College Football

Arizona Football Recruiting: Wildcats Land a Narbonne High School standout Linebacker

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:42 a.m. ET

Fansided, Shereen Rayan/FanSided via Zona Zealots

Arizona Football landed another Southern California linebacker today, a former teammate of Wildcat receiver Devaughn Cooper.

Arizona football fans are riding the recruiting roller coaster wanting desperately to know who will ultimately commit to playing for their school’s football team. They want to be invested and get to know these young men.

The latest news has not been positive as newly hired Oregon Ducks Head Coach Willie Taggart has been busy poaching Coach Rich Rod’s commits. First Darian McNeil flipped to Oregon then Quarterback Braxton Burmeister de-committed as he was supposed to be moving into his dormitory in Tucson and committed to Coach Taggart. Burmeister was followed by Austin Faoliu, a three-star defensive tackle.

Just when the bad news was almost too hard to bear, Wildcats fans got great news, a new commit! Anthony Pandy from Narbonne High School in Harbor City California who plays for a team that grooms some of the fiercest football players.

First off I want to thank god for his blessings and this opportunity. I'm committed to the University of Arizona! Bear Down ???????? pic.twitter.com/2R1RNkVn60

— ANTHONY®❄️ (@AnthonyPandy5) January 25, 2017

Fun fact, one of Narbonne’s coaches is a former Wildcat, Brandon Manumaleuna. We met Brandon a year and a half ago while covering the Serra vs. Narbonne football game. It was a game we will never forget because the future Wildcats dominated the game and all the scoring.

Tate: 23 for 287 6 TDs 15 of 27 for 187 yds passing
Riley: 20 for 119
Cooper: 9 for 220, 4 TDs
Bonne Coach @BManu86 pic.twitter.com/Rr9ZU6i6lU

— ZonaZealots Go Cats! (@ZonaZealots) September 19, 2015

Pandy is 6-foot-2 220 pound linebacker who ranks No. 3 in the list of inside linebackers in California, fifth in the West. He accumulated 125 tackles (22 for loss), two interceptions and 11 sacks in 2016.

Scout says he had offers from Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State, Washington State and Boise State which he visited last Friday. Scouts Greg Biggons interviewed Pandy and found out more about him. What struck me was how intelligent this young man is, pointing how the newly formed Oregon Football coaching team is going about business and disrespecting him:

“I’m not sure what to think about Oregon to be honest,” Pandy said. “The staff has been together for a few months now and it just feels like they have had plenty of chances to offer me. I’ve seen on twitter where they’re offering a ton of kids but they still haven’t offered me, it just feels kind of disrespectful.

That’s the thing with Arizona, they made me a priority and that’s important to me. Oregon is a great school and all, don’t get me wrong, but it just seems like if they wanted me, they would have already offered me.”

That said, he may still want an Oregon offer, but he committed while Arizona coaches were on a home on a visit. He feels like he made the right decision, “I just got a feeling that Arizona is where I’m supposed to be. I feel like I can really flourish in that system and just as importantly, I have a great comfort level with the coaches, players and the other recruits coming in.”

❗️REGULAR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS ❗️ – https://t.co/j2bqYDQllB

— ANTHONY®❄️ (@AnthonyPandy5) November 18, 2016

We hope the committing continues and the de-committing train stops in its tracks. Until then we hope we get some wonderful surprises like Anthony Pandy committing and feeling good about becoming a Wildcat! Bear Down Anthony!