Evaluating the 2023 recruiting class for Arizona Football

The 2023 recruiting is coming together rather nicely for Arizona Football, and with 16 commitments already, we take a look at who the Wildcats have brought in.

We are already into July and Arizona Football has been hot on the recruiting, adding 16 commitments to the recruiting class of 2023 thus far.

Coming into this off-season, it was clear that the Wildcats needed to continue to add depth and talent, particularly on defense.

And so far, 12 of the Wildcats’ commitments have come on the defensive side of the ball, arguably highlighted by the additions of Carter Stoutmire, Solomon Davis, Canyon Moses, and Lucas Conti among others

As it stands, the Wildcats have the No. 29 overall class Nationally and the No. 3 overall class in the Pac-12. That’s certainly a great start thus far, especially as the Wildcats are fresh off a year in which they signed one of the best classes in the conference.

Over the next several weeks, it should be interesting to see how this class shapes out and who else is added.

With that said, here is who Arizona Football has committed for 2023 so far.

The crown jewel of the class, Brayden Dorman is a tall and prototypical pocket quarterback that should fit well with Jedd Fisch’s spread offensive scheme. He can survey the field well and possesses good arm strength that will only continue to get better as he adds more size and strength.

Brayden is a quarterback of the future for the Wildcats and his addition helps bolster and round out this class.

A two-sport athlete, Carter Stoutmire possesses a deceptively long frame, he is very fluid, reads the ball well, and reacts. Carter plays fast and physically, and with the Wildcats needing more depth in the secondary, it is a good thing the Cats stayed aggressive in this recruitment!

Arizona landed an athlete in Solomon Davis. A kid that likely projects as a secondary player for the Wildcats. He is a solid defensive player with great length, size, and athleticism for a corner, and his addition will help bolster the Wildcats’ defensive secondary.

Canyon Moses was the first commitment for the Wildcats in 2023, and this is a talented kid with great speed, good footwork, and fluid hips. Even with his frame, he doesn’t shy from contact as he likes to play physical, and even with his size, I could very well see him moving to safety and being just as effective.

Arian Parish is a kid with a good-sized frame that will continue to fill out. Lining up mostly at safety, he is a smart, instinctive, and aggressive player. He has great poise and body control in coverage, and he also packs a hell of a punch, not shying from contact.

He reads plays well and reacts, and he also possesses great agility and flexibility, allowing him to break to the football to make a play.

One of Arizona’s higher-rated commitments in the class, Lucas Conti projects to potentially be an edge rusher for the Cats. Typically lining up in a three or five-technique along the defensive line. He has great size and strength and has the ability to fill out. Conti plays fast, physical, and with a bit of a mean streak that the Wildcats could desperately use.

Coming in, Gavin Hunter is a two-way player at Mililani High School in Hawaii; however, with his size, it is more likely that he will play safety for the Cats as well, which the Wildcats are quickly stacking up.

Coming in, he reads the ball well and reacts, he is quick and recovers well in coverage, and he packs a bit of a punch with his hits. Overall, he should be another solid addition to the Cats’ defensive secondary.

Brandon Johnson is a physically gifted player that can score anytime he touches the football. He is quick and elusive and runs well, he also doesn’t shy away from contact, running with physicality between the tackles if he needs to.

Arizona is already loaded up with running backs; however, this is a kid that is exploding on the recruiting scene and the Wildcats were smart to bring him in to add more depth and talent.

Justin Johnson projects to be a potentially bigger safety, and he has great range in his coverage skills and good overall skills in reacting to and attacking the football. He plays fast and physical, he doesn’t shy away from contact, even if it means running downhill and providing run support.

Jackson Holman comes to Tucson as a physically gifted player that should be a nice downfield threat for the Wildcats. His size helps address some of Arizona’s red zone woes they experienced last season. He is quick and runs well, and his big frame allows him to withstand contact. Jackson can play either tight end or receiver for the Cats.

Rhino is a kid that is poised for a potentially big jump both physically and athletically this coming year. He currently stands an impressive 6-feet-5-inches and 280 pounds (according to his 247Sports profile), and he has the ideal size for an offensive tackle.

Rhino plays with a lot of energy and has a great motor for an offensive tackle. He plays fast and physical and excels in both run and pass blocking. Overall, this is a great addition to the offensive line.

A dominant and aggressive pass rusher, Dominic Lolesio uses his size and length well to shed blocks and create disruption in the backfield. This is a kid with a big frame that can add more size, and already he plays with a high motor that should help the Wildcats immensely.

Sean Brown is a long, athletic, and physical player that possesses a great motor and solid instincts in the secondary. He reads the ball well and reacts, and shows great fluidity and flexibility when breaking to the football.

His addition provides depth and talent to the Wildcats’ secondary!

A long and athletic player that uses his size well, Kamuela will likely be used as more of a hybrid outside linebacker/edge rusher in defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen’s defense. Overall, he is the No. 107 rated linebacker and is the No. 8 overall player from the state of Hawaii. His addition provides more depth to the Wildcats’ linebacking group.

The younger brother to current Wildcat Jonah, like his older brother, Julian was a bit of an under-the-radar recruit. Also like his brother, Julian is a strong and explosive player that possesses a great motor and solid instincts. He has a good first step, lining mostly in a four or five-technique on defense, and he uses his hands well to generate leverage.

Another two-sport athlete, not much is known about Tylen Gonzalez and that certainly seems to be reflected in his non-ranking from several of the major scouting sites; however, that will likely change soon as Tylen projects to be a three-star athlete with more offers to come.

Tylen is one heck of an athlete that already has a big frame that can add more weight while still being effective. Look for him to likely play along the offensive line; however, he could very well play defense also.