Four-Star Arizona Cornerback Commit Shuts Down Recruitment
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The two weeks leading up to Early National Signing Day will be some of the most dramatic ones of the entire 2026 recruiting cycle. While most prospects are already committed to schools at this stage, flip season is in full swing, and many recruits will switch their commitments from one program to another in the coming days.
While Arizona still needs to watch out for other schools trying to steal some of their commits, one four-star cornerback commit eased head coach Brent Brennan and his staff's worries by shutting down his recruitment, signaling that he's all but guaranteed to sign with the Wildcats.
Wildcats' Four-Star Cornerback Commit Shuts Down His Recruitment
On November 20, Xaier Hiler, a four-star cornerback from Denton Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, who has been committed to Arizona since June, announced on X that he is officially ending his recruitment process. Hiler also teased a more exciting announcement in his post, writing, "My recruitment is shut down! Theres a better post coming tomorrow."
My recruitment is shut down! Theres a better post coming tomorrow
— 4⭐️ Xaier ‘rafeal’ hiler (@HilerXaier) November 20, 2025
Hiler was one of Arizona's top targets in the 2026 class, and they worked hard to get him to commit over the summer. The Wildcats hosted him on an official visit on June 13, and he committed to the program on the 16th.
While for most of the fall it seemed unlikely that Hiler would flip his commitment from Arizona to another school, things changed in the last few days. 247Sports updated its recruiting rankings ahead of Early National Signing Day and promoted Hiler from a three-star prospect to a four-star.
247Sports now ranks him as the No. 181 overall player in the 2026 class, the No. 21 cornerback prospect, and the No. 26 recruit from Texas. Although Hiler never showed an intention to look at other options, his updated ratings could have intrigued programs to try and swoop in before he signed with Arizona.
That concern, however, is now moot since, barring a significant surprise, Hiler will be a member of the Wildcats' 2026 class.
The Early National Signing Period for college football will take place from December 3 to December 5. Hiler and the rest of Arizona's commits will likely sign during that period, officially becoming members of the Wildcats' football program.
With 247Sports' updated rankings, Arizona's 2026 class is now ranked No. 36 nationally. Brennan has done an excellent job throughout the cycle, securing most of the program's top targets.
With Hiler's commitment officially secured, the Wildcats will now wait patiently for the rest of their commits to sign.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.
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