As we head into the month of September, it is time for me to give an update on where Cal sits with each recruiting class. It is important to note that the quiet period ends September 8 with a recruiting period starting September 9 and going on until November 5.
2018-As has been previously stated, Cal has two scholarships available to use on the 2018 class. Cole Welle getting a scholarship doesn’t affect things since he’s graduating after this season. With Kingsley Okoroh and Marcus Lee graduating, Cal is looking to add both a power forward and a center to round out the 2018 class, which already consists of two 4-stars in Matt Bradley and Jacobi Gordon. In the latest team rankings for the 2018 class, Cal clocked in at #14. If Cal were to land Jordan Brown, they would likely have a class that ranks in the Top 10.
At the moment, two guys have official visits set up with Cal: Andre Kelly visits September 2 and Jaedon LeDee visits September 16. Amadou Sow is still planning on a visit but nothing has officially been set up. Jordan Brown plans to visit for sure, but hasn’t set up an official visit yet.
I’ve also reached out to K.J. Hymes, Tolu Jacobs Yaffa, Warren Washington, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Bryan Penn-Johnson about visit dates, but none have gotten back with me as of now. Kenneth Nwuba’s AAU coach Omhar Carter is saying Cal is in the mix to get a visit, but I’m not convinced that will happen. It’s sort of a wait and see with that one. It should also be noted that David McCormack officially scratched Cal off his list at the end of August, something that comes as no surprise.
Right now, of the guys who have been offered, Jordan Brown, Jaedon LeDee, Andre Kelly, and Amadou Sow appear to be the main group that Cal is really honing in on right now. Brown is priority #1 and priority #2 is whichever of the other three wants to join the party as the second big man.
If LeDee, Kelly, and Sow all stiff Cal, which looks unlikely but still possible, Mason Forbes and Grayson Carter appear to be the most likely guys to get offered as an insurance policy. I think Forbes would commit to Cal if offered and I got a really good vibe from Carter when I interviewed him. He has better options than Forbes, but I still think Cal would have good odds at landing Carter if they offered him. Nathan Mensah is another possibility as well, but I don’t have as good of a feel for his situation. Cal does have some insurance options to go to if needed.
To address a point that Marc and others have brought up, Kelly does appear to be playing with fire a little bit by stalling. I’m not saying he has to commit on the spot during his visit, but he’s not so good that he can just hold out forever. Cal shouldn’t lose sleep over not getting him. He’s good, but not as good they seem to think he is. That’s my take.
If it’s a month out and he hasn’t decided yet, I could totally see Cal sending him a message that they are making other more highly ranked players a priority over him, which quite honestly would make sense. A combination of Brown/LeDee & Brown/Sow would be much better, in my opinion. I even think Brown/Forbes might be better.
So, that’s where we sit with 2018. With two spots left, Cal is targeting big men and of the guys offered, Jordan Brown, Andre Kelly, Jaedon LeDee, and Amadou Sow appear to be the four guys Cal is focusing on with Grayson Carter, Mason Forbes, and Nathan Mensah as backup options. Kenneth Nwuba appears to be a wild card. He could either enter the picture more or he could fade. The other guys are looking like long shots at the moment.
2019- Right now, there are four names that appear to be in play for 2019: De’Vion Harmon, Majok Deng, Charles Smith IV, and Isaiah Mobley in no particular order. Both Deng and Smith have visited while Mobley and Harmon have told me they plan to visit in the near future. If I had to pick one kid out of that group who appears to favor Cal the most, I would say Charles Smith IV. He loved his visit and is tight with Chris Walker, but the other three appear to think very highly of Cal as well.
No one else in 2019 appears to be giving Cal much consideration at the moment. That could change, but as of now, that’s where we are at with 2019.
2020- While we are a ways off from the 2020 class making decisions, this could be a scary good class for the Golden Bears. Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Josh Christopher, Tramon Mark, R.J. Hampton, Johnny Juzang, Greg Brown III, and Julian Strawther are all 4-stars or 5-stars.
Given their connections to Cal, Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Josh Christopher sort of lead the charge by default, but Tramon Mark, R.J. Hampton, and Johnny Juzang appear to think very highly of the Cal program as well.
Note: Rivals just updated their rankings for each of these recruiting classes. Click here for 2018; click here for 2019; and click here for 2020.
2018-As has been previously stated, Cal has two scholarships available to use on the 2018 class. Cole Welle getting a scholarship doesn’t affect things since he’s graduating after this season. With Kingsley Okoroh and Marcus Lee graduating, Cal is looking to add both a power forward and a center to round out the 2018 class, which already consists of two 4-stars in Matt Bradley and Jacobi Gordon. In the latest team rankings for the 2018 class, Cal clocked in at #14. If Cal were to land Jordan Brown, they would likely have a class that ranks in the Top 10.
At the moment, two guys have official visits set up with Cal: Andre Kelly visits September 2 and Jaedon LeDee visits September 16. Amadou Sow is still planning on a visit but nothing has officially been set up. Jordan Brown plans to visit for sure, but hasn’t set up an official visit yet.
I’ve also reached out to K.J. Hymes, Tolu Jacobs Yaffa, Warren Washington, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Bryan Penn-Johnson about visit dates, but none have gotten back with me as of now. Kenneth Nwuba’s AAU coach Omhar Carter is saying Cal is in the mix to get a visit, but I’m not convinced that will happen. It’s sort of a wait and see with that one. It should also be noted that David McCormack officially scratched Cal off his list at the end of August, something that comes as no surprise.
Right now, of the guys who have been offered, Jordan Brown, Jaedon LeDee, Andre Kelly, and Amadou Sow appear to be the main group that Cal is really honing in on right now. Brown is priority #1 and priority #2 is whichever of the other three wants to join the party as the second big man.
If LeDee, Kelly, and Sow all stiff Cal, which looks unlikely but still possible, Mason Forbes and Grayson Carter appear to be the most likely guys to get offered as an insurance policy. I think Forbes would commit to Cal if offered and I got a really good vibe from Carter when I interviewed him. He has better options than Forbes, but I still think Cal would have good odds at landing Carter if they offered him. Nathan Mensah is another possibility as well, but I don’t have as good of a feel for his situation. Cal does have some insurance options to go to if needed.
To address a point that Marc and others have brought up, Kelly does appear to be playing with fire a little bit by stalling. I’m not saying he has to commit on the spot during his visit, but he’s not so good that he can just hold out forever. Cal shouldn’t lose sleep over not getting him. He’s good, but not as good they seem to think he is. That’s my take.
If it’s a month out and he hasn’t decided yet, I could totally see Cal sending him a message that they are making other more highly ranked players a priority over him, which quite honestly would make sense. A combination of Brown/LeDee & Brown/Sow would be much better, in my opinion. I even think Brown/Forbes might be better.
So, that’s where we sit with 2018. With two spots left, Cal is targeting big men and of the guys offered, Jordan Brown, Andre Kelly, Jaedon LeDee, and Amadou Sow appear to be the four guys Cal is focusing on with Grayson Carter, Mason Forbes, and Nathan Mensah as backup options. Kenneth Nwuba appears to be a wild card. He could either enter the picture more or he could fade. The other guys are looking like long shots at the moment.
2019- Right now, there are four names that appear to be in play for 2019: De’Vion Harmon, Majok Deng, Charles Smith IV, and Isaiah Mobley in no particular order. Both Deng and Smith have visited while Mobley and Harmon have told me they plan to visit in the near future. If I had to pick one kid out of that group who appears to favor Cal the most, I would say Charles Smith IV. He loved his visit and is tight with Chris Walker, but the other three appear to think very highly of Cal as well.
No one else in 2019 appears to be giving Cal much consideration at the moment. That could change, but as of now, that’s where we are at with 2019.
2020- While we are a ways off from the 2020 class making decisions, this could be a scary good class for the Golden Bears. Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Josh Christopher, Tramon Mark, R.J. Hampton, Johnny Juzang, Greg Brown III, and Julian Strawther are all 4-stars or 5-stars.
Given their connections to Cal, Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Josh Christopher sort of lead the charge by default, but Tramon Mark, R.J. Hampton, and Johnny Juzang appear to think very highly of the Cal program as well.
Note: Rivals just updated their rankings for each of these recruiting classes. Click here for 2018; click here for 2019; and click here for 2020.
