Lopez not backing off pledge
Anthony Lopez sure is not pleased that Arizona fired coach Mike Stoops on Monday but the Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite running back said he's going to stick with the Wildcats and doesn't foresee a change in his recruitment.
"Right now I'm still with U of A," Lopez said. "There isn't a big chance that I would change my mind.
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"(Stoops) wasn't a major impact on my decision but I really liked him a lot. I thought he was a good coach. It played an impact but not that much. It's not something that wouldn't make me not want to go there anymore."
Lopez, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound three-star prospect, said even though Arizona has lost five straight games, four by double digits, he was surprised to hear the news that Stoops was let go. The final straw was a 10-point loss last week at Oregon State, which was previously winless.
"I wasn't really expecting it so it was pretty shocking to me," Lopez said.
Arizona was always the favorite for Lopez, who committed in early September, so he doesn't think he's going to change his mind but the local running back is interested to see who the Wildcats hire next.
Colorado, Air Force, Army, Idaho and Montana have also offered Lopez, who said he plans to take another unofficial visit to Tucson sometime this season and then will take his official visit in December.
Despite the gloominess hanging over the program one day after firing its coach, Lopez said he's confident Arizona will turn it around. He's hoping the Wildcats can still salvage this season.
"They had a couple tough games so I think next year they'll come out with a more positive attitude and do much better than they have this year," Lopez said.
"They still have a lot of fight. They're not going to give up on the season. They'll get over it sometime and hopefully still get to a bowl game."