Arizona pulled off one of the biggest recruiting flips in program history just before the end of the early signing period, flipping four-star Anaheim (Calif.) Servite wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan from Oregon.
Oregon was hoping that McMillan would wait until February to sign so it could get him on campus with new head coach Dan Lanning. However, McMillan felt comfortable signing with Arizona given his relationship with head coach Jedd Fisch and the rest of the coaching staff.
McMillan’s Servite teammates also played a role in his decision to flip. Servite quarterback Noah Fifita is an Arizona signee and has been McMillan’s teammate since Pop Warner. McMillan will also be reunited with Servite teammates Keyan Burnett and Jacob Manu — two more Pop Warner teammates — in Tuscon.
Arizona almost landed McMillan before he committed to Oregon while Mario Cristobal was still the head coach. McMillan enjoyed his June official visit to Arizona and there was a brief time where the Wildcats were thought to be the favorites to land him.
Now, he’s officially on board.
“Everybody wants to be on a winning team but the ultimate goal is to get to the NFL and I’m very confident that Arizona can get me there,” McMillan told 247Sports. “Coach Fisch has been a part of professional organizations and the connections through Arizona are unbelievable.
“I definitely feel that Arizona can get me to the next level and I also think they can win games moving forward with how they’re recruiting. I’ve always had a high interest in them and I think I can achieve all my goals being a Wildcat.”
McMillan had a monster senior season for Servite — the No. 7 team in the USA TODAY Super 25 — catching 88 passes for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with 35 tackles and eight interceptions on defense. He was recently named the Polynesian Player of the year and the California Gatorade State Player of the Year.
[lawrence-related id=101490686]