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Arizona has lost another football recruit.

Robert Golden, a highly touted defensive back from Fresno (Calif.) Edison High School, announced late Monday that he will go back on his verbal commitment and reopen the recruiting process.

Golden's high school coach told the Star late Monday that Golden wants to pursue other schools.

"He's just not sure right now. He doesn't want to be locked down to Arizona," Edison coach Tim McDonald said. "He wants to take some other trips just to make sure. He has not taken Arizona completely out of the mix."

McDonald did not give a reason for Golden's decommitment. However, Golden told the Rivals.com recruiting service that the Wildcats' recent struggles — and the questions surrounding Arizona's coaching staff — led him to reconsider.

"I'm still looking at them, but I just had some concerns with how the season was going," Golden said. "I want to go into a situation with a stable coaching staff, and I just wasn't 100 percent sure that would be the case at Arizona."

Rivals lists Golden, a 5-foot-10-inch, 182-pound senior, as the No. 11 cornerback in the nation and a four-star recruit. Golden was weighing offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, UCLA and Arizona State before committing to the UA in May. Arizona's coaches allowed Golden to travel to Oregon on an official visit a month ago.

Golden's decommitment is the latest blow to a program reeling from a 2-6 start.

Arizona has lost three consecutive Pac-10 games since starting the conference season with a win over Washington State.

Golden was the Wildcats' No. 1 remaining recruit following a pair of recent decommitments. Jarrell Barbour, a wide receiver from Peoria Centennial High School, broke his verbal vow to the UA to sign with Arizona State in August. Wide receiver/quarterback Gerell Robinson, a five-star recruit from Chandler Hamilton High School, backed out two weeks ago. Robinson has yet to choose a school.

The UA football program is under fire. Forgive the Wildcats if they don't want to watch it burn.

Coach Mike Stoops said Monday that he puts little stock in the mounting public criticism of his team, which fell to 2-6 with a 21-20 loss to Stanford on Saturday. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are trying to stay positive in the wake of one of the program's most disappointing losses in years.

"There's a lot of negative going around, but that's what you expect when you're coming from where we're coming from," wide receiver Mike Thomas said.

"We know the record we have. The key right now is staying positive. Keep working."

When told that some have been critical of his team's performance, Stoops shrugged.

"If that's the way they feel, that's the way they feel," Stoops said. "You're entitled to say — and write — whatever you want.

"I don't pay that much attention to it — it has no factor on me. That's stuff I can't control and our players can't control."

Saturday's loss assured the Wildcats of their ninth consecutive non-winning season since 1998. The Wildcats (2-6, 1-4) will travel to Washington on Saturday before finishing the season with a trio of tough opponents: UCLA, Oregon and ASU.

"Hopefully we can try to destroy some of their hopes," Thomas said. "We're playing to devastate right now."

● Quarterback Willie Tuitama confirmed Monday that poor communication between the sideline and field led to a key fourth-down incompletion just before halftime. Tuitama was supposed to take a delay of game on fourth-and-two from Stanford's 48; instead, he checked down to a pass route and threw an incomplete pass. Stanford took over and drove for a go-ahead touchdown that made it 14-10.

"That's not going to happen again," Tuitama said in his first comments since the game.

● Safety Dominic Patrick practiced with the team Monday and is questionable to play in Saturday's game in Seattle. Patrick hasn't played since spraining his left knee in the Wildcats' Week 5 win over Washington State.