July 19, 2000

Former Desert Vista High (Ariz.) quarterback John Rattay made official yesterday what most everyone had been speculating for the past week and a half: He will transfer to the University of Arizona.

	As expected, Rattay made Arizona his choice.

Rattay, who left the University of Tennessee after one semester, had narrowed his choices to Arizona and Washington State. But while lying in bed Sunday night, the 6-foot-4 lefty made the decision final in his head.

"I just thought about it and prayed," said Rattay a few hours after making the announcement at the Plaza Hotel in Tucson. "I talked to my dad about it before I went down there today.

"It really has always felt right. It always caught my eye and everything just came together."

Arizona head football coach Dick Tomey, who is vacationing in Scotland, was unavailable for comment.

Rattay led Desert Vista to the Class 5A state title in 1998 and, after throwing for 2,231 yards in 1999, graduated from high school a semester early so he could enroll at Tennessee. Rattay was reportedly ranked as low as fourth on the Vols' depth chart as spring practices broke, but he maintains that this was not why he left Knoxville.

"It was mainly family things," said Rattay late last week. "I didn't think at that time that it would be difficult to be so far away. My father would have never got to see me play in person."

So, after leaving Tennessee, Rattay knew he wanted to be close to either his brother, Tim, a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, or his parents. Initially, he considered a handful of Pac-10 schools, but Arizona always seemed the logical choice since starting quarterback Ortege Jenkins is a senior and none of the other quarterbacks on scholarship have any playing experience.

"The coaches told me that once Ortege is gone, everything's going to open up," said Rattay.

He will report to Tucson with the rest of the freshmen Aug. 4, but will already have college football experience.

"I know what college football's all about," said Rattay, who played in Tennessee's intra-squad Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium in April. "I feel like I know what it's going to take to become a starter."

Rattay will redshirt this fall and be in position to challenge for the starting job next season without losing a year of eligibility because of the transfer.

"I'm just so excited about the players they have," he said. "The players come in every day and can't wait to work out. It's a good atmosphere."