Arizona’s run of frustrating recruiting news in the 2027 class picked up another hit this week, as five-star forward Asa Montgomery backed off his planned official visit to Tucson.
Montgomery was scheduled to be in town this weekend, but the trip has been canceled for both Arizona and Louisville, according to Joe Tipton of On3. The Wildcats had extended an offer to the Georgia native in late July, though he was never viewed as a serious Arizona lean, which softens the blow a bit for Tommy Lloyd’s staff.
Still, it adds to a rough October on the trail. Arizona has already come up short on two frontcourt targets who attended the program’s Red-Blue Showcase: Phoenix native Darius Wabbington, a five-star, chose Indiana, while four-star Kamsi Awaka picked Florida over the program that developed his brother Tobe into an elite role player.
Montgomery entered the mix as another elite name on Arizona’s board, but the odds were always pointing elsewhere. The 6-foot-7 small forward is ranked No. 8 nationally in the 247Sports composite and has already taken official visits to LSU, Georgia Tech, UConn, North Carolina and most recently Duke. That trip to Durham is why plenty around the recruiting world think Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils have the edge for 2027-28.
Montgomery brings serious upside, even if he’s still a work in progress. He has a 6-foot-10 wingspan, explosive leaping ability and won’t turn 18 until July, which helps explain why he remains raw.
For Arizona, the larger issue is the bigger picture. The Wildcats still don’t have a commitment in the 2027 class despite seven offers and multiple official visits.
Of the seven players they’ve offered, four are already off the board: Wabbington to Indiana, Awaka to Florida, NaVorro Bowman to UConn and Jason Gardner to Auburn. Montgomery, Cherif Millogo and Adan Diggs are the names left standing.
With Montgomery now out of the equation, Arizona is expected to turn up the pressure on Diggs and Millogo. Diggs, a five-star combo guard from Arizona and a Millenium High School star, visited Tucson for the Red-Blue Showcase in late September, and many recruiting outlets view the Wildcats as the team to beat.
But he also just visited Arkansas last weekend and is set to visit Kentucky on the weekend of Oct. 22.
Millogo represents Arizona’s best remaining shot at one of the top big men in the class. The 7-foot-4, four-star center from California is ranked No. 36 by 247Sports and has only one official visit on record, a trip to Kentucky last weekend, despite offers from Arkansas, Alabama, BYU, North Carolina and USC, among others.
If Arizona can land Diggs, Millogo, or both, it would go a long way toward calming a fan base that has watched the 2027 board narrow quickly. And there’s at least some reason to keep the faith: Koa Peat and Brayden Burries both committed late in the 2025 cycle, while Caleb Holt followed a similar timeline this year.
Arizona is back on the floor Friday, Oct. 16, when it hosts San Diego State in a home exhibition. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM MST, with the game airing on ESPN+.
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