Arizona lands DE Rushing, No

• Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Personnel WriterJul 6, 2023, 05:57 PM ET

Leading 20 possibility Elijah Rushing dedicated to Arizona on Thursday.Rushing (No. 20 general

in the 2024 ESPN 300), a four-star protective end from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, becomes the highest-ranked player to devote to Arizona given that ESPN started ranking players in 2006. Rushing, the fifth-best protective end in the class, plans on enrolling early in January 2024 and also considered Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee.”I feel like they’re moving in the ideal direction,”Hurrying informed ESPN.”That was something essential to me and it’s simply distinct to being a hometown person. So that comes with benefits in itself and my brother [freshman security Cruz Rushing] is there.”Cruz moved from Florida, where he was a favored walk-on, to Arizona

after last season. Elijah is the first ESPN 300 possibility for the Wildcats’2024 class; the program signed a combined 5 ESPN 300 players over the past two recruiting cycles(4 in 2022 ). His pledge marks the biggest recruiting triumph for a program that hasn’t had a winning season considering that

2017, when an Abundant Rodriguez-led group went 7-6. Jedd Fisch is entering his 3rd year this fall with the Wildcats and led them to a 5-7 record in 2022, a year after going 1-11. Arizona’s 2023 class ranked 36th total (seventh in the Pac-12)and its 2022 class finished 25th total (second in the Pac-12)in ESPN’s rankings. Rushing would supply a big increase to a defense that surrendered 36.5 points a game in 2022– 13th in the Pac-12– while quiting 467.7 backyards a game, which likewise ranked second to last in the conference.Arizona’s defense collectively tape-recorded 16 sacks last season, and Rushing’s presence might jump-start the whole system, which lost defensive lineman Hunter Echols(4.5 sacks)and linebacker Jalen Harris (3.5 sacks )to graduation.”Like a lot of people around the country, [the Wildcats ‘protective system focus] resembles the hybrid and outside’backers– that back end played with their hand on

the ground,” Hurrying said.”Likewise two-point [stance] and drop. I feel like that matches my capability. So I feel like I fit right in.”After taking main visits to all 4 schools last month, Rushing was impressed with the feedback he got enough to move up his decision after initially wanting to wait till the very first couple of games of the season to evaluate how groups were using their linebackers.The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Rushing tape-recorded 73 takes on (25 solo )with 13.5 TFLs and 11.5 sacks in 12 games for the Lancers in 2022. He anticipates having the ability to run either standing up or with his hand in the ground in a two-point stance.”That hybrid that can drop [into protection] and someone that can pass rush,” he said, describing his game.” So that simply matches my capability.

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