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Arizona's 2008 recruiting class won't make national headlines or rank high in the Pac-10, but it seems to fill many of the Wildcats' needs heading into a make-or-break season.

The 22-person class includes seven offensive linemen, five defensive linemen and four linebackers who could compete for playing time right away. UA coach Mike Stoops was quick to describe his new class as blue-collar and hard-working. Arizona's only bona fide star is Matt Scott, an elusive quarterback who could see playing time almost immediately.

"We didn't get all the guys we would have liked. We lost our share … but you get who you're supposed to get," Stoops said. "I believe we got all the players we were supposed to get."

Stoops' focus has narrowed heading into his fifth year as head coach. He no longer scatter-shoots for talented players or takes chances on potential embarrassments.

Rather, UA coaches now focus on players who can fit offensive and defensive schemes while improving the program's sickly graduation rate.

"Each school has to recruit to their school and what kind of requirements they (have)," Stoops said. "Arizona State has turned into a JC, and we're a four-year college. According to all the players, they say it's easier to go to school there, easier to get in."

Stoops laughed. "I thought we all had the same requirements."

Stoops' remarks were an apparent reference to Jarrell Barbour, a Glendale recruit who decommitted from the UA over the summer because ASU and coach Dennis Erickson "had a better chance to get me in" academically. The Sun Devils later added two other UA commits, wide receiver Gerell Robinson and tailback Ryan Bass, to their impressive group.

Stoops' tongue-in-cheek remarks were not received well in Tempe. Erickson seemed to take a shot at Stoops for his 1-3 record against ASU.

"The bottom line in recruiting and all that talk that goes back and forth and stuff is who is going to win games and who isn't," Erickson.

Stoops conceded that his inability to beat ASU in recent years has harmed the Wildcats' in-state recruiting. Arizona State inked nine Phoenix players to letters of intent; Arizona signed two.

"We just have to do a better job of winning on the football field. That's what we have to do," Stoops said. "We'll be a work in progress through the spring and into the summer, getting kids ready to play."

And Stoops likes his new guys, whether you've heard of them or not.

"We are who we are," he said. "That's something that's not going to change."

David Nichol spent the last five years toiling as a graduate assistant at three different schools. He was overworked, underpaid and largely ignored by the public and administration.

Not anymore. UA coach Mike Stoops has named Nichol a full-time assistant coach as part of a staffwide shuffle.

"I was fired up," Nichol said. "Sometimes, you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Nichol, 31, will coach the Wildcats' outside wide receivers in 2008, while Michael Smith will move from running backs to inside receivers. Dana Dimel will coach both tight ends and running backs.

Nichol replaces Darrell Wyatt, who left in December to become the offensive coordinator at Southern Miss.

"We thought that would maximize our staff, responsibility-wise, to do what we wanted to do and make us better," Stoops said.

Stoops also announced that two players, Earl Mitchell and Mike Turner, will switch positions next season. Mitchell will move to defensive tackle from fullback, where he spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons; Turner will move to cornerback, his natural position, from wide receiver.

• QB Matt Scott: "He can do some very unique things with his feet and also with his arm. … Matt can run the ball effectively, and that's something we'll explore and see how we can fit in our offense."

• DB Robert Golden: "Robert's a lot like Antoine (Cason). Robert will come in with much higher accolades than Antoine, but they share a lot of the same characteristics. He's a guy who will have an opportunity to start for us as a freshman."

• OL J'Marcus Webb: "He's a guy who we're going to lean on from the start; we feel like he's going to have a chance to come in and play with us."

• LB Zander Fabbri: "One of the true middle linebackers you see who likes to hurt people."

• WR Juron Criner: "A big wide receiver who fits into what we're doing."

UA coach Mike Stoops recalled Wednesday his own recruitment, which took place during his senior year at Cardinal Mahoney High School in Youngstown, Ohio:

"I was just one of those fill-in guys; I was pretty lucky, actually. I visited Indiana and Iowa. Lee Corso recruited me at Indiana: I don't know if he still remembers that, but I do."

Stoops chose Iowa. He was an All-Big Ten selection in 1983-84.

RB Keola Antolin 5-8 183 Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman HS)

DE Dominique Austin 6-4 232 La Puente, Calif. (Bishop Amat HS)

DE Kenny Barnes 6-2 235 Glendale (Raymond S. Kellis HS)

OL Trace Biskin 6-6 275 Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian HS)

WR Juron Criner 6-4 200 North Las Vegas, Nev. (Canyon Springs HS)

OL Mike Diaz 6-5 330 Cerritos, Calif. (Cerritos College)

OL Vaughn Dotsy 6-4 335 Ventura, Calif. (St. Bonaventure HS)

WR David Douglas 6-1 182 McKinney, Texas (McKinney North HS)

LB Zander Fabbri 6-1 245 Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial HS)

OL Phillip Garcia 6-8 340 Cerritos, Calif. (Cerritos College)

DB Robert Golden 5-10 182 Fresno, Calif. (Edison HS)

OL Herman Hall 6-3 310 Brenham, Texas (Blinn CC)

DT Solomon Koehler 6-2 305 Kaneohe, Hawaii (Castle HS)

LB Sterling Lewis 6-0 230 Brenham, Texas (Blinn CC)

DT Chris Merrill 6-1 254 Scottsdale (Saguaro HS)

RB Greg Nwoko 6-2 215 Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville HS)

OL Kyle Quinn 6-3 279 Brentwood, Calif. (Liberty Union HS)

QB Matt Scott 6-3 205 Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)

LB Vuna Tuihalamaka 6-1 220 Torrance, Calif. (El Camino CC)

DT Jowyn Ward 6-2 260 Katy, Texas (Mayde Creek HS)

OL J'Marcus Webb 6-8 300 Corsicana, Texas (Navarro JC)

LB R.J. Young 5-10 220 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto HS)

NOTE: Diaz, Garcia, Hall, Lewis and Tuihalamaka signed national letters of intent in December and are already taking classes at the UA.

Wednesday's signing day was one of the most productive in recent memory for Southern Arizona high school football players. Nine of the area's best signed Division I scholarships.

• Lee Abraham, Desert View (Mesa C.C.)

• Jesse Backerman, Marana (UNLV)

• D'Juan Cherry, Ironwood Ridge (Arizona Western College)

• Zach Davila, Cienega (Utah): He was regarded by many as the best offensive lineman around, and the folks at Utah love his size (6-4, 315) and ability.

• Kevin Grenier, Salpointe Catholic (Southern Methodist): A late-bloomer at defensive end, the Southern Methodist-bound Grenier had 17 sacks as a senior.

• Wes Hohman, Ironwood Ridge (Arizona Western College)

• Marc Jackson, Desert View (Mesa CC)

• Brett Jividen, Sahuaro (Weber State)

• Aaron Kershaw, Desert View (Mesa C.C.)

• Alex McGillivray, Salpointe Catholic (Adams State)

• Dan Moore, Mountain View (Montana): The area's top rusher last season (1,941 yards) is headed to Montana; he was ranked as the nation's 14th-best fullback by Scout.com.

• Jake Muasau, Sierra Vista Buena (Phoenix College)

• Jason Nottingham, Sabino (Adams State)

• Lucas Reed, Sabino (New Mexico)

• Rene Robles, Desert View (Mesa C.C.)

• Robert Rowe, Marana (UNLV)

• Johnny Smith, Desert View (Wabash)

• Jovan Stevenson, Sunnyside (Oregon State): He became a top-flight receiver last year for the Blue Devils, but Oregon State plans to use him out of the backfield.

• Ben Swarts, Ironwood Ridge (Arizona Western)

• A.J. Willis, Desert View (Fort Hays State)

• Jamal Womble, Sierra Vista Buena (North Carolina): The powerful, speedy running back will be part of the rebuilding phase at North Carolina.

NOTE: Information provided by local coaches and athletic directors