Arizona signs 21 recruits

"There's never been as good a time to come here as right now," UA head coach Dick Tomey said.

The recruits are led by inside linebacker Joseph Siofele (75 tackles, 11 sacks in 1998) from St. Louis (Honolulu) High School, a Parade All-American who chose the Wildcats over Nebraska.

"What Joe represents is not just a football recruit," Tomey said. "He's also an outstanding student. He had a 4.0 GPA and scored high on the SAT; he can get into Stanford."

Tomey said Siofele was "as highly recruited as anyone we got."

Siofele isn't the only big-name recruit UA landed for next season. Bobby Burton of the National Recruiting Advisor ranked the Wildcats' class No. 17 in the country.

The following are the other 20 players who signed with Arizona yesterday, their stats from last year, and a comment from Tomey on each of them.

Kevin Barry, OL, Hutchinson (Kan.) JC; stats N/A
"We thought he was the best junior college lineman out there. We're tickled to death to have him."- Tomey.

Lance Briggs, LB/RB, Elk Grove (Sacramento, Calif.) HS; 109 tackles, 5 sacks, 1,574 yards, 21 TD
"There's no one in the group I'm more thrilled about than Lance. He's a tough guy with personal characteristics like (former Wildcat) Kelvin Eafon."

Marvin Brown, WR, Chabot (Calif.) CC; 42 receptions, 812 yards, 14 TD
"He's a good high jumper and has some ability which might make him a factor in 1999."

Tyrone Brown, TE/DL, Morse (San Diego) HS; 13 receptions, 177 yards, 3 TD, 11 sacks
"Tyrone comes from an outstanding high school football program which we know a lot about, one of the reasons we wanted him."

Larry Croom, RB, Polytechnic (Long Beach, Calif.) HS; stats N/A
"Larry made his decision today and we're very pleased. He has outstanding speed."

Russell Dokken, WR/DB, Kentridge (Wash.) HS; 3 TD, 6 INT, 50 tackles
"Dokken has extraordinary speed and could figure as a wide receiver or defensive back."

Clay Hardt, RB/DB, Marana (Ariz.) HS; 1,001 yards rushing
"He'll smack you. He's a tenacious competitor. We expect he'll be a defensive player."

Pablo Henriquez, RB, Catalina (Tucson) HS; averaged 122.8 ypg, 17 TD
"Pablo is a good prospect, a big back with an enormous upside. He's a linebacker or a fullback but nifty enough to be a tailback."

Michael Jolivette, DB, North Shore (Galena Park, Texas) HS; stats N/A
"Jolivette is as close to (former Wildcat) Brandon Sanders as I've seen on tape but with more speed than Brandon or (former Wildcat) Tony Bouie."

Cory Kipp, DE, Riverside North (Calif.) HS; 74 tackles, 15 sacks
"He's an intense pass rusher-type who runs so well for a big guy."

Justin Levassuer, TE, Antioch (Calif.) HS; 129 yards, 1 TD
"Like Tyrone Brown, Justin's a big guy with some promise at tight end. He's from the same high school as (former Wildcat) Mike Lucky."

Brandon Marshall, WR, Palomar (Calif.) JC; stats N/A
"He was the best player on the state championship JC team in California."

Matt Molina, LB, Chaparral (Scottsdale) HS; stats N/A
"He's the kind of guy like (UA sophomore defensive end) Eli Wnek, who works hard to get better."

Matt Perry, DL, Gilbert (Ariz.) HS; 1997 stats- 78 tackles, 11 sacks
"Matt has unusual quickness and feet for a guy who weighs 270. You can't get enough players like that."

Brandon Phillips, DL, Corona del Sol (Tempe) HS; stats N/A
"Brandon has an extraordinary upside, he has outstanding physical ability."

Lance Relford, WR/DB, Washington (Houston) HS; stats N/A
"He's a bigger type wideout with 10.6 speed and an intelligent player. He was an early commitment, then we had to hold off the entire Big 12 (Conference)."

Andrae Thurman, WR/DB, Westview (Avondale, Ariz.) HS; 913 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT
"His ability is reminiscent of (UA senior receiver) Dennis Northcutt."

Austin Uku, DE/OLB, Long Beach (Calif.) CC; 27 tackles, 8 sacks
"He's a former teammate of (UA sophomore tight end) Brandon Manumaleuna, who brought in a tape and said, 'Look at this guy.' He jumps off the tape at you."

Bobby Wade, RB/DB, Desert Vista (Phoenix) HS; 1,620 yards rushing, 720 yards receiving, 12 INT
"Bobby is as good an all-around football player as I've seen in the state in my time at Arizona."

Cliff Watkins, QB, Breckenridge (Texas) HS; 71 of 140, 1,300 yards, 14 TD
"He was precisely what we're looking for in a quarterback- a strong arm and the ability to run."