In an homage to our guy @hessebear, I'll bucket my thoughts on the 2018 class (thus far) into this format...
The Good:
Welcome everyone's thoughts on any of this stuff.
Edit: Added Maldonado's rumored signing under "Good"
The Good:
- The OL class. Thank god for Steve Greatwood. Our most valuable assistant for sure, and in a year where he needed to pull his weight on the recruiting trail...he surely did. Will Craig is probably the most important signee in the class as well as the highest ranked. Top to bottom, left to right, this is a really nice group.
- The two JuCos. Both Doughty and Isara should provide the kind of immediate plug and play contributions that Cal will need next season in the front seven. I really like what both will bring to the table from a physical standpoint too.
- Chigozie. If you're only going to maybe sign one DB, a 6'2 athletic corner works fine for me. He's got better physical tools than the guys on our roster, and based on what Alexander did with those guys, this has me excited.
- Tattersall. I really don't know how he projects exactly, but there's a lot to like. He's violent and physical, either with the ball in his hands or in pursuit. But he also has a higher athletic ceiling than your typical try-hard white guy. A true athlete.
- McCallan Castles. We don't have anyone like him on campus. Very underrated part of this class and a key in adding more physical pass-catchers to the offense. He could play early if his listed weight is legit.
- Nick Alftin. Really intriguing combination of size and athleticism. I think the defensive staff could do some cool things with him, though he will need some technical polish. Also nice to see a high-ceiling local kid commit early and just stick (shade).
- The Running backs. "Good", not great. I like both guys fine. But just fine. We needed two, and they could complement each other well. Both guys are good athletes and should have plenty of tread left on their tires. Upside is there, but not sure how high the ceiling is.
- LATE EDIT: Adding Maldonado at the 11th hour. He's a good player and definitely fills a need, I'd be pleased to sign him at any point. But getting him to sign in the first period is pretty impressive. It mitigates some of the sting of losing Mafi. Some. Its not an even trade (one was dropped and the other was a straight up flip). Plus they're different players and their ceilings are different. Nice recovery though. That kid is probably super bitter at UCLA so that chip on a shoulder will be a nice motivator.
- Current lack of star power in the front seven. Lots of whiffs here. Thought the concentration of coaching acumen at LB (Wilcox/DeRuyter/Tuioti) would be more impactful than it has proven to be thus far. We'll see who they can reel in come NSD 2 but the pool doesn't seem like it'll be too deep. We need bodies AND difference makers.
- Lack of dynamism at the offensive skill positions. Remigio, Adams and Brown are all fine, but none of those dudes are gamebreakers. At least, not yet to my eyes. With guys like Robertson and Stovall shelved, it was painfully apparent that Cal had zero true filed stretching home run threats on offense. Not sure this class has solved that. The need was speed. Still is. Size too, specifically out wide. Would have liked a second receiver in this class. Jury is out on Edwards but I'm not seeing a rainmaker recruiter that we need. Maybe we were spoiled with Peeler. In fact, we absolutely were. Still, this shouldn't be a difficult pitch and there should be plenty of kids amenable to it.
- Using a scholarship for a longsnapper. Sorry, maybe I'm old fashioned but he better be worth it.
- No alpha dog in the class. I hate social media and its relationship with recruiting, but having committed recruits evangelizing a program and actively recruiting other prospects is an impactful thing. The lack of centralized leadership or an active, organized class presence was noticeable, especially late in the cycle. No dude stepped up. That was odd to me. Maybe it says something about them, or maybe it doesn't.
- Mafi. This is real bad on a couple levels. Regardless of his injury and its impact on his availability next season, this was a dominant local defender at a need position. Great schematic fit, and unlike anyone on the roster. Potential difference maker and foundational piece of a defense. High character, good academics. The staff found him at a camp, offered, and snagged him. He was a model commit for six months. Then UCLA swoops in and away he goes. That is unacceptable. It may be partly symptomatic of the apathy around the program in the Bay Area due to years of mediocrity (or worse), and perhaps sustained success will change that. But **** man, you cannot lose this guy in this way. Its an indictment of the staff as recruiters, or maybe their plan as a whole, that a longtime commit would be so susceptible to a late charge from a conference rival. A local kid, nonetheless. This needs to change. Hiring ****ing McClure. Spend the money. This type of thing makes Cal look small time. This should not happen to a program that intends to become a factor, if not a force, in the conference. This one will chafe me for a while, whether they bring in Maldonado or not. Bad look.
- Kaz Allen. Cal was his dream school. He represented the exact kind of dynamic, home run threat that Cal so badly needs on offense, specifically at the RB spot. He was a silent commit for at least three months, then committed to UCLA within 48 hours of getting an offer, he immediately became an active and outspoken recruiter for the Bruins.Nut punch. Failure to close the kid and lock him in was a bad look. Time to bring in an actual RB coach.
- Shrout and QB recruiting. I don't frankly give a shit about JT Shrout. He was never going to come in and immediately help Cal. High ceiling, low floor. Losing him does not matter in the least to me. He was not the leader the class needed. But again, this was a longtime commit who seemingly bailed as soon as a perceived "bigger" program came calling. That's bad from a perception standpoint. Shrout himself represented a failing of QB recruiting in the 2018 class, as he was pretty far down the list of offerees. Whether the staff can reel in the promising looking Zachary Wilson remains to be seen, but they have painted themselves into a corner and placed a lot of pressure on signing a baller in 2019. Does this staff have it in them? The stink on Tui is appearing to be a real thing. Would love to be proved wrong but the data is piling up at this point.
- Perception. I've alluded to it above, repeatedly. Unfortunately, it overshadows what otherwise could be seen as a pretty good day. 17 out of 19 is nice. But outside of Craig, which solid commits were other programs making a credible run at? Any? Two of the more prominent and important (in Mafi's case, anyway) commits in Mafi and Shrout ditched their longtime commitments to Cal on the eve of Signing Day in favor or perceived "bigger" programs. Bad look, that makes Cal look less like a program on the rise and more like a stepping stone. This has to change. I will be anxiously awaiting the hires of the new defensive assistant and 10th coach, likely a RB coach, in the coming month or so. This staff needs more closers. Getting pantsed for recruits is tired, and I've had enough of it.
Welcome everyone's thoughts on any of this stuff.
Edit: Added Maldonado's rumored signing under "Good"
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