Noah Jefferson was supposed to be a big-time pick up for Rich Rodriguez and the Arizona Wildcats, but as of right now that pairing doesn't seem to be in the cards.
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This is despite a Tweet in early March from the former four-star that declared he would be transferring from Southern California to the Wildcats. That tweet no longer exists, though John Taylor of NBC Sports did document it at the time.
"After talking it over with God and my family I would like to Announce that I have (committed) to The University Of Arizona," Jefferson Tweeted at the time, adding a hashtag, Bear Down.
At the time, Arizona landing Jefferson was a big deal. He played in 14 games for USC as a true freshman, starting one. He played and started in the Trojans' season-opening game against Alabama in 2016, but didn't play a single snap after that due to injury and academic issues. Naturally, Jefferson decided to transfer and it looked like Arizona was the perfect spot.
Alas, that won't be the case, again according to Taylor of NBC Sports.
Taylor relayed that Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez announced that Jefferson won't be joining the Wildcats this season. Rodriguez didn't give any reasons why the partnership fell apart, though he didn't rule out Taylor joining the program in the future.
Even had he officially joined Arizona, Taylor wouldn't have been able to play in 2017 due to transfer rules. Taylor did report that the defensive lineman does have two years of eligibility remaining once the 2018 season rolls around.
Whether that eligibility is exhausted at Arizona or not is up in the air, though, so stay tuned.
A member of USC's 2015 recruiting class, Jefferson was ranked as a four-star strongside defensive end by 247Sports. He was ranked as the No. 16 strong-side defensive end nationally as well as the No. 3 overall recruit from the state of Nevada.
On a truly national scale, Jefferson was ranked as the No. 263 overall recruit.
