[tps_title]Nevada has more NFL players than Arizona?[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Wolf Pack have 10, while Wildcats have nine[/tps_header]
Courtesy ESPN.com
The fact that Nevada of the Mountain West has one more NFL player than Arizona of the Pac-12 can be explained by two factors —
1. Chris Ault who left on his own terms in 2012, retiring after 28 years as head coach of the Wolf Pack, left the program in good standing for Brian Polian.
2. Mike Stoops’ ouster midway through 2011 created a talent dropoff in recruiting because the Wildcats went three months without a head coach before Rich Rodriguez was hired. Rodriguez’s first run of four-year players occurs this season.
All of the nine Arizona players currently on NFL rosters were signed by Stoops’ staff.
Rodriguez will catch up.
In addition to Scooby Wright potentially leaving to the NFL after this season as a junior, Rodriguez likely has NFL players in receiver Cayleb Jones and safety Will Parks. Others such as senior defensive end Reggie Gilbert may turn heads come draft time.
Another element to consider: Rodriguez and his staff do not always go after five-star recruits. They mostly go after the three- and four-star variety, sometimes two-star, because they are more about finding the right fit rather than finding the next mega star. College football is a sport with 85 players. Finding the right fit outweighs landing a star player all of the time.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.[/tps_footer]
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