Arizona QB Willie Tuitama

David Sanders / daily star 2006

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Willie Tuitama has been cleared to practice and play next year after specialists concluded he suffered one severe concussion — and a season's worth of aftereffects — during the fall.

Doctors in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Sports Concussion Program said Arizona's sophomore quarterback never fully recovered from a concussion suffered Sept. 9 in Baton Rouge, La.

"They said that by the start of next (season), I should have nothing to worry about," an elated Tuitama said Friday from his parents' home in Stockton, Calif. "I'm real happy. My parents are relieved."

Tuitama's future had been in doubt since Arizona State's Kyle Caldwell knocked him from the Wildcats' 28-14 loss to the Sun Devils on Nov. 25. Team doctors said Tuitama suffered a concussion on the hit, giving him three for the season, by their count.

But the complex nature of concussions — head injuries range from slight to severe and are often hard to categorize — encouraged the UA to seek out the nation's top experts.

Tuitama spent Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh with coach Mike Stoops and Randy Cohen, the UA's assistant athletic director for medical services. Tuitama received a full battery of neuropsychological tests and underwent an MRI exam from a nearby hospital.

The results, presented to Tuitama on Thursday night, showed that he likely never fully recovered from his first concussion, which occurred when he took a helmet-to-helmet hit in the Cats' Week 2 loss to LSU. The long-term damage would have been far worse had he suffered three separate episodes during the season.

"A kid can't have that many concussions at one time," Tuitama's father, Lui, said. "They said he only had one — he just never fully recovered from it."

Arizona was justifiably cautious with each hit. Tuitama was removed from the Wildcats' Oct. 7 game at UCLA, their Nov. 18 game at Oregon and their season finale against Arizona State after suffering grisly sacks.

The Pittsburgh doctors said Arizona did the right thing by holding the quarterback out following each blow. That news was comforting for Tuitama, who was often frustrated by the doctors' decisions to hold him out.

"I always want to play every game," he said. "That part was tough."

Doctors at UPMC's Sports Concussion Program are widely considered to be the nation's best. The program works with the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, Champ Car and the IRL to help prevent, treat and analyze concussions. The program, established in 2000, helped popularize the ImPACT testing system that many schools — including the UA — use.

Tuitama said he is looking forward to rejoining his team when school resumes in January. He did not want to think about what would have happened had the tests come back differently.

"I would have done everything in my power to play again," he said. "Now, I'm going to relax for a little while. But when I get back home to Tucson, it'll be time to go to work."

Extra points

● Any rumors connecting Mike Stoops and the University of Alabama are just that.

Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said Friday that Alabama has not asked permission to speak with Stoops regarding its vacancy.

"I know (Alabama athletic director) Mal Moore really well," Livengood said. "There's nothing to this."

Stoops, who is 12-22 in three seasons at Arizona, has been mentioned by Tuscaloosa, Ala., media as a possible candidate for the Crimson Tide's vacancy. Alabama is replacing Mike Shula, who was fired Nov. 27 after posting a 6-6 season.

Moore has struggled to find a taker for the Tide's vacancy in recent weeks. West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez and the Miami Dolphins' Nick Saban both turned down Alabama's overtures to remain in their respective jobs.

Stoops has seen his stock rise after leading the UA to a 6-6 record in his third season. He was linked to the vacant University of Miami job last week, but the job went to Hurricanes defensive coordinator Randy Shannon.

● Arizona pulled a recruiting coup of its own, a day after losing Salpointe Catholic star Kris O'Dowd to USC. Levar Brown, a 6-foot-3-inch, 240-pound defensive end from Rosenberg, Texas, verbally committed to the UA hours after O'Dowd's decision.

Rivals.com lists Brown, from Lamar Consolidated High School, as the nation's No. 17 weak-side end. Brown's verbal vow gives the Wildcats 10 commitments heading into next season. The UA is expected to add another 10 players by signing day Feb. 7.