With ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ currently in a bye week, the Wildcats coaches are hitting the recruiting trail for the next few days from Thursday through Saturday before preparing for the Big 12 opener against 12th-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City next Saturday.Ìý
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ head coach Brent Brennan said in his news conference on Monday that UA coaches will beÌý"kind of all over the place" this week.Ìý
Brennan is returning to the Bay Area to watch his son, Scotty Brennan, quarterback the Los Gatos Wildcats (crazy, right?) against the Mountain View High School Spartans, the same mascot as his former job at San Jose State.Ìý
Every school has a recruiting strategy, and some programs take different angles. Some heavily rely on the transfer portal and treat recruiting like NFL free agency, while some bank on high school recruits to develop over time and use the portal to patch up holes on the roster.Ìý
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"We're always going to be a developmental program here," Brennan said. "First and foremost, high school kids. That's how we build sustainable teams and develop those players over time. The portal players, I see it as how we've recruited junior-college players over time, where if you need an instant fix or someone you recruited isn't quite ready and you need someone to play this year. That's how we'll look at portal players."Ìý
For ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s high school recruits, there's a "high concentration of players" in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Hawaii and Utah. The Wildcats areÌý"heavily involved in Texas and California right now." Brennan said Texas, California and Florida "have the most Division I players in the country every year."
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ currently has 20 commits for its 2025 recruiting class, which ranks 47th nationally and 10th in the Big 12, according to . The Wildcats have eight players committed from Texas, six from California, four from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and one from Hawaii and Florida.Ìý
Here's a look at how some of those recruits are doing this fall:ÌýÌý
Kellan Ford
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýTight end
Height, weight:Ìý6-5, 230 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýDanville, California (Monte Vista)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýFord has 11 catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns in three games this season.Ìý
Luke Haugo
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýQuarterback
Height, weight:Ìý6-5, 200 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýGilbert (Higley)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýIn three games, Haugo has completed 52 of 80 passes for 690 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Higley recently lost 36-28 to the undefeated Marana Tigers, which has star wide receiver and Washington commit Dezmen Roebuck, who became the state's all-time receptions leader, passing UA freshman Brandon Phelps. Haugo also has two rushing touchdowns this season.ÌýÌý
Dajon Hinton
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýCornerback
Height, weight:Ìý5-10, 175 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýChandler (Hamilton)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýHinton has 15 tackles, one stop for loss and an interception for the undefeated Hamilton Huskies. Hinton had eight tackles in Hamilton's 44-41 win over Boulder Creek last week.ÌýHinton’s father, David Hinton, played defensive back for the Wildcats from 2000-02 while Brennan was a graduate assistant coach. Dajon’s older brother, D.J. Hinton, graduated from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High and was a walk-on wide receiver for the UA.
Kaleb Jones
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýDefensive tackle
Height, weight:Ìý6-1, 275 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýPhoenix (Mountain Pointe)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýJones has six tackles, three stops for loss and a sack.Ìý
Robert McDaniel
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýQuarterback
Height, weight:Ìý6-1, 195 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýHughson, California (Hughson)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýThe goat farmer — seriously, his family owns roughly 150 goats — went to the high-profile "Elite 11" showcase that features some of the best quarterbacks nationally. So far this season, McDaniel has passed for 702 yards and 11 touchdowns with no interceptions — and a 69% completion rate. Hughson has outscored its opponents 122-14 in three games.Ìý
Isaiah Mizell
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýWide receiver
Height, weight:Ìý6-0, 160 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýOrlando, Florida (Boone)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýMizell has 17 catches for 389 yards and four touchdowns this season; he has just under 1,800 yards and 29 touchdowns for his career.ÌýÌý
Gio Richardson
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýWide receiver
Height, weight:Ìý5-11, 170 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýChandler (Basha)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýRichardson has 13 catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns for the undefeated Basha Bears, which is coming off a 50-0 win over Scottsdale Saguaro. Richardson and Hinton will face off on Oct. 11, when Basha hosts Hamilton.Ìý
Terry Shelton
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýWide receiver
Height, weight:Ìý6-4, 200 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýCarrollton, Texas (Ranchview)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýFour stars (247), three stars (Rivals)
How they're doing: Shelton recently became ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s highest-rated commit for ’25 on and is now considered a four-star recruit. The Dallas-area native doesn't have recorded stats this season, but is one of the top wide receivers coming out of Texas.
Joshua Tuchek
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýCornerback
Height, weight:Ìý6-1, 175 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýLong Beach, California (Millikan)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýThree stars (247/Rivals)
How they're doing:ÌýTuchek, who hails from the same high school program as current star defensive back Tacario Davis, has the third-most tackles (20) this season at Millikan to go along with one pass deflection.Ìý
Wesley YarbroughÌý
±Ê´Ç²õ¾±³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýRunning back
Height, weight:Ìý5-10, 195 pounds
Hometown (High school):ÌýCrosby, Texas (Crosby)
¸é²¹³Ù¾±²Ô²µ:ÌýFour stars (Rivals), three stars (247)
How they're doing:ÌýYarbrough is averaging 147 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry this season. He has 441 yards and four touchdowns on 77 carries in three losses and is the only running back commit in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s 2025 recruiting class.ÌýÌý
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports