After a flurry of official visits over the past few weekends, it’s officially “monsoon” season for Arizona Football. The Arizona Wildcats added not one, not two, but four players to it’s 2026 recruiting class, including three-star cornerback Xaier Hiler, tight end Darren Schmitt, linebacker Jaden Parker, and safety Griffin Tillis.
Xaier Hiler
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound cornerback is a native of Denton, Texas and plays at Ryan High School. As a junior in 2024, Hiler finished with 31 tackles and 5 interceptions in 15 games, helping lead Ryan to a Texas 5A D-I state semifinal. He also competes in track and field, participating in 100- and 200-meter sprints and long and triple jump.
Hiler is rated as the No. 58 player from the Lone Star State and the 37th-best cornerback in the class of 2026, per 247Sports.com internal ratings. He does not currently have a composite rating. Hiler took an official visit to Arizona the weekend of June 13, and chose the Wildcats over eight other offers, including Bowling Green, Colorado State, and Oregon State.
Darren Schmitt
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end is a native of Vancouver, Washington and plays high school football at Evergreen. Following his junior season in 2024, Schmitt earned first-team all-league honors.
Brent Brennan, Josh Miller, and the offensive staff were able to flip Schmitt’s commitment from Boise State to Arizona. He committed to the Broncos back in early May, but back off his commitment following an official visit to Tucson last weekend. 247Sports.com rates Darren Schmitt as the No. 24 player from Washington and 146th-best tight end internal. He is the No. 14 player from Washington, 99th-rated tight end, and No. 1,379 overall prospect in the class of 2026, per the composite ratings.
He joins fellow 2026 tight end Henry Gabalis, who also comes to Arizona from the Seattle area.
Jaden Parker
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Parker is three-star athlete joining the Wildcats from Anna High School in Anna, Texas. Parker is listed as both a running back and a linebacker, but is expected to play on the defensive side of the ball for the Wildcats.
He played his junior year of high school at Wichita Collegiate School in Kansas where he tallied 71 tackles, including 13 TFL and four sacks. Parker also hauled in two interceptions, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He also rushed for 385 yards and 9 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
247Sports.com rates Parker as the No. 124 player from the Lone Star State and 60th-best linebacker in the class of 2026. Parker chose the Wildcats over 11 other programs, including Houston, San Diego State, New Mexico, and more.
Griffin Tillis
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound safety Tillis is also from Texas, prepping at Grand Oaks High School in Spring, TX. He finished his junior season in 2024 with 56 tackles, including one TFL, and 4 interceptions. He also garnered Texas District 15-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman at Klein HS.
While he does not have a composite rating, 247Sport.com rates Tillis as the No. 236 prospect from the Lone Star State and 154th-best safety in the class of 2026. Following his official visit on June 14, Tillis chose the Wildcats over offers from Pitt, San Diego State, UNLV, and more.
With Arizona adding Xaier Hiler, Darren Schmitt, Jaden Parker, and Griffin Tillis, the Wildcats now have 12 members in their 2026 recruiting class. Of the 12 players, four are from Texas, three are from California, two are from Washington and Arizona each, and one is from Utah. The UA now has the No. 62 rated recruiting class in 2026, currently rated 14th in the Big 12.