After Pima College football coach Jim Monaco returned from coaching the Champions for Life All-Star football game in Hawaii last week, he became something like Norm from “Cheers,†the place where “everybody knows your name.â€
Coaches from Alabama, Oklahoma State and Auburn called. Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre showed up at Monaco’s office. So did Oklahoma linebackers coach Tim Kish and coaches from Kansas, Louisville, Hawaii, Utah, North Carolina State and Kentucky.
Finally, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ assistant coaches Brian KnorrÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýCalvin Magee became part of the pursuit of Pima College’s top football recruits.
Pima football? The Aztecs went 2-9 this season.
But if you look closely, you’ll see that the Aztecs played four teams ranked in the top six in the NJCAA final poll, and another ranked No. 20.
“We hung tough all year, we were in almost every game but we went through four quarterbacks and had so many injuries,†said Monaco. “It’s a tribute to our kids that so many college coaches are paying attention to us.â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s interest in PCC players is a first. The Wildcats, with a punting situation that has become embarrassing, offered a scholarship to Aztecs punter John Bowers, who was second in NJCAA with a 45-yard punting average on 59 attempts. Bowers began his career at Rutgers before transferring to Pima.
The Wildcats also asked Pima linebacker Aaron Maddox for a visit, but it’s probably too late. Maddox, son of 1992 Desert Swarm captain Richard Maddox, has already taken his allotment of recruiting visits. Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, now the Kentucky head coach, offered a scholarship to Maddox, as did Colorado’s MacIntyre, a Pac-12 South rival who flew in a private jet to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ just to recruit Maddox.
Pima College’s other leading FBS recruits are All-American defensive lineman Tony Fair, defensive back Haki Woods, who withdrew his commitment from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to visit Oregon last month, and linebacker Bryant Pirtle, who is considering an offer from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ but is visiting Louisville this weekend. Pirtle is from Kentucky.
One of Monaco’s most intriguing prospects — Pima had 14 Polynesian players on its team this season — is defensive lineman Sam Maola of Reno, Nevada. He was an all-conference player at a coveted position.
“He’s a freak athlete,†said Monaco. “Louisville and Colorado love him. It’s amazing; he had no offers out of high school and now everybody knows about him. We may keep him one more year but the signing day is Dec. 20 and things are happening quickly. It’s just nuts how quickly our guys have been discovered.â€