Top Wide Receiver Recruit Still 'Locked In' With Arizona After Poor Start
Things have not gone the way Brent Brennan imagined in his first year as head coach of Arizona after getting so many star players from the previous regime to stay on the roster.
Sitting at 3-3 before their huge matchup against Colorado this Saturday, the Wildcats are facing some real adversity that could go a long way in deciding how this program operates in the future under Brennan.
Their 2025 recruiting class suffered their first decommitment following the eye-opening loss against BYU last weekend, and while that decision might not have been directly tied to that result, it's never a good idea to put some doubt into the minds of prospects during their process.
Right now, Arizona has 19 commits in the cycle.
There's a chance they can still add some members to this class, but more than likely what Brennan and his staff are focusing on is making sure they get every single one of these players to the finish line on National Signing Day.
Someone who might be the most important player out of this entire group is Terry Shelton.
Rated as the only four-star in Arizona's 2025 class per 247Sports, the 6-foot-4 wide receiver is one of the biggest risers across the country when he went from being outside of the top 1,000 players to now being ranked No. 246.
Shelton is seen as someone who can come in an replace Tetairoa McMillan on the outside when the projected first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft decides to turn professional.
Because of his rise, the Texas native is now on the radar of multiple teams nationally, and with the issues that Arizona has had during this campaign, that could open the door for a different program to come in and make a late play to flip him.
However, there has been no indication from the talented recruit he's wavering on his initial commitment.
"I'm still locked in with Arizona. Some struggles are going on ... but as of right now I'm definitely locked in with AZ for sure," he told Brian J. Pederson of Arizona Desert Swarm.
That is huge for the Wildcats.
Being able to land someone like Shelton in Brennan's first full recruiting cycle would be a huge step in the right direction for this team going forward.
Much of the reason why Shelton isn't wavering on his Arizona commitment is because of the relationship he has with wide receivers coach Bobby Wade.
"Just seeing him do that and play at the high level means that he knows what he's talking about. Just being around (him) for that (official visit) weekend and just building relationships with (the coaching staff) through the phone, I just knew that was where home was for me," he added.
Shelton will be on campus for the Colorado game this weekend, and it would go a long way for Arizona in this process if they are able to have a good showing and win the game.
