Rodriguez gets first high school commits

Published Jan. 17, 2012 6:14 p.m. ET

foxsports

Linebacker Dakota Conwell, a four-star recruit from Pittsburgh, is among the first high school players to give a commitment to Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff at Arizona, according to multiple news outlets.

Conwell, 6-feet-2, 205 pounds, originally committed to Pitt but changed his mind after Todd Graham took the head coaching job at Arizona State. He is listed by Scout.com as the 30th best outside linebacker prospect in the nation. He is rated highly for his athleticism and football instinct and also played quarterback for Upper Saint Clair High School in Pittsburgh.

The Wildcats picked up two other recruits over the weekend: linebacker C.J. Dozier of Chaparral High School in Temecula, Calif., and quarterback Javelle Allen of Prospect, Texas.

Dozier (6-2, 210) originally committed to Arizona State, but his path also changed as a result of ASU firing Dennis Erickson and replacing him with Graham. He is listed by Scout.com as the 27th-ranked middle linebacker and was expected to enroll at Arizona this week and attend c classes during the spring semester.

Allen, who is unrated by Scout.com, will have an opportunity to compete for the backup quarterback job behind senior Matt Scott. The Wildcats have no other returning quarterbacks on their roster after the decisions by Tom Savage and Daxx Garman to transfer.

Allen passed for 2,347 yards and rushed for 1,539 as a senior at Prospect High School, accounting for 52 touchdowns (30 passing, 22 rushing).