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TUCSON (AP) - Rich Rodriguez hit 12 cities in nine states in the final four days of recruiting, racking up miles while trying to pin down his 2012 class.

With a short time to pull together his inaugural class at Arizona, Rodriguez cast his net wide to find players who would fit and the result was a predictably dispersed group: 25 players, including two who had already enrolled, from nine states and five time zones.

The wide-targeted method worked out OK, but it's not one Rodriguez will likely follow in the future.

"It was more of a byproduct of being the first year," Rodriguez said Wednesday, the first day recruits could sign a national letter of intent.

"It's always hard the first year because it's sometimes a year, year and a half to build relationships," Rodriguez said.

"But the coaches had relationships from recruiting at other schools and the players who had committed (to Arizona) already had a relationship with the school, so we kind of tied it all together."

Rodriguez was put in a bit of a bind by being hired in November, leaving him two months to draw in players who fit his style and system, and to try to convince players who had committed to previous coach Mike Stoops to stay.

Compounding his time squeeze was a decision to target assistant coaches who were with teams that played in BCS bowls, a short-term sacrifice - some coaches had just two weeks to lock up players - that Rodriguez hopes will benefit the program long-term on the recruiting trail.

"Can we recruit nationally at the University of Arizona? I'd like to think so," Rodriguez said. "Are we at the point where some of the guys who traditionally recruit nationally, can we compete with them? Probably not at this point. We won't have this many players from this many states and this many time zones in the future."

Arizona's 2012 class was ranked 45th by Rivals.com and 47th by Scout.com, not exceptional, not horrible, either.

Rodriguez tried to address some of the team's glaring needs, signing four defensive backs, a couple of quarterbacks - Arizona has one on scholarship heading into spring workouts - and several players who can play multiple positions.

He kept several of the recruits who committed to Arizona before Stoops was fired and established his local recruiting base by landing six players from Arizona and six more from California.

"I thought it was a solid job and I think all of these guys will contribute at some point and some of these will have a chance to contribute right away," Rodriguez said.

One of Rodriguez's best pickups is a player already attending classes in Tucson.

Linebacker Bryan Wagner has already graduated from Akron, where he was the Zips' leading tackler the past three seasons, but was granted a fifth year of eligibility. Wagner was the second-leading tackler in the nation last season and is expected to have an immediate impact on a defense that struggled last season.

"Bryan is a tough, physical guy," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also signed Trey Griffey, a wide receiver from Orlando, Fla., who also happens to be the son of former Major League Baseball player Ken Griffey Jr. A quick player who came on strong in his senior season, Griffey has good genes, not to mention a familiarity with the spotlight that comes with playing on a big stage.

"Trey probably understands being in the spotlight and the scope of what being in a Division I program is all about, because he grew up in that bubble," Rodriguez said. "That will be a benefit to him."

Now that his first class is almost in the books - there are still a couple of scholarships open - Rodriguez can hone in his focus on next year's class.

Rodriguez already has a good start on next year's class, spending almost every moment he gets evaluating potential recruits. He's also zeroed in on his target recruiting base for the future, his focus on places that have nonstop flights to Tucson - Arizona, California, Texas - along with New Orleans and Florida.

Sure, he'll venture out to other parts of the country when there's a player that fits, but he isn't likely to hit the road as hard as he did this first time around in the desert.

"I might not have to put on a jacket to recruit in the future," he said.

2012 Arizona Football Recruiting Class
Name Pos Ht Wt Yr. Exp Hometown (School)
Jamar Allah CB 6-1 190 Fr. HS Phoenix, Ariz. (North Canyon)
Javelle Allen QB 6-2 204 Fr. HS Prosper, Texas (Prosper)
Jarrell Bennett WR 5-10 160 Fr. HS New Orleans, La. (Edna Karr)
Beau Boyster OG 6-4 275 Fr. HS Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco)
Cayman Bundage OG 6-2 285 Fr. HS Oklahoma City, Okla. (Douglass)
Keoni Bush-Loo TE 6-4 240 Fr. HS Honolulu, Hawaii (Kamehameha)
Wayne Capers Jr. Ath 6-1 205 Fr. HS Bridgeville, Pa. (Chartiers Valley)
Dakota Conwell LB 6-2 205 Fr. HS Pittsburgh, Pa. (Upper St. Clair)
Dylan Cozens DE 6-5 245 Fr. HS Scottsdale, Ariz. (Chaparral)
Clive Georges WR 6-1 160 Fr. HS Key West, Fla. (Key West)
Trey Griffey WR 6-2 190 Fr. HS Orlando, Fla. (Dr. Phillips)
T.D. Gross OT 6-6 255 Fr. HS Santee, Calif. (Santana)
Bryan Harper Ath 6-0 180 Fr. HS Ontario, Calif. (Colony)
Zach Hemmila OG 6-3 275 Fr. HS Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler)
Cody Ippolito LB 6-2 210 Fr. HS Scottsdale, Ariz. (Chaparral)
Kyle Kelley DE 6-3 230 Fr. HS Irvine, Calif. (Woodbridge)
Joshua Kern QB 6-5 190 Fr. HS San Antonio, Texas (Clark)
Anthony Lopez Ath 5-10 185 Fr. HS Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite)
Dwight Melvin DT 6-1 265 Fr. HS Laveen, Ariz. (Betty Fairfax)
William Parks DB 6-0 175 Fr. HS Philadelphia, Pa. (Germantown)
Yamen Sanders S 6-4 190 Fr. HS Culver City, Calif. (Culver City Central)
Leo Thomas S 6-3 180 Fr. HS San Antonio, Texas (Houston)
J.T. Washington RB 5-7 165 Fr. HS Indialantic Beach, Fla. (Satellite)

Enrolled in spring semester:
Bryan Wagner LB 6-2 235 Gr. TR Dayton, Ohio (Springfield Catholic/Akron)
C.J. Dozier LB 6-2 210 Fr. HS Temecula, Calif. (Chaparral)