Early Signing Day a busy one for Arizona Football

Early Signing Day is here again, and despite the recent departure of Kevin Sumlin, the Arizona Football was still able to sign a few recruits for 2021!

As we’re all aware, Arizona Football parted ways with head coach Kevin Sumlin less than a week ago, and despite the turmoil and drama surrounding the Football program currently, Wednesday was still a rather good day for the Wildcats.

For those that don’t know, Early Signing Day took place on Wednesday, and despite the uncertainty for the current coaching staff and for the Class of 2021, 14 brave souls still took the plunge, signing their National Letter of Intent to attend and play for the University of Arizona.

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona’s early signings were highlighted by the Signings of Javione Carr, Jackson Bailey and Kolbe Cage among others, and from first appearance, the Wildcats brought in a lot of defensive talent.

That shouldn’t be all that surprising either, especially when you consider the early playing the Wildcats will be able to offer heading into the 2021 Football season. Unfortunately for us, that’s about the extent of the good news for Arizona Football on Early Signing Day.

As it stands, the Wildcats have the No. 11 recruiting class in the Pac-12 Conference, and the No. 65 overall class Nationally.

Certainly unfortunate for the Wildcats, however, for a program that has gone just 19-35 over the last five seasons, perhaps the results on the recruiting trail should be all that surprising.

Luckily for us, Arizona was still able to sign 14 players on Wednesday, and the good thing is that there is about two months to go until the Final Signing Day happens, which means the next head coach can put their finishing touches on the class for 2021.

With that said, here is who signed.

Arguably Arizona’s biggest signing from Wednesday, Carr is the Safety from Texas with good size, speed, and athleticism.

Hailing from Sam Houston High School, Javione is going to have an opportunity to play next season and rightfully so. He’s a talented kid, and given his offers from Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Northwestern among others, this is a solid signing for the Cats.

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A big and sturdy linebacker from the great state of Texas, Jackson Bailey is a kid who has the potential to come in and immediately play.

With offers from Nevada, SMU, Kansas and Jackson State among others, Jackson is a strong, quick, and athletic kid with good size and playmaking ability.

I like this commitment and can’t wait to see what he can do in Tucson!

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One of the underdogs in the class, Kolbe Cage is the linebacker/safety hybrid that hails from the talent-rich state of Louisiana, and is one of my favorite recruits in the class.

A standout at Holy Cross High School, this is a kid that can provide a lot of flexibility for the next coach and on defense, and it will be interesting to see where he is ultimately used.

He could use a bit more size, but overall, he has a good frame that can add more weight, and seeing him potentially used as a safety-hybrid is very enticing.

One of my personal favorites in this class, purely since I am a Canyon Del Oro alumni myself, Stevie Rocker is a talented running back that has unfortunately been hampered by injuries in his college career.

He has good, speed and quickness, and does a great job running North and South. Hailing just a few miles from campus, Stevie looks to be the next, great Arizona running back from CDO High School and will have an opportunity to get to Arizona, get healthy, improve and compete for playing time in the next couple of seasons.

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The lone tight end taken in the class, Colby Powers is a terrific athlete that played a bit of quarterback in High School as well!

A standout out Klein Collins High School, this is a unique recruitment. The past few roughs, tight ends have been sparingly used at Arizona, but with the addition of Colby, maybe that means that the Wildcats are going to open things up more offensively.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how the Wildcats intend to use him, but nonetheless, we are excited to have him aboard.

The only Junior College player in the class, Alex Navarro-Silva is the standout defensive end from Riverside Community College.

Standing a stout and sturdy 6-feet-5-inches and over 220 pounds, Alex is a kid that will likely have a great opportunity to come in and play immediately.

He’s got great size and strength, and given the Wildcats’ needs along the defensive line, Alex will provide immediate depth and help out there.

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One of the bigger linebackers in the class, the addition of DJ Fryar is one I’m particularly excited about. He’s a big kid with plenty of athleticism and he hails all the way from the Pacific Northwest.

Also garnering offers from Boise State, Fresno State, Washington State and Nevada among others, this is yet another kid that will have an opportunity to play early.

I like his size and athleticism, and his is certainly a terrific playmaker as well! Glad to see the Wildcats lock him up!

Another safety in the class of 2021, it is good to see Dalton Johnson sign in this one. A coveted safety out of Texas, Dalton is the hard-hitting safety that will have an opportunity come in and play immediately.

Having received offers from Houston, Colorado State, Virginia Tech, SMU, and UNLV among others, this is a solid addition for the Cats.

He’s a talented, playmaking safety and given the Wildcats’ needs in the secondary, got to love the additional depth here.

Mojo, as he is so lovingly known as, was the first player to sign on Wednesday, and this is another solid addition for Arizona.

Given the Wildcats’ need on defense and in particular at linebacker, you have to like the signing of Matthew. He’s a big, talented kid from Illinois, and given his size, he should be able to come in and get an opportunity to compete early.

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The son of former Wildcats’ lineman, Bryan Hand, JT will be following in his dads’ footsteps as he heads to Tucson.

A standout center from Mission Viejo High School, he is a big and talented kid that is going to provide immediate depth. And given the Wildcats’ struggles on the offensive line this past year, I don’t see that being as much of a stretch.

Now granted it is tough for freshman to see early time, I imagine with continued development, he is going to have an opportunity to potentially play soon.

He’s big, strong, and shows great overall technique. Nice addition for Arizona here!

A hard-hitting kid from Northern California, Logan Kraut is a kid that I am intrigued about. He is big, strong and talented, and I love his versatility on the football field.

Mostly playing corner, safety, and wide receiver for Maria Carrillo High School, I see Logan mostly playing safety.

Already he has great size and athleticism, and as we saw this last year, the Wildcats need desperate help in the secondary, and Logan should be able to provide that.

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One of the few offensive linemen taken in the class, Luke Eckardt is one of the other lineman coming for 2021. A big kid from Illinois, this is a talented lineman with good raw potential.

Coming from the talented Midwest, overall, Luke has good technique and blocking abilities, where he typically excels in run protection.

Having explosive hands and active feet, this is a kid I like and can’t wait to see how he develops. He will need to add more weight when he comes to Tucson, but overall, solid prospect.

One of the more underrated players in the class, Evan Branch-Haynes is a kid that I think could potentially surprise some folks.

Hailing from the talented Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco, CA, he already has great size and athleticism.

Evan is an explosive and strong player, and with continued development, he could be a special player!

The only transfer we have coming for 2021 so far, Davis DiVall is someone who could provide immediate depth along the offensive line.

A former standout at the perennially talented Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, after just one season in Waco at Baylor, Davis is now coming back to Arizona.

He is a big, strong, talented kid who brings a nastiness and toughness that is needed along the offensive line.

I am particularly excited about this recruitment and can’t wait to see what he can do!