I thought about posting it at 4:20, but I've got to go get some stuff to make for dinner tonight before I interview Zach Teter and go over to Berkeley for post-practice interviews, so here goes nothing
You had posited before that they would go to McIlwain...after this spring, is this still your guess for the season opener?
I’m less sure than I was before the spring, now that I’ve seen how Ross has improved throughout the offseason. I think it’s a two man race between Bowers and McIlwain. Like I said in the depth chart thing, both have moved the offense, one more explosively than the other. Whichever one ends up showing a better command of the group will be the starter. If I were a betting man, I think Ross starts the opener, but I don’t think he’s the only QB that plays in it.
Who is the first WR commit of the class?
My answer would have been Taj Davis a bit ago, and it still could be if he comes up for a visit in the near future. He could, as Zahran Manley noted that he might come up again for a visit in the spring, and he might bring Taj with him. That’s speculation though. If I were to guess, it would be Khyheem Waleed, just because there’s a chance with him visiting for the spring game. At the end of the day, it’s going to depend on who they get out here sooner rather than later.
How long does the staff wait on Bachmeier before moving on to a new QB target? Don’t want to hear about Daniels either.
Until he commits somewhere, which will be before his senior year. They’ve got an idea of backups if they don’t land him (Paul Pfieri, who has the academic and athletic ability, is one I mentioned last time).
Can you give us a few more local names that may be offer candidates?
Local guys I can see getting offered are maybe a couple of the El Cerrito guys. Daego Albert and Makai Polk are two local guys with size and athleticism. Mekel Ealy, a big wideout from Freedom in Oakley is worth a look, big 6’3”/6’4” type. Sione Vaki, from Liberty is another kid I really like, holds a big offer from Oklahoma State and fits the mold of a big wideout. It all depends on grades and fit with these kids
Revisit OL targets and potential commits please. Seems like the current offerees are all over the map, both geographically and in terms of interest level.
I see a couple top targets here: McKade Mettauer, and Ben Coleman. With Greatwood going for tackles last year, I think he goes for more in the way of guards now. Mettauer obviously just visited, and Coleman will be back in the fall, if not sooner.
Zachary Teter just visited Wednesday and Thursday, and he can play just about anywhere on an offensive line, Cole Birmingham is worth keeping an eye on as well, same with Taylor Miterko, as far as tackle prospects go. Also Duke Clemens is a big target that I left out on my first pass through
I know Clark and Biaggio have shown well so far in spring, but how realistic is it that Adams/Brown ends up as our 2nd RB?
I think there’s a likelihood of that, and I feel it would happen more with Adams than with Brown, just because of the all-around nature of what Adams can do. I think since he’s already been in a similar scheme at Ben Davis and has undeniable athleticism, that makes him an easier choice to have a chance at playing behind Laird right off the bat.
Is there a chance we take another TE?
Adding to that...what ever happened to Herbert and the Wilcox family connection? Does he look Oregon bound? Would Wilcox still take him?
Combined the two questions. I think they only take another TE if it’s Isaiah Foskey. That doesn’t seem terribly likely at the moment. I think Herbert’s pretty bound to Oregon at this point, with how much success that his brother has had there.
Is there a grad assistant on staff who you think is positioning himself well for a full time job should a spot open up (ie, what is our assistant coach pipeline like)?
I think Miguel Reveles, the quality control coach for the special teams, who’s held that role under Ragle for a while at Cal and Arizona, would be a guy who could and should have a solid full-time job in the future.
As far as a grad assistant goes, I’ve heard plenty of good things about Matt McFadden, who’s currently working with Greatwood on the offensive side of the ball, and I believe he worked with the defensive line last year.
Can you give a quick breakdown of how the assistants divide up recruiting territory? Do they just recruit their position, or are the assistants assigned to an area?
Little bit of both, some area, mostly positionwise. At the end of the day, the position coaches recruit their positions, but some of the initial connection is based off guys in the area.
Those areas are:
Baldwin: Pacific Northwest, Northern California
Edwards: Pacific Northwest, Southern California
Ragle: Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas JCs, some Texas
Toler: Bay Area/NorCal, Central Valley, SoCal
Greatwood: West Coast, Hawaii, Texas
Tuiasosopo: West Coast, Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Nevada
DeRuyter: SoCal, Texas, Georgia
Tuioti: Bay Area(HS and JC), Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Nevada
Alexander: Inland Empire, Georgia
Sirmon: Northern California, Washington, So Cal, Tennessee,
Also where do we stand with the Sac area guys? Joe ngata, the carmichael guys
They’re in a very good spot with Latu, thanks to the rugby connection. I don’t feel like they’re in that spot with Rutherford and Ngata. Lots of competition for all three, and Ngata hasn’t visited, to my knowledge.
You mentioned in last year's recap that Cal needed improved recruiting results. Is Cal on track to meeting your expectations? Does the recent flurry of 3 star commitments indicated that Cal is meeting your expectations?
I really don’t have as many expectations as a lot of people on this board, so I’m not sure how fair it is for me to answer that. That said, they’re doing very well early. Landing the Liberty duo of Puskas and Croteau, in April, and having them locked in already impressed me. They’re recruiting size, and I think they’re doing a solid job at it. They already have two defensive line commits, which they really, really need. That helps as well.
What are the odds that Cal will receive multiple 4 star or 5 star recruits this go around. When do you expect some commitments from Cal's priority skill positions recruits: QB, RB or WR?
They have one four star. I think they’ll get at least one more, whether that’s Laiatu Latu, Hank Bachmeier, or otherwise. I don’t see Cal in it for any five star at the moment to be honest.
As far as skill positions, I think they’ll be done with QB recruiting by the time Fall Camp starts. If they do a good job finishing out spring recruiting and over the summer, I think they’ll have at least one of the top wanted wideouts by then. With the running back spot, it’s well documented that they want Austin Jones. That race could go on for quite a while, so I’m not sure what to expect there.
Curious how hard they are pushing for Jaxen Turners commitment? He has been very impressive in the camp setting, and may have as much upside any DB/S in the West. He has Ivy league offers, and im expecting his recruitment to blow up very soon. Just curious how high he is on Cal's board, he loves himself some Coach Alexander.
Not going to push for it until they get him up to campus, and they were looking to get him up sometime this month. I agree on his potential, I think he’s got near boundless athleticism, and he’s very close to the top of the board based on his athleticism, size, and academics.
Outline please who are top candidates are at SAF and WR. Would like to see you prioritize them likelihood.
WR:
Taj Davis
Puca Nacua
Cornelius Johnson
Kennedy Lewis
Khyheem Waleed
Malik Bradford
I see those six as the main, viable targets right now among the receiver group. I’d prioritize Davis, just because of how explosive he is and the fact that Cal has his teammate in Zahran Manley. Plus, Davis really enjoyed visiting Cal last fall, which helps in that regard. From there, it’s whoever wants to commit. All of these guys are what they want, bigger wideouts who can move.
Safety is a little more of who fits where. Jaxen Turner could fit there easily, same with Trent McDuffie, but both are corner recruits. Titus Toler is more of a true safety as well. Zach Larrier is being recruited as a corner, but I could see someone like Tristan Sinclair even being a safety recruit, due to his speed.
I know the staff (JW) wants to save the OVs til later, but do you think they would use a few on some out of the area guys like Zach Williams or Kennedy Lewis to ensure they get to Berkeley to visit prior to the season starting?
With Lewis, he has family in the Bay Area, so I’m not concerned that it’ll be too big of an issue. I understand the thought process behind it, but if I’m remembering correctly, they used only one official visit last year early in the season, when they brought Elijah Wade in for the Ole Miss game. What helps about Cal being where it is is that families do want to see the Bay Area, it is a draw, and I think that helps with getting kids to come it, as their families can make a trip out of it.
You had posited before that they would go to McIlwain...after this spring, is this still your guess for the season opener?
I’m less sure than I was before the spring, now that I’ve seen how Ross has improved throughout the offseason. I think it’s a two man race between Bowers and McIlwain. Like I said in the depth chart thing, both have moved the offense, one more explosively than the other. Whichever one ends up showing a better command of the group will be the starter. If I were a betting man, I think Ross starts the opener, but I don’t think he’s the only QB that plays in it.
Who is the first WR commit of the class?
My answer would have been Taj Davis a bit ago, and it still could be if he comes up for a visit in the near future. He could, as Zahran Manley noted that he might come up again for a visit in the spring, and he might bring Taj with him. That’s speculation though. If I were to guess, it would be Khyheem Waleed, just because there’s a chance with him visiting for the spring game. At the end of the day, it’s going to depend on who they get out here sooner rather than later.
How long does the staff wait on Bachmeier before moving on to a new QB target? Don’t want to hear about Daniels either.
Until he commits somewhere, which will be before his senior year. They’ve got an idea of backups if they don’t land him (Paul Pfieri, who has the academic and athletic ability, is one I mentioned last time).
Can you give us a few more local names that may be offer candidates?
Local guys I can see getting offered are maybe a couple of the El Cerrito guys. Daego Albert and Makai Polk are two local guys with size and athleticism. Mekel Ealy, a big wideout from Freedom in Oakley is worth a look, big 6’3”/6’4” type. Sione Vaki, from Liberty is another kid I really like, holds a big offer from Oklahoma State and fits the mold of a big wideout. It all depends on grades and fit with these kids
Revisit OL targets and potential commits please. Seems like the current offerees are all over the map, both geographically and in terms of interest level.
I see a couple top targets here: McKade Mettauer, and Ben Coleman. With Greatwood going for tackles last year, I think he goes for more in the way of guards now. Mettauer obviously just visited, and Coleman will be back in the fall, if not sooner.
Zachary Teter just visited Wednesday and Thursday, and he can play just about anywhere on an offensive line, Cole Birmingham is worth keeping an eye on as well, same with Taylor Miterko, as far as tackle prospects go. Also Duke Clemens is a big target that I left out on my first pass through
I know Clark and Biaggio have shown well so far in spring, but how realistic is it that Adams/Brown ends up as our 2nd RB?
I think there’s a likelihood of that, and I feel it would happen more with Adams than with Brown, just because of the all-around nature of what Adams can do. I think since he’s already been in a similar scheme at Ben Davis and has undeniable athleticism, that makes him an easier choice to have a chance at playing behind Laird right off the bat.
Is there a chance we take another TE?
Adding to that...what ever happened to Herbert and the Wilcox family connection? Does he look Oregon bound? Would Wilcox still take him?
Combined the two questions. I think they only take another TE if it’s Isaiah Foskey. That doesn’t seem terribly likely at the moment. I think Herbert’s pretty bound to Oregon at this point, with how much success that his brother has had there.
Is there a grad assistant on staff who you think is positioning himself well for a full time job should a spot open up (ie, what is our assistant coach pipeline like)?
I think Miguel Reveles, the quality control coach for the special teams, who’s held that role under Ragle for a while at Cal and Arizona, would be a guy who could and should have a solid full-time job in the future.
As far as a grad assistant goes, I’ve heard plenty of good things about Matt McFadden, who’s currently working with Greatwood on the offensive side of the ball, and I believe he worked with the defensive line last year.
Can you give a quick breakdown of how the assistants divide up recruiting territory? Do they just recruit their position, or are the assistants assigned to an area?
Little bit of both, some area, mostly positionwise. At the end of the day, the position coaches recruit their positions, but some of the initial connection is based off guys in the area.
Those areas are:
Baldwin: Pacific Northwest, Northern California
Edwards: Pacific Northwest, Southern California
Ragle: Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas JCs, some Texas
Toler: Bay Area/NorCal, Central Valley, SoCal
Greatwood: West Coast, Hawaii, Texas
Tuiasosopo: West Coast, Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Nevada
DeRuyter: SoCal, Texas, Georgia
Tuioti: Bay Area(HS and JC), Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Nevada
Alexander: Inland Empire, Georgia
Sirmon: Northern California, Washington, So Cal, Tennessee,
Also where do we stand with the Sac area guys? Joe ngata, the carmichael guys
They’re in a very good spot with Latu, thanks to the rugby connection. I don’t feel like they’re in that spot with Rutherford and Ngata. Lots of competition for all three, and Ngata hasn’t visited, to my knowledge.
You mentioned in last year's recap that Cal needed improved recruiting results. Is Cal on track to meeting your expectations? Does the recent flurry of 3 star commitments indicated that Cal is meeting your expectations?
I really don’t have as many expectations as a lot of people on this board, so I’m not sure how fair it is for me to answer that. That said, they’re doing very well early. Landing the Liberty duo of Puskas and Croteau, in April, and having them locked in already impressed me. They’re recruiting size, and I think they’re doing a solid job at it. They already have two defensive line commits, which they really, really need. That helps as well.
What are the odds that Cal will receive multiple 4 star or 5 star recruits this go around. When do you expect some commitments from Cal's priority skill positions recruits: QB, RB or WR?
They have one four star. I think they’ll get at least one more, whether that’s Laiatu Latu, Hank Bachmeier, or otherwise. I don’t see Cal in it for any five star at the moment to be honest.
As far as skill positions, I think they’ll be done with QB recruiting by the time Fall Camp starts. If they do a good job finishing out spring recruiting and over the summer, I think they’ll have at least one of the top wanted wideouts by then. With the running back spot, it’s well documented that they want Austin Jones. That race could go on for quite a while, so I’m not sure what to expect there.
Curious how hard they are pushing for Jaxen Turners commitment? He has been very impressive in the camp setting, and may have as much upside any DB/S in the West. He has Ivy league offers, and im expecting his recruitment to blow up very soon. Just curious how high he is on Cal's board, he loves himself some Coach Alexander.
Not going to push for it until they get him up to campus, and they were looking to get him up sometime this month. I agree on his potential, I think he’s got near boundless athleticism, and he’s very close to the top of the board based on his athleticism, size, and academics.
Outline please who are top candidates are at SAF and WR. Would like to see you prioritize them likelihood.
WR:
Taj Davis
Puca Nacua
Cornelius Johnson
Kennedy Lewis
Khyheem Waleed
Malik Bradford
I see those six as the main, viable targets right now among the receiver group. I’d prioritize Davis, just because of how explosive he is and the fact that Cal has his teammate in Zahran Manley. Plus, Davis really enjoyed visiting Cal last fall, which helps in that regard. From there, it’s whoever wants to commit. All of these guys are what they want, bigger wideouts who can move.
Safety is a little more of who fits where. Jaxen Turner could fit there easily, same with Trent McDuffie, but both are corner recruits. Titus Toler is more of a true safety as well. Zach Larrier is being recruited as a corner, but I could see someone like Tristan Sinclair even being a safety recruit, due to his speed.
I know the staff (JW) wants to save the OVs til later, but do you think they would use a few on some out of the area guys like Zach Williams or Kennedy Lewis to ensure they get to Berkeley to visit prior to the season starting?
With Lewis, he has family in the Bay Area, so I’m not concerned that it’ll be too big of an issue. I understand the thought process behind it, but if I’m remembering correctly, they used only one official visit last year early in the season, when they brought Elijah Wade in for the Ole Miss game. What helps about Cal being where it is is that families do want to see the Bay Area, it is a draw, and I think that helps with getting kids to come it, as their families can make a trip out of it.
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