By
Maxx Wolfson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Cats fail to sign a JC transfer for first time in 26 years
The blustery wind-storms outside McKale Center yesterday were nothing compared to the whirlwind of excitement running throughout the Arizona football office as UA received 18 letters of intent from prep football players.
New Arizona head coach John Mackovic - who took over for Dick Tomey on Dec. 4 - said he was impressed with the 18 players despite having just two months to put together a solid recruiting class.
"I think they represent the kind of people that we want to bring here and continue to bring here," Mackovic said.
With only two months to recruit, Mackovic said the late start he and his new coaching staff had hurt only the recruiting of junior college players.
For the first time since 1975, Arizona did not sign one player from a junior college.
"We did not discriminate at all against (junior college) guys," Mackovic said. "We recruited some, we talked to some, and we had some visit. A couple that we really liked came out early and signed in December, and we had little time to get to know them, and that hurt us."
Mackovic, who worked for ESPN for three years, said he noticed while working at the network that size of recruits often translates into sucesss.
"We were looking not so much for heavier players, but for players with range, size and growth potential," Mackovic said. "You will find, with some of these players, that they are tall and have growth potential."
The 18 recruits come from six different states, with the Wildcats concentrating most of their recruiting efforts in Arizona, California and Texas.
Headlining the class of 2001 is Tolleson High School tailback Mike Bell.
Bell - one of the most highly recruited players on the West Coast - was the Arizona Republic unanimous state player of the year.
"We threw the ball to him, we handed the ball to him, he was 50 percent of our offense," Tolleson High School coach Dan Widmaier said. "He's durable and likes the weight room. Every school in the country wanted him."
Bell, who rushed for 2,484 yards and scored 35 touchdowns as a senior, became only the second player in the history of Arizona high schools to rush for over 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
"Mike is a very versatile and talented athlete," Mackovic said. "He definitely is somebody who will compete for playing time as a freshman. He is someone who clearly is in a potential position to play and play right away."
Another player who will get an opportunity to play in 2001 is quarterback Nic Costa from Aloha High School in Aloha, Ore.
Ranked as the No. 10 signal-caller by Rivals100.com, Costa could confound defensive coordinators with his speed. The high-school senior has been clocked running a 4.25-second 40-yard dash. Costa chose UA over Notre Dame and UCLA, among others.
"He's a mobile type, but not in an option sense," Aloha coach Rob Casteel said. "He's a good scrambler, but he's a passer who can get himself some time to throw the ball and has great field vision."
The left-handed quarterback ranks as one of the more high-profile quarterbacks Arizona has ever signed.
"He is one of the players who will bring leadership to his class," Mackovic said. "He will compete very favorably and not be afraid of competition."
While Mackovic did not run an option-style offense during his previous coaching tenures, he said he might consider the run-oriented offense if Costa becomes the starting quarterback. Costa and John Rattay - a transfer from Tennessee - are expected to compete for next season's starting spot.
"In the event that Nic would become a regular quarterback for us, we would probably use some of that, though he's not an option quarterback," Mackovic said. "He comes as a passing quarterback."
UA signed three offensive linemen as future blockers for Costa.
Matt Page (Kingwood, Texas), Thomas Stevens (Los Angeles) and Brandon Hopkins (Mesa) will bring size, speed and athletic ability to an already young and deep offensive line.
"We are looking for big guys who can run," Mackovic said.
Despite their successes, the Wildcats were unable to sign Cornell Canidate, the younger brother of former Wildcats and current St. Louis Rams running back Trung Canidate.
The younger Canidate - who is from the Phoenix area - decided to sign with in-state rival Arizona State.
UA countered by signing Gainus Scott, younger brother of former Wildcat All-American offensive lineman Yusuf Scott.
The younger Scott, a speedy running back from LaPorte, Texas, is smaller - and quicker - than his older brother, who is currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
Mackovic said he was impressed by how Yusuf Scott helped his brother find the right school.
"Yusuf was willing to sit and ask the questions and get to know me," Mackovic said. "He went about it at a way that would help his brother to better know me and what we had to offer at the university."
