Elite 2024 EDGE Elijah Rushing commits to Arizona

Elite 2024 EDGE Elijah Rushing of Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic announced his commitment to Arizona Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-6, 225 pounder chose the Wildcats over Oregon, Tennessee, and Notre Dame.

The Arizona EDGE is the highest-ranked player to commit to the Wildcats in the modern recruiting ranking ERA.

Elijah Rushing Scouting Summary

“Tall, rangy pass rusher with projectable tools. Has a big frame for a rising junior, checking in at 6-foot-5.8, 224 pounds prior to his junior season,” On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote. “Had a good sophomore year, tallying 7.5 sacks while primarily playing defensive end in a three-man front. Shows disruptive qualities both as a pass rusher and pursuit defender. Plays with good bend, particularly for a taller prospect. Posted encouraging athletic testing marks in the combine setting. Will need to continue to add functional strength as he fills out his frame and progresses as a player.”

Rushing ranks as the No. 30 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 4 EDGE and the No. 1 player in the state of Arizona.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $192K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Personal Life

“Elijah Rushing knew early on that he had a chance to be one of the top high school football players in Arizona. He said it was when he was around 12 years old that realized he had the God-given tools to be a difference-maker. “Through hard work and having fun with it, I started to make a name for myself,” Rushing told Tucson.com. “I ended up making a name for myself and becoming who I am today. Then I understood the game more and it slowed down for me, and I saw that I was ahead of a few of my peers. Once I saw that I just had confidence in myself and my abilities to play this sport.” 

“As a sophomore he played in every contest for Salpointe Catholic High School, racking up 75 tackles, nine stops for loss and 7.5 sacks. He then had 73 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks and 59 hurries in 2022. “He’s strong,” Salpointe coach Eric Rogers told Tucson.com. “It comes down to Elijah embracing the process. We hear it all the time and it’s kind of a cliché, but he loves the process. He loves the daily habits to become great. A lot of the time, it’s not about the final outcome; it’s the daily grind and daily process of waking up every day with a purpose. For Elijah, that’s just part of his nature.” His older brother, Cruz, was a walk-on for the Florida Gators in 2022.”