Brent Brennan spent most of the time leading up to his first season at Arizona playing catch up, first with trying to keep the existing roster together and then finding players to add for 2024. The 2025 recruiting class took a backseat until the summer, and midway through last June the Wildcats only had three players committed for the following year.
After getting four pledges on Monday, the UA has an even dozen committed for 2026.
The latest commitment is from 3-star Texas athlete Jaden Parker, who like the other six recruits to come on board in June did so after taking an official visit to campus.
#Beardown ⬇️ baby let’s get it!! Great coaches, great community, great people, and great memories this past weekend!! Had to make it official and commit!! Only the beginning can’t wait to get this journey started @Josh_Bringuel
@ArizonaFBall #Committed #IDREamBIG #blessed #D1 pic.twitter.com/bLNOQ7Mr8S— Jaden Parker (@J_dreambig1134) June 16, 2025
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Parker is ranked by 247Sports as the 60th-best linebacker in the country and the No. 124 prospect from Texas. He does not have a composite ranking yet.
Parker picked the UA over offers from Houston and San Diego State, among others. Those schools offered him on June 3, the same day as Arizona, but only the Wildcats managed to get him in for a visit.
A two-way player at Wichita Collegiate School in Kansas before transferring to Anna (Texas) High School for his senior year, Parker ran for 385 yards and nine touchdowns while on defense had 71 tackles (13 for loss) with four sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble return.
Parker is expected to play linebacker for Arizona, making him the second commit at that position in the 2026 class. The other is 3-star California LB Dash Fifita, the younger brother of UA quarterback Noah Fifita.
Arizona’s 12 commitments are tied for 7th-most in the Big 12. West Virginia has 18 commitments, followed by ASU and Kansas at 17.