5-Star DE Elijah Rushing Commits to Arizona over Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee

The Arizona Wildcats landed one of the top players in the class of 2024, as 5-star defensive end Elijah Rushing committed to the school on Thursday.

According to 247Sports, Rushing chose the Wildcats over Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee, and he is the highest-ranked commit in Arizona program history. He is the No. 3 edge-rusher in the nation, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

A 6'6", 241-pound edge rusher for Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Rushing will get to stay close to home when he attends college. The university campus is also located in Tucson, so he will have the chance to continue playing in front of his family and friends. ESPN's Blake Baumgartner reported that Rushing is expected to enroll early in Jan. 2024.

"I feel like they're moving in the right direction," Rushing said. "That was something important to me and it's just unique to being a hometown guy. So that comes with perks in [of] itself and my brother [freshman safety Cruz Rushing] is there."

As a junior in 2022, Rushing appeared in 12 games and totaled 73 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. 247Sports recruiting expert Chris Singletary describes him as a "unique body type with excellent length and growth potential" who "has playmaking ability from the edge or the interior of the defensive line." He's believed to have a bright future that includes a potential NFL career.

"Projects as a multi-year starter that brings a well-rounded game to the field as he goes into his senior campaign," Singletary wrote. "Possesses potential growth both physically and within his game where he could be a talent that goes off the board very early in the draft."

Rushing joins an Arizona recruiting class that also includes 4-star running back Jordan Washington. In 2022, the Wildcats finished eighth in the Pac-12 with a 5-7 record and struggled mightily on defense, ranking second-to-last in the conference after surrendering 36.5 points and 467.7 yards per game.

Arizona is hoping Rushing will help turn things around when he arrives on campus next year.