Jermaine Wiggins Jr., son of former NFL tight end, commits to Arizona

Though the Arizona Wildcats didn’t sign many high school players in February, one of them stood out for his NFL lineage. And now that goes for one of the UA’s 2022 commitments.

Jermaine Wiggins Jr., an athlete from Massachusetts, announced his commitment to Arizona on Thursday, making him the fourth member of the Wildcats’ 2022 class.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wiggins is the son of former NFL tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who caught 14 touchdown passes during a 7-year career from 2000-06 with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings.

Wiggins, who is not currently ranked by 247Sports, also held offers from Marshall and Middle Tennessee as well as some FCS schools in the Northeast. He is set to graduate from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass., where he played wide receiver, tight end, linebacker and defensive end, but will do a prep year at Brighton Academy in Maine before attending the UA.

“I just thought about all the coaches and the love they were showing me,” Wiggins told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn. “I know I am (taking a post-graduate year) next year, but I know this is the right move for me. I talked to my family about it and they said to do whatever makes you happy. I thought about this for a long time and I was like, ‘I think this is the place for me and I can spread my wings and have a next chapter in my life.’”

Wiggins is the second player with an ex-NFL parent to pick Arizona since Jedd Fisch was hired. The other is Isaiah Taylor, a 2021 3-star safety from Florida whose father Jason was a Hall of Fame defensive end.

Here are his junior year highlights: