Salpointe Catholic star DL Keona Wilhite commits to hometown Arizona Wildcats

Abusy recruiting day for the Arizona Wildcats kicked off with a commitment from Salpointe Catholic 2024 defensive lineman Keona Wilhite. The Tucson product selected the hometown Wildcats on Monday over Oregon State, UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Nebraska. Wilhite, a 6-5, 236-pound senior, is rated by 247Sports.com as a three-star prospect and the 11th-best prospect in Arizona. Wilhite became the eighth commit of the Wildcats' 2024 recruiting class. As a junior, Wilhite recorded 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks for the Lancers. The Wildcats are also recruiting fellow Salpointe Catholic star Elijah Rushing, who's rated as a five-star prospect and one of the top edge rushers for the '24 recruiting cycle. Rushing's older brother, Cruz Rushing, is a reserve safety for the UA. Arizona is also recruiting Salpointe Catholic senior offensive lineman Luis Cordova for 2024. Earlier this month, Arizona offered 2026 Salpointe Catholic defensive tackle Noah Banhie. In recent years, Arizona has struggled to land prospects from Salpointe Catholic, one of Arizona's top high school football programs, which is located less than three miles from Arizona Stadium. Notable Lancers to not sign with Arizona include Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (Texas), safety Lathan Ransom (Ohio State), offensive lineman Bruno Fina (UCLA), offensive lineman Jonah Miller (Oregon), along with one-time Lancer and former Tanque Verde offensive tackle Jack Endean (Oklahoma State). Arizona also halted recruiting former UA commit Treyson Bourguet, who's now the starting quarterback at Western Michigan. Arizona is expected to land more commits on Monday. Follow Tucson.com or download The Wildcaster App for further coverage.