Stars rise in Arizona

Arizona State has owned the in-state recruiting battles, but new University of Arizona football coach Mike Stoops is out to change that.

For UA, this would be a good year to close the gap, with more than a dozen top Division I prospects being heavily recruited.

"The state of Arizona is very unique in recruiting. We may not have as many, but there are quality players that can play anywhere," Stoops said. "I think this state has the chance to put out 20 to 25 Division I football players, and for our population that is very, very strong. I think there are some fabulous players in the state of Arizona."

The NCAA prevents college coaches from talking specifically about individual players, but Stoops has already crossed the state looking to turn a trend that has favored ASU over the past several years.

ASU has signed 31 Arizona high school and junior college players in coach Dirk Koetter's four-year tenure.

UA has signed eight in the past three years.

But the Cats got one last night when 6-foot-3, 295-pound offensive lineman Jordan Lowe from Peoria Centennial picked UA over ASU.

The star power in Arizona is lengthy this season, with Glendale Mountain Ridge linebacker Nick Covey already committing to Nebraska and Paradise Valley running back Matt Clapp recently pledging to Oklahoma.

And UA is trying desperately to get the two best Tucson players to stay home.

So far the Wildcats are in the running with Ironwood offensive lineman Daniel Borg and Sunnyside running back Xavier Smith both seriously considering Arizona, yet still waiting to see how it does on the field this season.

The top prize in the state is defensive lineman Ekom Udofia of Scottsdale Chaparral. The 6-foot-1, 290-pound senior is regarded as one of the nation's top tackles and is the state's lone five-star recruit.

Udofia is still not sold on the Wildcats, although they appear to be making up ground on Miami, LSU and Oklahoma.

Four star prospects Peoria Centennial tailback Terry Longbons, and Borg are the four-star candidates.

The Wildcats would like to land three-star players Smith, Gilbert Highland offensive lineman Richard Tuitu'u and Phoenix Moon Valley receiver Chris McGaha.

"I don't know yet. It is a pretty tough decision," Longbons said. "I'm still thinking it over."

Nebraska, Northwestern, Stanford, Colorado and Oregon are still under review, but this appears to be a two-school race.

"(UA) has their new coach in Stoops, and famous (assistant) coaches from all over the country," Longbons said. "They think they are going to have a pretty good season. ASU has done well and they are close to home, so my family and friends could watch me play."

ASU can boast about its recruiting victories and blowout wins over the Cats in the past two years.

"We make no bones about it, we want to start with the state of Arizona and we have done that," Koetter said. But he said Stoops has made an "obvious" difference in getting recruits to look at UA as well.

The Wildcats' 11-24 record in the last three years and player turmoil under fired coach John Mackovic has been well-documented. And that is an obstacle UA coaches face heading into their second recruiting season.

"This is an area we have to cultivate and work with and do a better job in the state," Stoops said. "When you have this much turnover and the problems we have had within our program, (local players) are the ones most familiar with the problems you have internally.

"Obviously with the change our attitude has changed, and our perception of the football program at the University of Arizona has hopefully changed over the past several months."

Stoops has tried to make up ground by opening up practice sessions and office visits to local high school coaches and players.

While almost everyone else is stopped at the practice field gates, players are allowed in to watch how the new coaches relate with Wildcat players.

"I think the coaches do a wonderful job. Our job is to keep helping our area's high school coaches to develop better ways of doing things," Stoops said. "That is why we have a very open policy with high school coaches, and we try to make them feel confident. ... It also helps us in the long run."

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