Arizona 2012 Recruiting

2012 Arizona Wildcats ... Head Coach: Rich Rodriguez

Arizona Wildcats

2011 Record: 5-7

Sep. 3 Northern Arizona W 41-10
Sep. 10 at Oklahoma St L 37-14
Sep. 17 Stanford L 37-10
Sep. 24 Oregon L 56-31
Oct. 1 at USC L 48-41
Oct. 8 at Oregon State W 37-27
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 20 UCLA W 48-12
Oct. 29 at Washington L 42-31
Nov. 5 Utah L 34-21
Nov. 12 at Colorado L 48-29
Nov. 19 at Arizona State W 31-27
Nov. 26 Louisiana W 45-27

2010 CFN Prediction: 8-4
2010 Record: 7-6

Sept. 4 at Toledo W 41-2
Sept. 11 Citadel W 52-6
Sept. 18 Iowa W 34-27
Sept. 25 California W 10-9
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 Oregon State L 29-27
Oct. 16 at Washington St W 24-7
Oct. 23 Washington W 44-14
Oct. 30 at UCLA W 29-21
Nov. 6 at Stanford L 42-7
Nov. 13 USC L 24-21
Nov. 20 OPEN DATE
Nov. 26 at Oregon L 48-29
Dec. 2 Arizona State L 30-29 2OT
ALAMO BOWL
Dec. 29 Oklahoma St L 36-10
- Get Tickets

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Arizona Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Dakota Conwell
6-2, 205, Scout.com 29th ranked, four-star outside linebacker. Conwell is best known for his exploits as a dual-threat quarterback, but he’ll likely project as an outside linebacker at the next level. He is very instinctive and always around the ball. He is an excellent athlete who can cover or defend the run.

2. C Beau Boyster
6-4, 275, Scout.com 12th ranked, three-star center.

3. OG Zach Hemmila
6-3, 275, Scout.com 28th ranked, three-star guard.

4. LB C.J. Dozier
6-2, 210, Scout.com 29th ranked, three-star middle linebacker. As a junior C.J. Dozier played at Chaparral High School in Temecula and finished his junior season with 113 tackles, four sacks and two fumbles caused. He says he can bench 255-pounds, squat 350 and has a 30-inch vertical jump.

5. DE Kyle Kelley
6-3, 230, Scout.com 42nd ranked, three-star defensive end. Had 88 tackles, five fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, two blocked field goals and a blocked punt as a 2010 junior at Irvine (Calif.) Woodbridge.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Players who can run the spread. Arizona was No. 3 in the nation in passing with Nick Foles under center, and now Rich Rodriguez has to find a Denard Robinson/Pat White type who can run his offense. He’s saying he’ll tailor the offense around the players and not the players to the offense, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going after the players he needs. However, this doesn’t look like it’ll be a big class of running backs with most of the attention paid to the defensive line.

Team Concerns For 2012: Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. Foles is off to the NFL and the top backup options are all gone, so the job this offseason will be wide open to any and all prospects coming in. Even with the emphasis about to go on the running game, a No. 1 receiver has to emerge – Dan Buckner, your table is ready – with Juron Criner gone. The defense has to find two new starting linebackers and needs a shutdown corner to replace Trevin Wade.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Are the pieces in place for Rich Rodriguez to get rolling with what he wants to do on offense right away? Not really. The program was built to throw the ball, and it did with Nick Foles under center finishing third in the nation in passing, and now RichRod needs bodies after Tom Savage and Daxx Garman chose to transfer. A few true freshmen will get a shot, but Josh Kern – assuming he signs – is a big bomber. The starter might end up coming from the JUCO ranks. It’s going to take some rebuilding and retooling, but all five starters are back on the O line and Ka’Deem Carey and Daniel Jenkins are decent-looking backs. The defense was a disaster, finishing last in the Pac-12, but the entire line returns. Corner Tevin Wade is gone as is top pass rusher C.J. Parish, but leading tackler Marquis Flowers returns at free safety.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Kickers. It’s a surprisingly sparse class with little star power and no one area of instant improvement … except at kicker. Jamie Salazer and Kyle Dugandzic come in from the JUCO ranks to battle it out for time, even though Alex Zendejas is coming off a decent year hitting 14-of-19 field goals. The best part of the class is running back with KaDeem Carey and Jared Baker two quick backs who can do a little bit of everything right. Dominique Petties and Patrick Onwuasor are two good safeties to keep an eye on.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 44. That Class Was Heavy On ... Linemen. Lots and lots of linemen. The Wildcats got their receivers last year and are solid at the skill positions, but they still got a star target in JUCO transfer Dexter Ransom. The lines needed to be fortified, and this is the class for that with five linemen brought in for the offensive side and five for the defense. Kirifi Taula is the defensive tackle the line will eventually build around, but JUCO transfers Willie Mobley and Mohammed Usman will be needed now for depth. There weren't many stars for the offensive line, but tackles Trent Spurgeon and Matthew Jakubiec have tremendous upside.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 50. That Class Was Heavy On ... pass-catchers. If you’re going to successfully run Sonny Dykes’ offense, you better have depth at the receiver position. The Wildcats took a quantum leap in that direction, signing more than a half-dozen wideouts and tight ends. The hands-down gem of that group is local standout Adam Hall, who had his choice of destinations. Actually, there’s so much talent here, it could free up Hall to move over to safety, where he’s just as dangerous.

Nov. 26 at Arizona 45 … UL Lafayette 27
CFN Analysis: COMING

(AP) TUCSON, Ariz. -- Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for Arizona, and the Wildcats held off Louisiana-Lafayette 45-37 on Saturday. Foles, whose status for the game had been uncertain because of bruised ribs, tied the school record for career (64) and single-season (31) touchdown passes. He already held virtually all other passing records at the school. Foles also topped 4,000 yards passing for the season and 10,000 for his career.

Juron Criner caught nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats (4-8), breaking the school career record for TD receptions at 32.

Blaine Gautier threw for 315 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score for the Ragin' Cajuns (8-4), who cut the Arizona lead to eight points three times in the fourth quarter.

Javon Lawson caught five passes for 137 yards for the Cajuns.

Gautier tied Jake Delhomme's school record of touchdown passes in a season at 20.

Louisiana-Lafayette tied an NCAA record when Jemarious Moten intercepted Foles' pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the seventh pick-six of the season for the team. That tied a mark set by Tennessee in 1971.

The Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference accepted a bid to the New Orleans Bowl on Monday, their first postseason appearance in 41 years.

Arizona (4-8) finished 3-3 under interim coach Tim Kish after Mike Stoops was fired halfway through the season. New coach Rich Rodriguez visited with tailgaters before the game and was introduced to the crowd at halftime.

Louisiana-Lafayette, 0-4 against Pac-12 teams, pulled within one possession for the final time when Gauthier scored on a 10-yard quarterback draw with 5:05 to play. But the Cajuns never got the ball again as Arizona moved downfield and ran out the clock.

Moten's TD return, on his second interception of the day, cut Arizona's lead to 31-23, but the Wildcats' Daniel Jenkins returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to the Louisiana 2. Two plays later, Keola Antolin scored on a 5-yard run to make it 38-23 with 13:28 left.

Again the Ragin' Cajuns came back, going 71 yards in 10 plays, with Alonzo Harris scoring on a 5-yard run to cut it to 38-30 with 10:26 still to go.

Foles' 35-yard pass to Criner at the 6:08 mark boosted the lead to 45-30.

The Cajuns used a fake punt and an onside kick in the first half, both of them successful, to take leads of 7-0 and 13-7.

Backup Bryson Bierne started in place of Foles, who was knocked out late in last week's 31-27 win at Arizona State. Bierne drove the Wildcats to the Louisiana 25, but his pass was intercepted by Moten, who returned it 19 yards to the Cajuns' 40.

Gautier's 40-yard pass to Lawson set up Harry Peoples' 11-yard TD run to make it 7-0. Foles came on for Arizona's second series and directed a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive, with fullback Taimi Tutogi bulling in from the 1 on fourth down to tie it at 7-7.

After the kickoff, Louisiana-Lafayette faked a punt on fourth-and-11 from its 40, with punter Brett Baer throwing 13 yards to the Arizona 47. Ladarius Green's 20-yard run on a reverse set up Gautier's 4-yard touchdown pass to Alonzo Harris. Baer's conversion try bounced off the right upright and was no good, so the Ragin' Cajuns led 13-7 with 9:14 left in the half.

Foles threw two touchdown passes in a span of two minutes, 39 seconds late in the half to put Arizona up 21-13 at the break.

Jenkins' 34-yard run and a 24-yard pass to Criner set up Foles' 9-yard scoring pass to Criner that put Arizona up for good 14-13. On the second play after the subsequent kickoff, Gautier was hit by defenders from both sides and fumbled. Marquis Flowers recovered for the Wildcats at the Louisiana 32.

A roughing the passer penalty and four straight completions by Foles, the last 12 yards to David Douglas for a touchdown with 34 seconds left, put Arizona ahead 21-13.

Nov. 19 Arizona 31 … at Arizona State 27
CFN Analysis: This is why teams play rivalry games. Arizona might be in the midst of a miserable season, but the win over Arizona State made the year and it showed there are pieces in place for the next head coach to build around. … Nick Foles’ special season was wasted. His 370 yards and two touchdowns kept the team in the game, and Bryson Beirne finished up with his 23-yard scoring pass to pull off the victory. … The secondary might have given up a ton of yards, but it also made its share of plays. The Wildcats might have the second-worst pass defense in America, but it’s partly because the line didn’t generate any sort of a pass rush all season long. … There might be a lot to work on, but the Wildcats can claim they beat UCLA and Arizona State, the two main teams in the hunt for the Pac-12 South title.  

Nov. 12 at Colorado 48 … Arizona 29
CFN Analysis: Arizona tried to throw the ball in the windy conditions, and while Nick Foles threw for 352 yards, he also threw three picks in the gusts as part of a four turnover day from the offense. … The defense wasn’t able to stop the Buff running game with the line getting blown off the ball by more than the wind. There weren’t any key stops on third down until it was too late. … To have any shot against Arizona State and its passing game, the Wildcat defensive front has to finally figure out how to generate a little bit of pressure. Arizona didn’t come up with a sack against one of the nation’s most porous offensive lines, and it only finished with three tackles for loss. Coming into the game, Colorado was 108th in the nation in tackles for loss. 

Nov. 5 Utah 34 … at Arizona 21
CFN Analysis: The UCLA win seems like it was ten years ago. The offensive line was awful against Utah, not giving Nick Foles enough time to work and leading to a few key mistakes. He threw for 326 yards and two scores, and David Douglas went off with ten catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns, but the three offensive turnovers were too much to overcome. The Wildcats weren’t awful, but they failed to stay alive in the first half as Utah took a 20-7 lead into halftime and never was all that threatened the rest of the way. A losing season is ensured, but a winnable game at Colorado is up next before the rivalry date with Arizona State. Win those two, and the season finale against UL Lafayette, and 5-7 won’t seem so bad. The passing game has just enough firepower to do it, but the Pac-12’s worst defense has to do its part.

Oct. 29 at Washington 42 … Arizona 31
CFN Analysis: Nick Foles threw well, but the team couldn’t capitalize on the momentum from the great win over UCLA. The defense was miserable, outside of three interceptions and a good pick six, and the running game was non-existent. The UCLA win might have simply been an emotional bump after the end of the Mike Stoops era, and Washington showed just how low the Wildcat talent-level is overall. Even so, Arizona hung around and didn’t get blown away, and there’s still time to come up with a nice finishing kick, starting with a winnable game against Utah next and with the Pac-12’s worst team, Colorado still on the slate. It’s time to start selling out more to generate a pass rush, and the linebackers have to be far better at the point of attack. The D needs to start doing one thing well on a consistent basis. 

Oct. 20 at Arizona 48 … UCLA 12
CFN Analysis: So that’s what the team is like without the Mike Stoops influence. Tim Kish told his team to relax, and it played like it, winning even though Nick Foles “only” threw for 291 yards and three scores. The defense was swarming all over the UCLF running game, allowing just 37 yards, and Foles put the game away in the first half with three touchdown passes on the way to a 42-7 lead going into the locker room and getting up 48-7 in the second half. There were a slew of penalties, but the 573 yards and the dominance on defense made up for any and all mistakes. Can the momentum continue against Washington? There’s still time to salvage the season, and with Utah and Colorado coming up, and Louisiana-Lafayette to close things out, a bowl game is still possible.  

Oct. 8 at Oregon State 37 … Arizona 27
CFN Analysis: This is what it looks like when the wheels come flying off. Nick Foles and the passing game, as always, rolled, but the defense continues to be a disaster with too many missed tackles and little production in the secondary, and the running game is non-existent. The big problem was turnovers; the Cats aren’t good enough to overcome four giveaways. Despite the 378 yards, Foles wasn’t sharp missing on way too many third down chances and giving up two picks. This loss cements Arizona as the worst team in the Pac-12 at the moment, but that all can change quickly with UCLA and Utah at home and a trip to Colorado coming up soon. There’s still time to turn this around, but the defense has to find a pass rush and the stops have to come. 

Oct. 1 at USC 48 … Arizona 41
CFN Analysis: If Arizona had any semblance of a defense, this would be a terrific season. Nick Foles is unstoppable, and while he threw two picks, he also came up with 425 yards and four scores as he kept the offense pressing. The pass rush has been non-existent and the secondary has been a disaster, but as long as Foles is winging it around the yards, the Cats have a chance. Watch out for a bit of a turnaround with Oregon State and UCLA up next, but the trip to Washington is make-or-break for the season. 

Sept. 24 Oregon 56 … at Arizona 31
CFN Analysis: Arizona isn’t just bad, it’s not even close. Granted, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Oregon are among the ten best teams in the nation, possibly top five, but still, the Wildcats are supposed to be making a move forward and they lost their last three games by a combined score of 130 to 56. The passing game has been great, a case could be made that Nick Foles is playing better than any quarterback in the Pac-12, but the defensive line has been miserable and the offensive line has been awful. There’s no running game whatsoever, and the defense isn’t slowing down anyone. It comes down to this; is Arizona can’t beat USC on the road next week, it’ll take something truly special for Mike Stoops to keep his gig.

Sept. 17 Stanford 37 ... Arizona 10
CFN Analysis: Arizona needs to be better than this at home. In the second straight embarrassing loss, the Wildcats followed up the blowout loss to Oklahoma State by getting brutalized by Stanford both on the ground and with the short to midrange passing game. There wasn’t any running game to count on, and Nick Foles wasn’t able to come up with enough big plays to turn the tide in the second half. Marquis Flowers made 16 tackles, but the front seven didn’t do its job to bother Andrew Luck to throw off the Cardinal offense. Up next is Oregon at home, and if the linebackers play like they did this week, it’ll be another blowout. 

Sept. 8 at Oklahoma State 37 … Arizona 14
CFN Analysis: Arizona got a nice day out of Nick Foles, who took charge of the offense completing 37-of-51 passes for 398 yards and a touchdown, and Dan Buckner made his presence felt with ten catches for 142 yards and a score in place of Juron Criner, who missed the game after having his appendix removed, but the attack didn’t go anywhere. There were too many missed opportunities, too many penalties (11), and no running game whatsoever once it became a shootout. The Wildcat attack will blow up some bad Pac-12 teams along the way this season, and Oklahoma State’s offense is going to score on everyone, but more of a running game would be nice and finding a way to get to the quarterback, especially next week against Andrew Luck and Stanford, is a must. 

Sept. 3 at Arizona 41 … Northern Arizona 10
CFN Analysis: Nick Foles went wild. He had time to throw and he lit up Northern Arizona like a Christmas tree with a near-perfect 34-of-42 game for 412 yards and five touchdowns. Juron Criner did his thing with six catches for 151 yards and a score, but Foles spread the ball around with five different players catching five passes or more, and Texas transfer Dan Buckner making four grabs for 38 yards. The special teams were solid with Kyle Dugandzic coming up with a tremendous day punting the ball averaging 50.7 yards per kick with all three of his boots going inside the 20. The secondary allowed NAU QB Cary Grossart to connect on 20-of-26 passes, but the throws didn’t go anywhere. The overall performance was great, but the secondary needs even more help from the pass rush against Oklahoma State on Thursday. 

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Kickers. It’s a surprisingly sparse class with little star power and no one area of instant improvement … except at kicker. Jamie Salazer and Kyle Dugandzic come in from the JUCO ranks to battle it out for time, even though Alex Zendejas is coming off a decent year hitting 14-of-19 field goals. The best part of the class is running back with KaDeem Carey and Jared Baker two quick backs who can do a little bit of everything right. Dominique Petties and Patrick Onwuasor are two good safeties to keep an eye on.

Five Arizona Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Rob Hankins
6-1, 218, Scout.com’s 18th ranked middle linebacker. Hankins is an aggressive linebacker that dominates against his level of competition. He seems very instinctual and flows to the ball and is always around the play. He is just a tough hard-nosed player. He already has nice size and because of his foot speed and tremendous versatility he could play any of the linebacker positions on the next level.

2. S Domonique Petties
6-1, 210, Scout.com’s 46th ranked safety. A good sized athlete that roams the field at different positions from safety to outside linebacker for his Duncan team, Petties shows off his top end speed in kick coverage, but he rarely plays that fast on defense. He seems to arrive to the play a step late when it involves making reads. A better athlete than football player early in his career, Petties has the raw tools that coaches love to develop.

3. RB KaDeem Carey
5-11, 190, Scout.com’s 55th ranked running back. A complete back that will go down as one of the best RBs in Arizona history. Can do it all, has game breaking speed and size to run through the tackles. Can run around defenders or through them.

4. S Patrick Onswuasor
6-1, 190, Scout.com’s 56th ranked safety. Had 25 receptions for 773 yards and three touchdowns and added 28 tackles and an interception as a 2009 junior at Inglewood (Calif.).

5. RB Jared Baker
5-9, 185, Scout.com’s 87th ranked running back.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Jacob Arzouman OL 6-4 280 7-26-93 Fr. HS Tucson, Ariz. (Salpointe Catholic)
Addison Bachman OL 6-5 290 3-15-90 Jr. JC Glendora, Calif. (Glendora/Citrus College)
Jared Baker RB 5-9 180 8-6-93 Fr. HS Los Angeles, Calif. (Loyola)
Tra’Mayne Bondurant CB 5-10 185 1-9-93 Fr. HS Fairfield, Calif. (Fairfield)
Ka’Deem Carey RB 5-10 190 10-30-92 Fr. HS Tucson, Ariz. (Canyon del Oro)
Michael Cooper TE 6-4 230 10-21-92 Fr. HS The Woodlands, Texas (The Woodlands)
Auwae De Rego DL 6-3 265 5-2-91 Jr. JC Waimea, Hawaii, (Kamehameha/San Jose CC)
Kyle Dugandzic P 5-11 195 8-20-91 Jr. JC Agoura, Calif. (Agoura /Ventura College)
Faitele Faafoi OL 6-5 300 8-12-91 Fr. HS Tustin, Calif. (Tustin)
Saneilia Fuimaono DL 6-2 275 6-15-92 Fr. HS Kaneohe, Hawaii (Punahou)
Daxx Garman QB 6-2 185 2-18-93 Fr. HS Choctaw, Okla. (Southlake, Texas, Carroll)
Reggie Gilbert DE 6-3 230 4-1-93 Fr. HS Laveen, Ariz. (Fairfax)
Rob Hankins LB 6-1 220 3-29-93 Fr. HS Dallas, Texas (Parish Episcopal)
Hank Hobson LB 6-2 213 8-19-92 Fr. HS Bakersfield, Calif. (Stockdale)
Cortez Johnson DB 6-2 190 8-9-92 Fr. HS New Orleans, La. (O. Perry Walker)
Lene Maiava OL 6-5 260 3-18-93 Fr. HS Tafuna, American Samoa (Tafuna)
Dame Ndiaye DE 6-4 215 4-13-92 Fr. HS San Diego, Calif. (Hoover)
Patrick Onwuasor WR 6-2 190 8-22-92 Fr. HS Inglewood, Calif. (Inglewood)
Domonique Petties LB 6-1 210 8-18-92 Fr. HS Duncan, Okla. (Duncan)
David Richards WR 6-3 180 5-4-93 Fr. HS Palmdale, Calif. (Palmdale)
Drew Robinson TE 6-5 245 7-18-89 Jr. JC Coalville, Utah (North Summit/Snow College)
Jaimie Salazar K 6-0 200 2-1-91 Jr. JC Garland, Texas (South Garland/Trinity Valley CC)