5-star edge Elijah Rushing commits to Arizona, giving Wildcats best recruit in school history

It’s a big day for the Jedd Fisch believers, and a major setback for those still not sold on him as the guy who can turn around Arizona’s football program.

The Wildcats have landed a commitment from 5-star edge rusher Elijiah Rushing, a Tucson product who picked the UA over Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee and UCLA. He made his announcement on 247Sports’ College Football Recruiting Show.

The 6-foot-5, 251-pound Rushing is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 27 player in the 2024 recruiting class, as well as the third-best edge and No. 1 prospect from Arizona. He plays for Salpointe Catholic High School, located less than two miles north of the UA campus, and becomes the second Salpointe commit in the 2024 class along with 3-star defensive lineman Keona Wilhite.

Assuming he makes it official in November (or February), Rushing will be the highest-ranked signee in school history. In January 2014, 5-star cornerback Teez Tabor was committed to the UA for one week before flipping to Florida, and later that year 5-star quarterback Shea Patterson backed off his pledge to the Wildcats (that he made back in 2012) and signed with Ole Miss.

Currently, the highest-rated player to sign with Arizona is sophomore wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who ranked No. 51 in the 2022 recruiting class and had a 247Sports composite rating of .9779. Rushing’s rating is .9880.

Rushing gives Arizona 18 commitments in the 2024 class, the second to join in July along with 3-star safety Turran Williams. He is the fifth defensive line pledge in the class, which jumped to No. 41 in the country and third in the Pac-12 per 247Sports.

In 2024 Rushing will join his older brother, Cruz Rushing, a defensive back who transferred to Arizona from Florida earlier this year.