Though he came late in the recruiting process, Arizona football coaches are hoping that defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo will help reopen the Pacific Ocean's islands to the UA - a connection that disappeared under John Mackovic.
"His connection to the islands is a connection that we need to re-establish here at Arizona," said Arizona head coach Mike Stoops in his first address to the media since his hiring.
"We have had a lot of great players come here through the islands, so that will be an area that we will recruit heavily and try to build bridges there that we have destroyed over the last few years. We are going to make a concerted effort to make that a strong area for us."
Stoops said that Hawaiian junior center Keoki Fraser was very excited at the prospect of the Wildcats recruiting the islands again.
Stoops was just in Oahu, Hawaii, for a day and a half last week with Tuiasosopo, and was impressed with the American Samoan-born coach. The Tuiasosopo family is very familiar in the Pac-10, with Mike's brother, Titus, at USC; his cousin, Manu, a former UCLA player; and Manu's sons, Marques and Zach, at Washington.
"We were able to establish ourselves very quickly there. Mike is very well received there and thought of in very high regards," Stoops said. "Obviously, he has a background through Samoa that goes through the islands."
Recruiting update
With national letter of intent signing day (Feb. 4) fast approaching, Stoops said he is content with their class so far.
The recruiting service Rivals has the new staff's class ranked No. 44, based on 24 players who have committed, while the other main service, The Insiders, has 20. Verbal commitments are not necessarily made public by recruits and are not binding until they sign a letter of intent.
"I think we've recruited well this year, but it'll be yet to see. I don't think you truly know until you're two or three years into your program," Stoops said. "This recruiting class, as we speak, is unfinished because we don't know exactly how we're doing until we get these papers back on Feb. 4."
"It's been great. Recruiting's been great. We're getting a great reception out there," said defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, Mike's brother. "I'm just looking forward to spending time with our players."
Cats begin new workout plan
With the start of a new semester came the beginning of the Mike Stoops' famous off-season strength and conditioning program, which he called an "eye-opening experience."
Last week, the Wildcats got their first introduction to the regime of Corey Edmond, head football strength and conditioning coach, and his assistant, Mark Hill.
"The guys have done a great job this week," Stoops said. "I am really happy with what Corey and Mark are doing with our program right now. I am very excited about the progress that we have made in a very short period of time in all aspects of our program."
Stoops lured the two away from Oklahoma to fill the two new positions at Arizona.
"I feel like we have the right people here to do what we need to get done, and that is a comforting thought to me and to our players as well," Stoops said. "There is a different look in the players' eyes right now, and that is a positive sign. Everything is going as well as we could have planned."
Brad Brittain returns to team
Sophomore defensive tackle Brad Brittain has returned to the team after spending a year at Mesa Community College. Brittain, who is expected to bolster the UA's thin defensive line, was dismissed from the team last August for violating team rules under Mackovic.
"Getting Brad back was good," Stoops said. "Brad is a very interesting person. He's got a great personality, and I think he'll bring some excitement back to our defensive line."
Stoops said he's unsure what will happen with players who were not on the team at the end of the season, like junior receiver Biren Ealy, who led Arizona with 42 catches for 577 yards, but was ruled ineligible for the ASU game.
"We'll make more statements as we move forward. That's me personally trying to get a handle on each particular player and each situation," Stoops said. "If there are dismissals or guys transferring, I'll let you know as we go along. I will confront the problems as we go along. It is just that I don't have a good idea of what the situations might entail for each particular case."