It seemed like one of the stories almost too good to be true, where the highly-touted recruit passes on bigger offers to stay close to their home and play for the local school. At least that's what it felt like in Tucson when Elijah Rushing announced he would be staying local and playing for the Arizona Wildcats.
It's not unheard of for this to happen. Many will remember Ed Oliver passing on bigger offers to remain in Houston and play for the Cougars. Unfortunately for Arizona, the commitment to play local is where the parallels between these fiver star defensive ends .... well, ends.
Rushing announced he will not be playing for Arizona, reopening his recruitment up in a post on social media:
"I have taken into consideration the recent progress and strides the program has made. Although it is evident that the program is on the rise, I have to consider my future goal."
Rushing said via Twitter
And it appears Rushing's future does not include playing for the Wildcats.
Back in July, when Rushing announced he would play at Arizona, he was passing on offers from several other schools, with Oregon considered by many to be a likely landing spot for the defensive end. It looks like the Ducks now have another shot, but they won't be alone.
Rushing also had official visits with UCLA and Notre Dame, with offers from Clemson, Auburn, and others before choosing Arizona. It's likely they'll all be back in the hunt for the recruit from Tucson.