Arizona Wildcats’ late recruiting surge continues with big names, bodies

The Arizona football coach was talking about basketball after the Wildcats’ men and women defeated Top 25 teams. He easily could have been referring to football recruiting.

That message came less than two hours later, after yet another bombshell commitment and accompanied by one of Fisch’s patented dancing cacti:

“Tonight has been a lot of fun!!”

On Sunday evening, three players with big-time credentials announced they were coming to Tucson. First up was defensive tackle Bill Norton, a four-star high school recruit who spent the past four seasons at Georgia. Then came linebacker Justin Flowe, a five-star prep player who spent the past three seasons at Oregon. Finally, four-star offensive lineman Raymond Pulido of Apple Valley, California, flipped his commitment from Alabama to Arizona.

The addition of Pulido to the Wildcats’ 2023 recruiting class bumped their ranking into the top 40 nationally per Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. The latter ranks Arizona’s four-player transfer class in the top 20.

Flowe is the most well-known of Sunday’s trio to Pac-12 fans. The product of Upland, California, was the No. 1-rated inside linebacker in the country in the class of 2020 and was named a consensus top-10 player regardless of position.

Flowe was plagued by injuries at Oregon and played in only 12 games in three seasons. He logged just one appearance apiece during the 2020 and ’21 seasons because of knee and foot injuries, respectively. Flowe played in 10 games this past season, recording 35 tackles. Flowe comes to Tucson with three years of eligibility remaining.

Flowe will join a linebacker corps that includes budding freshman star Jacob Manu and returning seventh-year player Jerry Roberts. The Wildcats also still have Ammon Allen, Malik Reed and Anthony Solomon, among others, on the roster.

The Wildcats also hosted Jonathan Flowe, a former Oregon safety and Justin’s younger brother, this past week.

Norton brings size (6-6, 300 pounds) and experience to Arizona’s defensive line. He appeared in 26 games for the reigning national-champion Bulldogs, totaling 12 tackles and 3.5 stops for losses. Norton was ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 8 strong-side defensive end in the nation and the No. 3 prospect from Tennessee coming out of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

All four of the Wildcats’ additions via the transfer portal play in the defensive front: Flowe, Norton, defensive tackle Tyler Manoa (UCLA) and edge rusher Orin Patu (Cal).

Pulido plays on the other side of the line and addresses a major need for Arizona, which could lose both of its starting tackles. Left tackle Jordan Morgan could enter the NFL draft, while right tackle Paiton Fears has used up his eligibility.

Pulido is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and in 247Sports.com‘s Composite index. He’s listed at 6-6 and well over 300 pounds. He had been committed to Alabama since August and held more than a dozen scholarship offers.

His father, Robert, told 247Sports.com that Raymond “felt really comfortable” with Wildcats offensive line coach Brennan Carroll and is impressed with Fisch’s program vision and pro-style offense.

“Many might not see it as the popular decision,” Robert Pulido tweeted Monday. “Having trust in your position coach matters. Development matters. Being close to family and friends matters.”

Apple Valley is about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times named Pulido its high school lineman of the year for 2022. He also plays basketball and is a thrower on the track team for Apple Valley High School.

The three-day early signing period begins Wednesday.

Two more former Arizona starters are headed to USC.

Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace announced Sunday that he has committed to the Trojans. Receiver Dorian Singer followed suit Monday. The two join defensive tackle Kyon Barrs, who pledged to USC last week.

USC made a late push for Roland-Wallace during the 2018-19 recruiting cycle. The product of Palmdale, California, signed with Arizona and became a mainstay. Roland-Wallace started at cornerback in 37 of the 41 games he played in from 2019-22 and registered 169 tackles, 18 pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Singer, who came to Arizona as a walk-on, had a breakout sophomore season, earning second-team All-Pac-12 recognition. He caught 66 passes for 1,105 yards – most in the conference – and six touchdowns. Singer’s 16.7-yard average per catch was the highest among Pac-12 players with 60-plus receptions. His 2022 game log included a seven-catch, 141-yard, three-touchdown performance vs. USC on Oct. 29.

While Barrs and Roland-Wallace are from Southern California. Singer is from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and spent his senior year in Phoenix. But transferring to USC will give Singer the opportunity to play with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, who, like Singer, has two more years of eligibility.

The Wildcats and Trojans are scheduled to face each other in Los Angeles sometime next season, USC’s last in the Pac-12 before it moves to the Big Ten.

In other portal news, two more former Wildcats are transferring to UMass.

Receiver Anthony Simpson and linebacker/defensive end Tyler Martin announced Monday that they’re joining defensive lineman JB Brown as members of the Minutemen.

Simpson and Martin are from the Northeast. Simpson was a late add to Arizona’s 2021 singing class, while Martin was part of the ’22 class. UMass is coached by Don Brown, who spent the ’21 season as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator.

Simpson appeared in 11 games this past season, playing mostly on special teams. He averaged 19.0 yards per kickoff return while catching four passes for 56 yards.

Martin did not appear in a game during his freshman season.