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Rob Gronkowski has looked into Arizona's football future. And he sees success.

The nation's No. 4 tight end recruit took a leap of faith Wednesday when he verbally committed to the UA over Ohio State, Clemson and Syracuse.

He will enroll next fall as the poster boy for Arizona's "Air Raid" offense under first-year coordinator Sonny Dykes.

"The program's about to burst out next year, and I want to be a part of it," Gronkowski told the Star on Wednesday night. "They first showed interest two years ago and recruited me hard ever since."

The Rivals.com recruiting network lists Gronkowski, a 6-foot-6-inch, 230-pounder from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Woodland Hills High School, as a four-star recruit.

He is the first UA recruit under coach Mike Stoops to hail from the East.

Gronkowski made his decision just before 5 p.m. on the SportsCenterU program on ESPNU. He thanked his parents and high school coaches before pulling a white Arizona hat from offscreen.

Gronkowski said he felt the most comfortable in Tucson. He made four unofficial visits to the UA, and was in town when the Wildcats shocked No. 8 California on Nov. 11.

"The city is the best, just real beautiful," he said. "The weather is unbelievable and the campus was unbelievable."

Gronkowski committed to Arizona after being promised there will be room for a tight end in the new offense. Dykes visited the Gronkowski family last month, days after being hired, to reassure the recruit.

"I'm excited that Coach Dykes wants to use a great tight end in his offense, and that can be me," Gronkowski said. "He said they're going to make me a major target on every play."

Verbal commitments are nonbinding until Feb. 7, the national letter-of-intent day.

New quarterback

Add another name to Arizona's quarterback mix: Jimmy Bevell.

Bevell, a former standout at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, began taking classes at the UA on Wednesday. He will be a walk-on in spring practice.

Bevell spent the last two years on a Mormon mission in Argentina. He chose Arizona over Utah.

"Jimmy is a real eager, mature kid," Dykes said. "He expects to be competitive."

Bevell has the pedigree to compete for the starting job. His brother, Darrell, quarterbacked Wisconsin to the 1994 Rose Bowl and remains the Badgers' career-leading passer. Darrell Bevell just finished his first season as the Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator.

Jimmy Bevell is expected to be the Wildcats' No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback heading into spring practice.

Three Wildcat seniors slated to play in all-star games

Three Arizona seniors will be competing in postseason all-star games, which begin this weekend.

Wide receiver Syndric Steptoe will play in Sunday's Hula Bowl in Honolulu. Safety Michael Johnson will take part in the East-West Shrine Game in Houston on Jan. 20, and place-kicker/punter Nick Folk will compete in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 27.

All three are preparing for the NFL draft, which will take place April 28-29.