Ex-USC DL Noah Jefferson back on Arizona’s radar

After the 2016 season, it was clear the Arizona Wildcats were desperately needing — and looking — for help on the defensive line.

Enter big, talented defensive tackle Noah Jefferson.

Jefferson was seeking to transfer from the USC Trojans after the season, and Arizona’s staff was able to get him on campus which led to his commitment.

However, as fall camp drew closer, it was becoming more and more apparent that Jefferson was not going to play for UA. Once fall camp started and the roster was updated, Jefferson was not on it. Instead, the ‘Cats added big lineman Dereck Boles to the mix instead.

One of the main reasons that Jefferson didn’t make it to Tucson were his academics. This caused the 6-foot-6, 320-pound defensive lineman to play his 2017 season in Yuma at Arizona Western.

Going the JUCO route has definitely helped get Jefferson back on track. The evidence has started flowing in the past couple of weeks. Before Wednesday, Jefferson was sitting at five offers. This time around, the schools interested include Ole Miss, Oregon State, Fresno State, Arkansas, and Florida Atlantic.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, a familiar face made its way back into his recruitment. Arizona became his sixth offer and might be in good shape moving forward with him.

Clearly the staff feels he is heading in the right direction and want him back in the fold. There will be some competition this time for his services but I’d expect the staff to aggressively pursue him.

Jefferson has 13 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PBU and a forced fumble at Arizona Western.

He was a five-star recruit out of Las Vegas’ Liberty High School in 2015, and tallied 23 tackles in 14 games at USC.