
Herman Hall OG 6-3 325 8-11-86 Jr. Houston, Texas (Fort Bend Bush/Blinn College
Solomon Koehler DT 6-3 305 5-1-90 Fr. Kaneohe, Hawa’ii (Castle)
Sterling Lewis LB 5-11 225 12-3-87 Jr. Copperas Cove, Texas CC(HS/Blinn College)
Chris Merrill DT 6-2 275 10-6-89 Fr. Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro)
Greg Nwoko RB 6-2 220 5-29-90 Fr. Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville)
Kyle Quinn OG 6-2 275 2-9-90 Fr. Brentwood, Calif. (Liberty)
Matt Scott QB 6-3 205 9-20-90 Fr. Corona, Calif. (Centennial)
Vuna Tuihalamaka LB 6-2 240 2-28-87 Jr. Inglewood, Calif. (Hawthorne/El Camino CC)
Jowyn Ward DT 6-2 265 5-24-90 Fr. Katy, Texas (Mayde Creek)
J’Marcus Webb OL 6-7 310 8-8-88 Jr. Mesquite, Texas (North/Navarro College)
R.J. Young LB 5-11 225 8-3-90 Fr. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)

- 2007 Arizona Season
- 2007 Arizona Preview
- 2006 Arizona Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 5-7

Sept. 1 at BYU L 20-7
Sept. 8 No Arizona W 45-24
Sept. 15 New Mexico L 29-27
Sept. 22 at California L 45-27
Sept. 29 Wash St W 48-30
Oct. 6 at Oregon St L 31-16
Oct. 13 at USC L 20-13
Oct. 20 Stanford L 21-20
Oct. 27 at Wash. W 48-41
Nov. 3 UCLA W 34-27
Nov. 15 Oregon W 34-24
Dec 1 at Arizona St L 20-17

Dec. 1
Arizona State 20 ... Arizona 17
Arizona State got by with a Rudy Carpenter flip pass for a touchdown to Tyrice Thompson and a 20-yard Michael Jones scoring grab, and two short Thomas Weber field goals, while the defense kept the Wildcat offense under wraps. Arizona scored first on a one-yard Rob Gronkowski catch, but couldn't get back in the end zone until there were 26 seconds left. ASU only finished with 344 yards of total offense, but Arizona only gained 316.
Player of the game: Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter completed 20 of 37 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 20-37, 247 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dimitri Nance, 22-58. Receiving: Chris McGaha, 6-83
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 28-52, 272 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Mike Thomas, 1-37. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 9-98
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense, when it's not quite clicking, can be painfully inept. For all the throw and all the attempt to mix things up with the passing game against Arizona State, the Wildcats didn't get anything going down field, struggled in pass protection, and wasn't even close to getting the ground game on track. Worse yet, the defense was one of the only ones on the ASU schedule that couldn't consistently get to Rudy Carpenter. This game was a microcosm of the Wildcat season with inconsistencies mixed in with moments of greatness. LB Spencer Larsen had a whale of a game.

Nov. 15
Arizona 34 ... Oregon 24
Arizona jumped out to a 31-14 halftime lead on Mike Thomas touchdown catches from 34 and 46 yards out along with an Antoine Cason 42-yard interception return or a touchdown and a 56-yard punt return for a score. Oregon scored on its first drive on a 39-yard Dennis Dixon touchdown run, but he later injured his knee and was lost for the rest of the game. With Brady Leaf under center for the Ducks, Arizona blitzed time and again and forced plenty of mistakes, but Oregon got within seven points late in the fourth on a 17-play, 71-yard drive finishing up with a two-yard Andre Crenshaw touchdown run. Arizona was able to all but put the game away by answering with a 46-yard field goal, but needed help from the replay booth as QB Willie Tuitama was ruled down before he fumbled the ball away to Oregon. Oregon outgained Arizona 463 yards to 322.
Player of the game: Arizona CB Antoine Cason made seven tackles, broke up five passes, returned an interception 42 yards for a score, and returned three punts for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Oregon - Passing: Brady Leaf, 22-46, 162 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jonathan Stewart, 28-131. Receiving: Jaison Williams, 8-120
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 21-39. 266 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 20-53. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 6-125, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arizona's gameplan against Oregon appeared to do a 180-degree change after Dennis Dixon got hurt. Led by a brilliant day from Spencer Larsen and a great push from Yaniv Barnett, the defense got to Brady Leaf early and often and forced several misfired and several near-interceptions. However, when things got tight, and the Wildcat offense started to sputter, the defense started to have problems with the Duck power game. Arizona took its foot off the gas and played not to lose in the second half, and almost lost. Of course, the Cats won, and now has a chance to become bowl eligible with a win at Arizona State in two weeks.

Nov. 3
Arizona 34 ... UCLA 27
UCLA took an early lead with 100-yard kickoff return for a score from Matt Slater following a 39-yard Jason Bondzio field goal, and then Willie Tuitama and the Arizona passing game took over with Chris Jennings taking a pass 55 yards for a score and Rob Gronkoswki scoring from 27 yard out as part of a 24-point run. UCLA despite losing QB Pat Cowan to a collapsed lung, came back with Kai Forbath field goals from 35 and 61 yards out, and a one-yard Chane Moline touchdown run, but the Wildcats were able to run out the clock late. Arizona outgained UCLA 469 yards to 288.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 21 of 36 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Osaar Rasshan, 3-10, 78 yds
Rushing: Chane Moline, 15-62, 1 TD. Receiving: Dominique Johnson, 4-74
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 21-36, 341 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 20-124, 1 TD. Receiving: Rob Gronkowski, 6-94, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's amazing how winning gives a team confidence for more wins. Arizona is playing well over the last two weeks, albeit against offensively challenged teams in Washington and UCLA, and now the real season begins. With dates against heavyweights Oregon and Arizona State, if Willie Tuitama and the passing game can keep bombing away effectively, the Cats have a chance at bowl eligibility. Not to be overlooked is Nicholas Grigsby, who bounced back from a lousy game against Washington to rumble on UCLA for 124 yards and a score.

Oct. 27
Arizona 48 .. Washington 41
Willie Tuitama bombed away for 510 yards and five touchdowns including three scoring passes to Mike Thomas, connecting from 66, two, and 27 yards out. The first touchdown pass started off the scoring, while the last two tied it, and then gave the Wildcats the lead in a wild fourth quarter. Down 41-26, Tuitama threw a 33-yard touchdown pass To Terrell Turner, and then UW started to screw up. Jake Locker, who had a huge game with 336 passing yards and 157 on the ground, lost a fumble leading to the second Thomas score. After Arizona took the lead with just over two minutes to play, Washington got to the Wildcat 42 before Locker was picked off by Antoine Cason. The two teams combined for 1,107 total yards.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 38 of 51 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns with an interception, and ran five times for seven yards
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 38-51, 510 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 13-24. Receiving: Michael Thomas, 10-165, 3 TD
Washington - Passing: Jake Locker, 17-30, 336 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jake Locker, 23-157 yds, 2 TD. Receiving: Marcel Reese, 5-166, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Arizona offense is equal part exhilarating and frustrating. Willie Tuitama has shown flashes of brilliance before, but he just can't come up with a consistent performance from one week to the next. Beating Washington was a huge step for the program, showing off the offensive brilliance of Tuitama, Mike Thomas and the passing game, but now the team can't go back in the tank and lose to home against UCLA. A little more defense along the way would be nice.

Oct. 20
Stanford 21 ... Arizona 20
Stanford rallied late in the fourth quarter with Jeremy Stewart closing off a 53-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run, and then held on two final Arizona drives. The Wildcats got a 21-yard Mike Thomas touchdown run, a three-yard A.J. Simmons scoring catch, and two Jason Bondzio field goals, but Stanford stayed alive with a 33-yard Richard Sherman touchdown catch and a two-yard Jason Evans scoring run in the second quarter.
Player of the game: Stanford S Nick Sanchez made nine tackles, one tackle for loss, forced a fumble and picked off a pass
Stat Leaders: Stanford - Passing: Tavita Pritchard, 19-27, 181 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jason Evans, 21-78, 1 TD. Receiving: Richard Sherman, 6-69, 1 TD
Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 28-41, 238 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 24-126. Receiving: Delashaun Dean, 8-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... And thanks for playing Mike Stoops; it's been fun. You can't lose to Stanford at home. Yes, USC did it, but Arizona isn't USC. The Wildcats are now on a three-game losing streak with a road trip to Washington next week followed up by dates against UCLA, Oregon and Arizona State. The passing game just isn't working as well as it needs to be, and while Nicholas Grigsby ran well against the Cardinal, the O needs to do more. The Cats had the ball for just 4:13 in the fourth quarter, and the defense paid for it.

Oct. 13
USC 20 ... Arizona 13
USC needed to battle for a full sixty minutes to put away a pesky Arizona team. Sparked by a big 45-yard punt return from Joe McKnight, USC took the lead for good late in the fourth on a 25-yard Fred David touchdown catch. Chauncey Washington started out the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run and David Buehler hit the first of two field goals on a 27-yard strike for a 10-0 Trojan lead, but Arizona got two Jason Bondzio field goals and a one-yard Willie Tuitama touchdown run for a 13-10 lead. The offense wouldn't threaten again, as USC's banged up defense ended up holding the Wildcats to 255 yards and 22 rushing yards.
Player of the game: USC RB Joe McKnight ran 13 times for 75 yards, caught two passes for four yards, and returned two punts for 49 yards
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 30-44, 233 yds
Rushing: Chris Jennings, 7-16, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 12-83
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 19-31, 130 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 13-75. Receiving: Fred Davis, 6-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The USC game was there for the taking, but there just wasn't enough from the top playmakers to make it happen. The running game was nowhere to be found, and Willie Tuitama didn't pick up the slack with his passing with just 233 yards on 30 completions. Defensively, Spencer Larson had a whale of a game, but as good as the D was, that was mostly due to the general ineffectiveness of the USC offense. This could've been a springboard game with Stanford and Washington up next, but now there's no room left for any mistakes. The Wildcats have to run the table for a winning season.

Oct. 6
Oregon State 31 ... Arizona 16
Oregon State got two first quarter touchdown runs from Yvenson Bernard, with the second run, from nine yards out, followed up by a 49-yard interception return for a score from Joey LaRocque 15 seconds later. A Bernard six-yard scoring catch early in the second made it 31-3, and the Beavers cruised from there. The Wildcats finally got in the end zone on a 60-yard Antoine Cason interception return for a score, but only managed 231 yards of total offense and got three Jason Bondzio field goals.
Player of the game: Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries, and added five catches for 24 yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 18-38, 222 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Nick Grigsby, 16-61. Receiving: Anthony Johnson, 6-80
Oregon State - Passing: Sean Canfield, 17-30, 139 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 32-140 2 TDs. Receiving: Yvenson Bernard, 5-24, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... A week after ripping apart Washington State, the Arizona offense went into the tank against Oregon State, regressing in the running game and getting an awful performance from Willie Tuitama. Blame the offensive line. Tuitama didn't get rid of the ball quickly enough on several plays, but he never had a chance on most others, getting sacked eight times and needing to rush several throws. The running game was fine, with Nick Grigsby doing a good job again, but after a disastrous first half, the Wildcats needed to start chucking. Now they get a ticked off USC.

Sept. 29
Arizona 48 ... Washington State 20
Arizona exploded for 568 yards of total offense with Willie Tuitama throwing five touchdown passes and running for another, and Mike Thomas scoring from 27 and 20 yards out to help pull away. The Cougars tied it up at 20 in the third quarter on Alex Brink's third touchdown pass of the game, a 14-yarder to Brandon Gibson, and then the Wildcats made it a laugher with 28 unanswered points, highlighted by a 57-yard scoring pass play to tight end Rob Gronkowski. Arizona freshman RB Nicholas Grigsby tore off 186 yards.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 22 of 21 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns, and ran four times for five yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 22-31, 346 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 30-186. Receiving: Nicholas Grigsby, 9-76, 1 TD
Washington State - Passing: Alex Brink, 35-56, 347 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 12-66. Receiving: Brandon Gibson, 11-127, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now that's how it's supposed to work. After completely dismissing the passing game over several games, the Wildcats ran well with freshman Nicholas Grigsby, who had a phenomenal game against the porous Washington State defense. Of course, the win was all about the play of Willie Tuitama, who ran and threw well with no mistakes and five touchdown passes. The defense wasn't a rock, and struggled against the Cougar passing game, but if the offense plays like this against USC next week, things could be very interesting.

Sept. 22
California 45 ... Arizona 27
Cal was cruising to an apparently easy win, as Justin Forsett and Jahvid Best each ran for short scores, LaVelle Hawkins caught an 18-yard touchdown pass, and Tyson Alualu recovered a fumble for a touchdown as part of a 28-point first quarter. The Bears were up 38-10 early in the third, but Arizona came back with 17 straight points to pull within 11 with 13 minutes to play. Playing with a banged up thigh, Forsett came off the bench to lead the way on a game-clinching drive, finishing up with a three-yard touchdown run.
Player of the game: Cal RB Justin Forsett rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 42-61, 309 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 13-42, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Thomas, 12-105, 1 TD
Cal - Passing: Nate Longshore, 16-30, 235 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Justin Forsett, 23-117, 2 TDs. Receiving: Lavelle Hawkins, 6-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arizona can't completely abandon the running game. It had to after the first quarter against Cal, getting down 28-3, but the offense simply doesn't appear to be strong enough to throw the ball 61 times every game and win. The defense didn't generate enough pressure in the Cal backfield, and it took too long to get the offense going. Now the Washington State game is critical to avoid a brutally ugly start. Road trips to Oregon State and USC follow.

Sept. 15
New Mexico 29 ... Arizona 27
In a weird and wild game, New Mexico and Arizona combined for 773 passing yards with three different Wildcat receivers going over the 100-yard mark and the Lobos getting 100-yad days from Marcus Smith and Travis Brown. Arizona held a 13-7 lead late in the first half, when Brown made a 38-yard touchdown grab with three seconds to play, sparking a 21-point run that ended late in the third quarter on a 23-yard Smith scoring grab. The Wildcats kept it close in the fourth on two Mike Thomas touchdown catches to pull within two, but a final chance was snuffed out by an interception. Arizona last two fumbles in the end zone, with both recovered by O.J. Swift.
Player of the game: New Mexico WR Marcus Smith caught 11 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 30-53, 446 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Jennings, 11-41. Receiving: Michael Thomas, 7-127, 2 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 29-41, 327 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 26-94. Receiving: Marcus Smith, 11-164, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It wasn't like Arizona didn't have a bunch of chances against New Mexico, but three turnovers, no running game, and a shockingly lousy day from the secondary contributed to yet another loss under Mike Stoops with a trip to California ahead. On the plus side, Willie Tuitama was terrific after it became obvious that the running game wasn't going to work. Somehow, the Cats lost with 446 passing yards, and now Tuitama might have to bomb away again and again and again if the defense is going to continue to struggle.

Sept. 8
Arizona 45 ... Northern Arizona 24
Willie Tuitama threw five touchdowns to five different receivers and Antoine Cason returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown as Arizona coasted until the fourth quarter. The Wildcats got out to a 38-10 lead, but NAU fought back with a two-yard touchdown run from Lance Kriesien and a 13-yard run from Lionel Scott to pull within 14, but Tuitama led the offense on an 80-yard touchdown drive to end the drama. NAU committed 15 penalties for 152 yards.
Player of the game ... Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 23 of 44 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 23-44, 283 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Thomas, 4-80  Receiving: Terrell Turner, 6-67, 1 TD
Northern Arizona - Passing: Lance Kriesien, 22-39, 187 yds
Rushing: Lionel Scott, 8-44, 1 TD  Receiving: Alex Watson, 10-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It wasn't a plus how the Wildcats allowed Northern Arizona to make it interesting in the fourth quarter, and the offense wasn't able to run as well as it might have liked to without using a few quirky plays, but Willie Tuitama got hot and was great at using all his receivers. Mike Thomas needs the ball in his hands as much as possible; he proved again to be the team's most dangerous playmaker.

Sept. 1
BYU 20 ... Arizona 7
BYU's defense stole the show, keeping Arizona off the board until a seven-yard Earl Mitchell touchdown catch in the final minute of the game. The Cougars got two first half touchdown passes from Max Hall, and Harvey Unga scored twice on a 27-yard catch and an 11-yard run on the way to a 20-0 lead. The Wildcats only managed 30 rushing yards.
Player of the game ... BYU HB Harvey Unga had 15 carries for 67 yards and one touchdown, while leading the team with nine receptions for 127 yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 26-36, 216 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Jennings, 14-41  Receiving: Chris Jennings, 9-27
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 26-39, 288 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 15-67, 1 TD  Receiving: Harvey Unga, 9-127, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Another year, another average Arizona offense. The Wildcats didn't do anything against a good, but not great BYU defense, and it certainly isn't a D that should hold anyone to just 30 rushing yards. The Arizona defense was fine, but it didn't get any help and it failed to come up with any big-time game-changing plays to turn things around. If Willie Tuitama and Chris Jennings don't get things going against Northern Arizona next week, it'll truly be panic time. This can't be another inconsistent season.