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The first time he was offered a scholarship to play college football, Nathan Tilford was in eighth grade.
 
That's how much of a lock it was that Tilford, a native of Fontana, California, would play Division I football. A four-star recruit, who had offers from Big-10, Pac-12 and SEC schools, Tilford was one of the most sought after running backs in the 2017 class. The Wildcats weren't quite on him in eighth grade, but knew how high his ceiling was when they saw him for the first time.
 
"That's a little early for us," coach Rich Rodriguez said with a smile. "We knew about him his junior year, that's for sure."
 
The Wildcats secured a commitment from Tilford in April of 2016. He then graduated from Colony High School in Ontario, California early and enrolled at Arizona in January after rushing for 2,031 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior. He went through spring practice with Arizona and now is competing for playing time as a true freshman nine practices into training camp.
 
"Nate's going to be able to help us," Rodriguez said. "Having him here in the spring was a huge advantage for Nathan. It gave him a couple months head start on it. He loves football. He's a guy who's ate up with it. He's a big, physical guy. I think Coach (Calvin) Magee is the best running backs coach in the country, so I think it's been a great fit."
 
Tilford is one of the tallest and biggest running backs Rodriguez has ever coached, the head man said after Wednesday night's practice. He's listed at 6-feet-2-inches and 206 pounds. Not bad for a true freshman, who was playing high school football less than a year ago.
 
"I think he's been that size since eighth grade," a laughing Rodriguez said. "I know he's been playing varsity football for a long time. He's advanced physically. It seems like he gets better every day. We just have to remember he's a still a true freshman, and he's still learning.
 
Tilford has made a positive impression on his teammates and coaches to start training camp and appears to be a nice complement to Arizona's already strong stable of running backs, including Nick Wilson, J.J. Taylor, Zach Green and Branden Leon. He agrees with Rodriguez that arriving at Arizona early has been huge for his development.
 
"It's made a big difference," Tilford said. "Understanding how I was before I showed up and not knowing much, to where I am now, it's been a big difference. I understand a lot more now."