Write For California

Share this post

Cal football recruiting: 2022 Junior Day confirmed visitors a gold mine of talent

writeforcalifornia.com

Cal football recruiting: 2022 Junior Day confirmed visitors a gold mine of talent

Here's a look at Cal recruiting targets who have officially decided to attend Junior Day.

Avinash Kunnath
Mar 5, 2022
4
12
Share this post

Cal football recruiting: 2022 Junior Day confirmed visitors a gold mine of talent

writeforcalifornia.com
Twitter avatar for @tydieffenbach14
Ty Dieffenbach @tydieffenbach14
Super excited to check out @CalFootball this weekend. Thanks @CoachMusgrave @BenjiPalu_Cal for the invite!! @CalRecruiting #GoBears @Atownfootball @CoachCroick @antonclarkson11
Image
Image
1:04 AM ∙ Mar 3, 2022
75Likes10Retweets

Junior Day is the first major recruiting visit day of the 2022-23 recruiting cycle. You can get a sense for which Cal recruits the Bears will pursue this fall and who the top targets are on the board. Expect a flurry of offers to come after Junior Day, with the potential for one or two commits.

This is not a full list—more visitors will likely be leaked through the weekend, but these are the ones we can publicly confirm will be in town. This is one of the best Cal Junior Days in some time.

2023 commits

Four-star Cal safety commit RJ Jones (Bellflower), St. John Bosco

  • Offers: 20 in all, eight in Pac-12 including Oregon/USC, as well as Michigan and Ohio State.

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Social: @RJJoness_ on Twitter, @RJJoness_ on Instagram

  • Cal commitment video here

Read our story on Jones’s commitment here:

RJ Jones holds offers from 20 D1 programs including Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Michigan State, and BYU (8 of the Pac-12 programs).

He’s ranked as the 207th top recruit, 19th safety, and 18th best recruit out of CA per 247. His ranking in those categories is the same on Rivals.

Some of Jones’s teammates are joining him on this trip as well.

2023 quarterbacks

Five-star QB Jaden Rashada, (Pittsburg, CA), Pittsburg

  • Offers: 30+, 11 Pac-12 programs (except USC), seven SEC (Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee), three B1G (Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue)

  • Highlights/Interview: Hudl, Twitter (7-on-7 footage from Vegas)

  • Social: @jadenrashada on Twitter, Instagram

The top target of the class, Rashada is the local grown product the Bears would love to keep at home. Getting Rashada to come to Junior Day when a host of other top Cal targets will be in town is a potentially huge development, particularly if Rashada conveys interest to the rest of the Pittsburg crowd (read more about them in our premium article here ($)).

Three-star QB Brennan Storer (Dallas, Texas), Highland Park

  • Offers: Cal, Kansas, Akron, Illinois State, Kent State, Texas State

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Interview: YouTube

  • Social: @Brennan7Storer on Twitter, Instagram

Storer has attracted some early interest from the Bears and is the first major offer. Can the Bears lock into an early commit in this cycle from outside the state? Cal Rivals had more in an interview with Storer ($):

“The stuff they offer you, not even just football -- school, the education it can get you, it's hard to turn down."

Three-star QB Ty Dieffenbach (Agoura Hills, Ca.), Agoura High

  • Offers: Colorado

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Interview: Twitter (Los Angeles Times)

The Buffs have zoned in on Dieffenbach as their top target with multiple visits, but Cal seems to have taken an interest as of late. Can an offer follow after Junior Day?

2023 running backs

Three/four-star running back Roderick Robinson (San Diego), Lincoln

  • Offers: Dozens, including nine Pac-12 programs (Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, Wazzu), as well as Duke, Texas A&M, and Tennessee.

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter (RivalsCamp)

  • Social: @rodrob204 on Twitter

From an earlier WFC article:

Robinson is ranked as a top-25 national running back and top-30 California prospect by 247Sports Composite. At 6-1, 230 pounds, Robinson would be Cal’s most built high school running back prospect in quite some time.

Some promising quotes arose from a recent interview with Cal Rivals as well:

“Cal is great. I love the coaching staff there. Coach AT is another father figure.”

Three-star RB Johnny Thompson Jr. (Westlake Village, Calif.), Oaks Christian

  • Major offers: Six from the Pac-12, including Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington, Washington State

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Social: @johnnythompsonj on Twitter, @johnnythompsonjr on Instagram

Thompson committed to USC early in 2022, but reopened his recruitment earlier this cycle. Donte Williams is his primary recruiter though, so considering he was retained on staff by Lincoln Riley, USC might still be the frontrunner.

2023 wide receivers

Four-star WR Rico Flores (Folsom), Folsom

  • Major offers: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, all 12 Pac-12 programs

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Social: @lil_reek_ on Twitter, and Instagram

Yeah, you can see from this list that Flores will be a tough get. But these are the battles Cal needs to start winning to uplevel with the rest of the Pac-12. Flores didn’t put Cal in his top ten, but situations are fluid and Cal is one of the closest programs to home.

Three-star wide receiver Ismael Cisse (Englewood, Colo.), Cherry Creek

  • Offers: Cal, Colorado, Colorado State, UNLV, USC

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Social: @IsmaelCisse_ on Twitter

Cisse appears to be a priority for the Cal recruiting staff, as both Burl Toler and Bill Musgrave are trying to get Cisse.

2023 offensive linemen

Three-star OG Simione Pale (Elk Grove, Calif.), Elk Grove

  • Major offers: ASU, BYU, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington State

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Social: @PaleSimione on Twitter, @simi2vela on Instagram

One of the biggest local prospects in the Sacramento area, Cal would love to win this battle. There will be heated competition from across the Pac-12.

Three-star OG Micah Banuelos (Burien, Wash.), Kennedy Catholic

  • Major offers: Cal, Oregons, Texas A&M, USC, Washingtons

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter Giant Skillz 5 on 5s

  • Social: @MicahBanuelos23 on Twitter, @micah_banuelos23 on Instagram

  • Interview: Cal Rivals on Junior Day visit ($)

Banuelos seems to be another top target for the Cal staff. Washington is likely on top at the moment due to the local proximity.

Three-star offensive lineman Jason Steele (Murrieta, Calif.), Murrieta Valley

  • Offers: Five Mountain West schools: Boise, Colorado State, Nevada, San Jose State, Utah State

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter

  • Social: @jvsonsteele on Twitter, Instagram

Steele doesn’t have a Cal offer yet, so this could serve as a good time for him to get to know Angus McClure to see if he’d be a good fit for what the Bears are looking for.

2023 defensive lineman

Four-star defensive end Enow Etta (Colleyville, Tx.), Covenant Christian

  • Major offers: Alabama, LSU, Michigan and Sparty, Oklahoma and Okie State, Wisconsin, half of Pac-12 (ASU, Cal, CU, Stanford, USC, Utah, UW)

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Social: @EnowEtta1 on Twitter

Etta will be splitting his time between visits at Cal and Stanford this weekend. This would be the first major national line prospect Cal would’ve landed in the Justin Wilcox era. But this recruiting battle looks fierce. Etta wants to commit this summer.

2023 linebackers

Three-star linebacker Blake Purchase (Englewood, Colo.), Cherry Creek

  • Major offers: ASU, Cal, Colorado, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oregons, Washingtons, Wisconsin, USC

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter (sophomore highlights)

  • Social: @BlakePurchase on Twitter

  • Interview: In a recent chat with Cal Rivals ($), Purchase indicated the recent hire of director of player personnel Marshall Cherrington has been an important part of his recruitment.

Three-star ILB Cade Uluave (Herriman, Utah), Mountain Ridge High

  • Major offers: Boise State, Utah State, Washington State

  • Highlights: Hudl, Pylon 7on7 on Twitter

  • Social: @CadeUluave on Twitter

2023 defensive backs

Four-star cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (Bellflower), St. John Bosco

  • Major offers: Eight Pac-12 (Arizona, ASU, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State USC, Washington), four B1G (Michigans, Ohio State, Wisconsin), three ACC (Boston College, Louisville, Virginia Tech)

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter 7on7 footage

  • Social: @JshawnRamos on Twitter, @realjfr at Instagram

  • Interview: Scott Schrader chatted with Frausto-Ramos about spring visit plans and touched upon reasons for visiting Cal.

Jones’s teammate, this would be quite the coup to get two top defensive back talents. According to Greg Biggins, Frausto-Ramos has a good relationship with defensive back coach Tre Watson and the recruiting press has been strong from the Bears. Frausto-Ramos will also visit Stanford the day before.

Four-star cornerback Maliki Crawford (Oxnard, Calif.), Pacifica

  • Offers attracting most interest, via Greg Biggins interview: USC, Cal, Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Oregon State, Colorado, Oregon and TCU

  • Highlights: Hudl, workout drills on Twitter

  • Social: @MalikiCrawford on Twitter

The one-time UCLA commit is going to be highly coveted on the West Coast. Expect Cal to make its pitch.

Three-star safety Ty Lee (Bellflower), St. John Bosco

  • Offers: Arizona State, Boston College, Cal, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Utah

  • Highlights: Hudl, Twitter (sophomore highlights)

  • Social: @Ty5_Lee on Twitter

Another St. John Bosco player! Can Cal lock down the secondary prospects from one program and establish a new pipeline to one of California’s biggest high school programs?

Three-star safety Jacob Lewis (Lawndale, Calif.), Leuzinger

  • Offers: P5s include Arizona, Boston College, Cal, Northwestern

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Social: @jayfrm310 on Twitter

Cal definitely is making safety recruiting a priority, with Jones already in and several major safety/athlete prospects visiting.

2023 athletes

Four-star athlete Isaiah Carlson (Ferndale, Wash.), Ferndale High

  • Offers: Arizona, Cal, Nevada, Oregon State, Washington State

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Social: @IsaiahCarlson4 on Twitter

Cal was early in on Carlson, who has been primarily recruited by running backs coach Aristotle Thompson.

Three-star athlete Chris Snyder (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mater Dei Catholic

  • Offers: BYU, Cal, Colorado, Oregons, Pitt, San Diego State

  • Highlights: Hudl

  • Social: @chr1zzss on Twitter, Instagram

Snyder’s frame translates to defensive back, so you’d have to imagine this is where the Cal defensive staff sees him at the next level.

Who’s next to commit for the Bears?

12
Share this post

Cal football recruiting: 2022 Junior Day confirmed visitors a gold mine of talent

writeforcalifornia.com
Previous
Next
12 Comments
ak_A_bear
Mar 5, 2022

For a minute at least, I construed Junior Day was the name of a player, but could not find him as I read the article.

Expand full comment
Reply
1 reply
Bob R.
Mar 7, 2022

Gobears49

Seems like the recruits love the exciting and knowledgeable assistant coaches we have, led by Wilcox, the campus and Memorial facilities, and the fact that Cal is at the very top rung in academics and a very exciting place to play football. Like the fact that we are in the running for QB Rashada, a five star recruit. Anyone know what year we last had a 5 star recruit sign with Cal? Must be several years ago.

Expand full comment
Reply
6 replies
10 more comments…
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Write For California LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing