The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats have lost one of their top incoming freshmen a month before practices begin.
Adam Plant Jr., a three-star defensive lineman from Las Vegas, will attend ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Western College instead of UA, his father told the Star on Tuesday. Plant is already enrolled at the junior college for the fall semester.
Plant was the third-highest ranked recruit in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 2018 class, trailing only three-star quarterbacks Jamarye Joiner and Kevin Doyle.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 245-pound Plant was listed as the No. 54 defensive end in the country, per 247Sports’ national composite rankings. He initially chose ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ over offers from USC, Penn State and Oregon.
The UA does not comment about players who do not enroll.
Plant’s father said his son’s split with the UA began when the SAT board delivered an incorrect score to the school, rendering Adam Plant Jr. ineligible. After going “back and forth†with the board, Plant made the decision to play at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Western.
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“In the meantime me and my wife felt that with Adam being ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s biggest recruit this year, we felt they should have done a little more to get the issue resolved. But we are not mad at anyone there,†Plant’s father said. “Adam is already at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Western College and will play there this fall and will be looking to be a one-and-done, then transfer probably to an (SEC university).â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Western has produced NFL players such as Seahawks safety Maurice Alexander, Dolphins running back Damien Williams, 49ers linebacker Korey Toomer, Cowboys edge rusher Randy Gregory and Browns center Erik Wren.
This isn’t the first time Plant has backed out of a commitment to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. The Bishop Gorman High School star decommitted last summer, two months after he originally committed. After five months of weighing schools, Plant re-committed to the UA. He signed his letter of intent in February.
“Terrible feeling, but I am glad the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Western coaches wanted him with open arms, and Adam is still stepping the right direction of his goal,†Plant’s father said. “I can’t say ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was a top option at first, but we were grateful for their offer so there is no love lost.â€
Plant’s decision could be an early recruiting blow to first-year coach Kevin Sumlin.
The former Texas A&M boss has received multiple verbal commitments this summer as he tries to reshape a program which stumbled to recruit nationally under former coach Rich Rodriguez.
Sumlin and his staff are emphasizing the state of Texas, an area that Rodriguez largely ignored until his final year at the helm.
Former Wildcats Keola Antolin and Anu Solomon also attended Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.
Justin Spears is an award-winning sports journalist and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native. He can be reached at jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter @justinesports.