GoldenBearReport - 2023 DL Riley Van Poppel offered, views Cal is an 'eye-opening school'
Cal was one of two schools to offer Texas defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel, who is happy to have the Bears involved.
cal.rivals.com
I caught up with new Cal defensive line offer Riley Van Poppel after the Bears made things official with him last night. The process came together in less than two weeks from the time he first started communicating with Cal to the offer being delivered from Andrew Browning yesterday. He admitted that Cal wasn't a school that has been on his mind before he started talking with the Bears, but now he views it as an "eye-opening school" and is working on figuring out when he can visit. He added an offer from Vanderbilt yesterday as well, and he has been on the rise over the last month with several Power Five schools entering the mix. He will visit Nebraska and Colorado in March.
He definitely seems to fit what the Bears are looking for up front with his ability to play several different spots. It feels like there is some untapped potential there, too. I imagine he will be someone a lot of coaches end up stopping by to see again once the spring evaluation period begins, so it's smart for Cal to get involved now. Pulling recruits from Texas is never easy when they have opportunities to stay close to home, but he seems open to the idea of leaving and exploring the options out there.
He is big on relationship building and so far it sounds like Browning has hit on all the key points to build a strong connection.
“They’re a great academic school and that’s one thing I really love about them. Coach Browning has made that a point too. Talking to him I told him that I’m not just gonna care about what football program is the best. I’m gonna go somewhere where I can get a good opportunity for football and also a good degree. Somewhere that has good academics, and he’s made that a point to me. I think that is something I really like about what he’s talking to me about, because he understands that I care about that aspect. I also understand that they care about that aspect of me and the academic side, so that’s one thing that I really like.”
