Who Would've Been Arizona's Target If Rios Committed To UCLA
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The Arizona Wildcats have been searching for a 2026 prospect at the quarterback position, as they have yet to have any luck, despite landing many of their appointed targets. The Wildcats have been searching for players left and right, and have missed on some of the most important prospects on their board at the position.
The Wildcats have missed on a major QB on their board, but also landed another big-time player. Here is what we know about who they missed on and who they gained
The Wildcats missed on Jaden O'Neal, who is a very talented QB from Mustang High School in the state of Oklahoma. The talented QB was originally committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, but was playing out his visits and visiting many schools. He visited schools such as Arizona and Florida State. The talented QB (whose representative is a former Arizona Wildcats QB) flipped his commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners, but it wasn't to the Arizona Wildcats. Instead, he announced he would be taking his talents to Florida State and made his verbal commitment to the Seminoles.
The Wildcats would keep their priority focus on Oscar Rios. Rios is a talented prospect from Downey High School in the state of California, who is one of the best QB prospects in the country. Rios was down to two schools after visiting Oklahoma State, Arizona, and UCLA, before he made his final decision on Friday.
The talented recruit and former Purdue Boilermakers commit announced that he would be committing to the Arizona Wildcats which shocked many. The Bruins were a lean for a good portion of this recruitment, but at one point, the Wildcats seemed to be a reasonable option as he hopes to see play time early. This would ultimately prevail as he would choose the Wildcats.
The Wildcats would have had to turn to someone they have been targeting this whole time as a reliable option from the state of Tennessee, as that prospect is Femi Babalola. Babalola is a Ravenwood High School football QB who has been targeted by the Wildcats for quite some time as a safety blanket. He did, in fact, take an official visit to Arizona, but has also been recruited heavily by Boston College. Boston College was their main competition, as they were in a great spot in his recruitment for a while.
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Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.