Arizona’s 2022 recruiting class climbs to 3rd in Pac-12 with latest commitments

The Pac-12 is going through a bit of a renaissance with some high-profile coaching changes within the league, and Arizona is capitalizing on that uncertainty on the recruiting trail, so much so it may be putting together its best class in more than 15 years.

A pair of commitments made public Saturday, from 3-star wide receiver Kevin Green Jr. and 3-star defensive end Isaiah Ward, gives Arizona 18 known pledges heading into the starting of the early signing period on Wednesday. That group ranks third-best in the Pac-12, which would be its best finish in the conference since 2006.

The UA hasn’t finished better than 10^th since 2016 and last placed in the top half of the league in 2014.

Nationally, Arizona’s class sits 33^rd overall, just behind 10-win Ole Miss and right ahead of Big 12 champ Baylor.

Stanford, surprisingly, has the Pac-12’s top-rated class at this point, its 22 known commitments making for the nation’s No. 9 recruiting class. Second is Oregon, which is 22^nd, having dropped considerably as seven commits backed out after Mario Cristobal left to take the Miami job.

USC, which fired Clay Helton in September and replaced him with Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley on Nov. 29, currently has only four players committed for 2022. One of those that decommitted after Riley’s hiring was Green, who flipped to Arizona on Saturday after taking an official visit to campus.

He and Ward were two of five 2022 prospects the UA had in for official visits this weekend, including 4-star corner and fellow USC decommit Ephesians Prysock, and signs point to at least one more committing. Coach Jedd Fisch sent out a trio of tweets Saturday featuring dancing cacti—his way of indicating a commitment without violating NCAA rules—but so far only two of those pledges have gone public.