The Arizona football team added another big body to bolster its defensive line Friday when Long Beach, Calif., prospect Conan Amituanai verbally committed to the Wildcats.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Amituanai, a three-star prospect according to Scout.com, is the latest addition at a position the team has seemingly made a priority after injuries handcuffed production last season.

Amituanai, the nephew of Arizona defensive line coach Mike Tuiasosopo, considered Pacific 10 Conference rivals California, Oregon and Washington before settling on the Arizona. He visited the Arizona campus Jan. 13.

In all, the Wildcats have received commitments from six defensive linemen, the most at any position among its 22 expected newcomers, including five-star junior college transfers Louis Holmes and Gabe Long and four-star prep defensive end A.J. Simmons.

Amituanai split time between defensive tackle and fullback as a junior at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School before transferring to Long Beach Polytechnic for his senior year.

He caught two touchdowns among his seven receptions as a tight end this season.

"I'm not your typical 6-foot-4, 280 guy," Amituanai said in his www.scout.com biography. "I block really well and can run. ... I'm mostly a straight-ahead runner (who can) just run over people."

The Wildcats are still in the hunt for cornerback Devin Ross, who is listed as the No. 4 prospect at his position by the recruiting service Scout.com, and No. 11 wide receiver Jamere Holland.

Ross, a four-star recruit, will decide between Arizona and Oregon, according to Scout.com.

Fellow four-star recruit Holland visited Arizona last week and will choose from the Wildcats, Oregon or Mississippi State.

Arizona lost the battle for the services of five-star running back prospect C.J. Gable, who verbally committed to Southern California.

Gable told Scout.com that while he was impressed with his visit to Tucson, rating it a "10" on a 1-10 scale, he picked the Trojans because his mother insisted he stay closer to home, in Sylmar, Calif.

The Wildcats will make their 2006 class official on Feb. 1, when high school athletes can start signing national letters of intent.