Hemmila looking at all options
Zach Hemmila said he's sticking with his Arizona commitment but that he definitely wants to see who the Wildcats hire before he makes any final decisions and which assistant coaches come in will be an important factor.
The Chandler, Ariz., offensive lineman said he was disappointed to hear Arizona coach Mike Stoops was fired because Stoops was a big reason why he picked the Wildcats so he's in wait-and-see mode as Arizona finds its next head coach.
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"I talked to coach (Tim) Kish once and I got to talk to the athletic director once," Hemmila said. "The athletic director was the first person to call me and he said he wanted to let me know they were going to keep the scholarship with me.
"Keeping coach (Robert) Anae is important but the only thing I'm afraid of is the new coach is going to bring his people in. Coach Anae and coach Stoops were the two biggest reasons why I made that decision."
The four-star prospect said he's going to keep all his options open and the 6-foot-3, 275-pounder took an unofficial visit to Colorado this past weekend. The Buffaloes have offered in the last few weeks and they're now being strongly considered.
"I've always been in contact with them," Hemmila said. "They offered a week before Stoops got fired and they've been contacting me once a week. I'm excited.
"I'm just looking around right now but I'm still with U of A. I'm going to wait to make a final decision when they get the new head coach but I'm going to look around right now."
Arizona State, Oregon State and San Diego State have also offered Hemmila, who's rated No. 12 at offensive guard and sixth in the Arizona state rankings by Rivals.com.
This past weekend in a blowout victory over Gilbert, Ariz., Hemmila dominated on the offensive line and opened up big holes for Chandler's running backs but after the game he wasn't pleased with his performance. Hemmila said he usually does even better and plans to for the rest of the season.
"It wasn't one of my best games," Hemmila said. "It was one of those nights where you prepare like the best but you don't perform well. I gave the inside up a little bit and I didn't play my game like I usually do."