Weather-wise, Tucson is in the middle of the monsoon right now. The same goes for the Arizona football program when it comes to landing 2025 recruits.
Arizona’s 2025 class gained momentum Sunday night and all day Monday, fresh off the program hosting a slew of recruits on official visits. Between Sunday and Monday, Arizona added eight players to its class of ’25, more than doubling the 15 players who have already committed. Thirteen of Arizona’s 15 commits committed in June.
The Wildcats’ 2025 class, the first official recruiting class under first-year head coach Brent Brennan, currently ranks seventh in the Big 12 and 43rd nationally, according to 247Sports.com.
Arizona’s latest commitments (actually, the entire Wildcats class) check several program-building boxes for Brennan and his staff beyond this year, which is the most anticipated UA football season in several years.
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Between Sunday and Monday, the Wildcats added three offensive linemen, four defensive backs and one defensive lineman. The first player to begin Arizona’s two-day recruiting tour was Chandler three-star cornerback Dajon Hinton, who was previously committed to his in-state rival, Arizona State.
Hinton’s father, David Hinton, played defensive back for the Wildcats from 2000 to 2002, while current UA head coach Brent Brennan was a graduate assistant coach. Dajon’s older brother, DJ Hinton, graduated from Tucson High and was a wide receiver at UA.
The younger Hinton, a 5-10, 175-pound cornerback who recently transferred from Scottsdale Saguaro High School to Chandler Hamilton this offseason, is rated as a three-star prospect. He also has offers from Kansas, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, Iowa State and TCU. Hinton is ranked by 247Sports.com as the sixth-best overall prospect in Arizona for the ’25 cycle.
In 18 games over two seasons in Saguaro, Hinton recorded 25 tackles, three pass deflections and one interception. As a kick returner and wide receiver for Saguaro, Hinton scored five touchdowns. Hinton joined Gilbert Higley quarterback Luke Haugo and Phoenix Mountain Pointe defensive tackle Kaleb Jones, who committed to the Wildcats on Monday, as in-state commitments in Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class. Jones committed to Arizona over Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State after visiting the UA earlier this month.
Arizona’s latest hot streak of 2025 commitments added an in-state prospect: three-star Phoenix defensive lineman Kaleb Jones.
(Kaleb Jones/Instagram)
The 6-1, 275-pound Jones is rated by 247Sports.com as the 169th best defensive lineman nationally and the 22nd best overall prospect out of Arizona. In three seasons at Mountain Pointe, Jones has 54 tackles, 19.5 stops for loss and 7.5 sacks.
Arizona also added three defensive backs from Texas in Lubbock, Texas safety Allen Gant, who committed to the UA over his hometown Texas Tech, Austin area cornerback Swayde Griffin and Dallas area cornerback Gianni Edwards. The 6-1, 185-pound Griffin was previously committed to Texas Tech for two weeks before moving to Arizona on Sunday.
Griffin is the son of former Texas defensive back Cedric Griffin, who played for Arizona defensive coordinator Duane Akina at Texas. Griffin was part of the national championship team that dethroned back-to-back champion USC in the Rose Bowl in 2006. The younger Griffin is a 6-1, 185-pound standout at Lago Vista High School in Lago Vista, Texas, a suburb of Austin.
The 5-11, 175-pound Edwards committed to Arizona over SMU, Houston, Boise State, Colorado and Memphis. Edwards is qualified by 247Sports.com as the number 120 cornerback in the national ranking.
Edwards, a native of Forney, Texas, a neighboring city to Dallas, is entering his final season at North Forney High School. Edwards became the sixth Texas prospect to join the UA class.
The three offensive linemen joining the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class were Los Angeles-area product Sione Tohi, San Francisco product Losipini Tupou and Hawaii native Javian Goo.
Tohi, a 6-3, 310-pound star from national power Mater Dei High School, is the latest Mater Dei player to play for the Wildcats, joining defensive end Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and linebacker Leviticus Su’a ; Former defensive tackle Jacob Kongaika, who is now at ASU, played at Mater Dei. Tohi selected Arizona over Alabama, LSU, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among others.
Tupou, a 6-2, 275-pound star from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, also had offers from Nebraska, Florida, Penn State, Arizona State and San Diego State. Tupou’s teammate, offensive lineman Peter Langi, is also being recruited by Arizona and is expected to commit to the Wildcats. The Wildcats also offered Langi’s younger brother, 2026 offensive lineman Michael Langi.
2025 three-star offensive lineman and Hawaii product Javian Goo has committed to the Arizona Wildcats.
(Javián Goo/Instagram)
Goo, a 6-4, 280-pound native of Kapolei, Hawaii, is Arizona’s first 2025 recruit from the Polynesian Islands. He also earned offers from San Diego State, Oregon State, Army, Navy and San Jose State.
When Brennan spoke to the Star earlier this month, he said that when Arizona recruits for future classes, “we always want to do a great job at Arizona State.”
“That always has to be number one. Our number one focus is that,” she said. “Then we will go to states where we have relationships and history, like the state of California. Or a new footprint where some of our coaches have history, like the state of Texas, where there is a large population and a large number of Division I football players each year.
“We have to go where the players are, right? And hopefully give those players a chance to come to you. We’re not going to recruit in every state in the country, but being able to go to Dallas to work at a camp, or to Houston to work at a camp, is great because a lot of those people don’t know me. They might know our assistant coaches, because they’ve been working all May, so it gives them a chance to meet me and say, ‘Oh yeah, that guy’s a good guy.’ I can see my guys playing for him.’”
The UA currently has three players committed from Arizona, and two of them (Hinton and Haugo) are among the top 10 players in the state, according to 247Sports.com.
The Texas Wildcats’ six commitments are the most for the program since it signed six Lone Star players in 2021, the last recruiting class under former head coach Kevin Sumlin; Safety Dalton Johnson is the only player left from that group.
Texas is a well-known breeding ground for football players, and the Wildcats are familiar with the state’s recruiting between the Dick Tomey and Mike Stoops eras. For 2025, the Wildcats have added players from major Texas cities, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, all cities with airports that have direct flights to Tucson, making it easier for players to return home or visit their families. . Tucson for a game.
In addition to Texas, Arizona is also continuing the Polynesian project, another recruiting staple for the program that began under Tomey, the winningest head coach in UA history. Tohi, Tupou and Goo, the three offensive line players, all come from Polynesian origins. Tohi and Tupoud are from California, while Goo is from Hawaii.
Additionally, the Wildcats could lose most of their starters from the 2024 season as several players graduate or declare for the NFL Draft. The transfer portal and development of returners will help plug some potential holes next season, but Arizona could lose most of its starting defensive secondary, its offensive line, and there’s no guarantee that players like quarterback Noah Fifita , a potential All-Big 12 candidate, returns below. season.
In Arizona’s 15-player class, the Wildcats have two quarterback commitments between Haugo and Northern California product Robert McDaniel, who recently starred at the Elite 11 quarterback academy, along with three offensive linemen, five defensive backs, a wide receiver, a running back, a defensive lineman, a tight end and a do-it-all two-way player in San Antonio area star Sean Robinson.
Get players in the state? Check.
Positions of need? Check.
Recruit regions that produce high-level talent? Check.
Maintain a strong Polynesian presence? Check.
It’s not even July and the Wildcats have yet to add a four-star prospect, but Arizona is checking essential boxes in its still-growing 2025 recruiting class.
Now that the Arizona Wildcats’ 2023-24 sports schedule has concluded, Star’s Justin Spears and Michael Lev present awards for Best Team, Best Moment, Coach of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Transfer of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Plus, a look at Spears’ preseason Big 12 poll and All-Big 12 Team. How many Wildcats make the All-Big 12 team?
Justin Spears
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @JustinESports
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