Jake Peters was eating chicken wings with his friends at a sports bar in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Tuesday evening when another buddy called him.
“Dude,” he said. “Did you hear about RichRod?”
About a second later, Peters saw the news flash across ESPN: Rich Rodriguez had been fired as coach of the Arizona Wildcats.
“It’s been a crazy 48 hours,” Peters said by phone Thursday.
Peters played tight end for Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He was among 16 prospects to sign with Arizona on Dec. 20. They all assumed they would play under Rodriguez.