Spot on. There is so much more to be done with this class via the portal. The reality is that this class will be near the bottom third in conference and in the 50's nation wide. Not optimal in year 5 of a program. A W/L record, early in the season, that doesn't display upward trajectory, in this era of early signing, is detrimental for recruiting. As we witnessed this year w/ multiple decommits. Fortunately Ott reconsidered based on his belief in the staff and the education Cal will provide him. For next year, it is imperative that Cal gets off to a fast start and maintains consistency throughout the season. Cal cannot afford many low ranked classes for Wilcox to achieve his goals. No one knows that better than Wilcox.
The portal can provide a quick fix but can also be a crap shoot, one never knows how that will play out. The next few weeks will be interesting to see how and where Cal fills in areas of need.
For me the intriguing part of this class is the OL, especially if J. Brown decides on Cal. These OL appear to be athletic and better prepared for college ball. Albeit projecting high school kids to college assimilation is tough especially at OL.
If we can somehow get some forward momentum next year and finish with a winning record, I think we'll could see a top-20 class next year. Again, I think Wilcox's gesture of loyalty will endear him to HS coaches and parents who prioritize continuity and character.
The last two years have been supremely disappointing. Especially the inconsistent and relatively stagnant (year to year points) offense. But I can’t blame Wilcox. Call’s program is too fragile to just shake off something like Covid.
I also respect Wilcox a lot, and I think he can pull us up. As much as I like Garbers, I’m ready for a new QB, and maybe a super heavy multi TE set that wears down defenses.
This class looks good so far. Players certainly matter most in the end.
We’re Cal fans, so we’re resilient as hell! Let’s get it team!
Need to get J. Brown, J. Plummer, C. Sidney, and N. Tuitele signed up now. J. Brown, I think, will be a great OLineman for Cal. So far a great day that was aided by the surprises of Ott and Ramsey ~ didn't see that coming.
Listening to Wilcox's presser, we may have an additional QB "sooner than later". Very curious to see who they bring in.
Welp you know how I feel about him. I recall watching him when he played. I told my gf, at the time, that that dude really understood the game of football. He was always at the right place at the right time making plays. He's got great character and the right person to lead these young men and our program. Pardon me for a minute, I got to go run through a wall for Coach.
That's it, when you hear guys like Saffel and Clark talk about Wilcox, it becomes evident that he is much more than a football coach, even more than a father figure, he is just an all around decent human being with heaps of integrity and lots of loyalty to his people. I never stopped trusting his process because of this and it is clear that Oregon saw this.. His comments really show that instead of walking away and blaming institutional barriers, he's taken on the challenge and not making excuses. He's a special person and really exceptional among college coaches. Also, I do hope he finds a way to keep Saffel around, this kid has a bright future and could be a recruiting ace, so damn charismatic!
18 years old and immature. You'd think he'd get some guidance from his parents. I'm not trying to be an asshole, but if you have multiple offers its not that hard to do your homework and figure it out. I'd even give him a pass for a last minute change of heart, but to decommit, recommit, and then commit to TCU in 24 hours? Sorry, if he's a little kid, ok, but he's not. Kids his age make hard decisions and die in wars. Maybe I'm just a cranky old fart.
With paid adults sure. With a 17-18 year old kid who hasn’t even played a single collegiate football? Not so much. He didn’t want to be here fine. I’ll do what coach does and focus on who is here and wants to play for us.
I mean, IMHO you're being unusually cranky. He's probably under a lot of pressure to make what is a life-changing decision at a young age. And yes, a lot of kids go through that. A lot of kids went through a war as you said -- but once you're in the military it's not like you can just de-commit halfway in. How many do you think regretted their decision and would have gone a different direction given the chance?
A lot of us grew up before social media and the blow-up of the internet, so the perspective we have in regards to how to display yourself on social media is completely different from someone who grew up after 2000.
Yes, what he just did in the last 24-48 hours isn't a good look. But you're a grown-ass man, and honestly, this isn't a good look. With one being more excusable than the other. Love you, man. But yeah.
You never now what someone else is going through. This could have been a case of he and his parents strongly disagreeing about his future. You know, typical stuff that happens between kids and their parents, but usually not in a national spotlight.
Yeah, I think you are both expecting a tad too much for 17-18 year old kids. Also, the only thing he posted on Twitter was a decommit. I imagine national recruiting agencies were all over him the past few days trying to break the story and in the process adding tremendous pressure. Posting comments like this gets to the tongue-in-cheek comment I made below...you know, about forty+ year old men vesting so much stock in to kids this age. We all want good recruits and want our school to be wanted by these recruits, but at the end of the day, calling kids like this a "head case" and writing the kid off is just cheap and not really becoming of our fan base.
Who's expecting too much from 17-18 year olds? Tell that to our veterans. Tell that to my ex-partner who lost buddies in Viet Nam but came home with 3 purple hearts, a bronze star and a silver star....he did all that at ages 19 to 21.
No one is attacking the kid and you're probably making more out of it than needs to be, Peety...and that's what this thread is for, anyways, so gimme a break with the "not becoming of the fan base" nonsense. You want to see attacks, go check out an Alabama board, or better yet - wait til TCU plays in Lubbock and hear what will be yelled at this kid and his family in the stands...this is absolutely nothing - got no real dog in this fight.
I have zero expectations of 17-18 year old kids, especially those that I have never met. And I don't really care that he, like countless recruits before him, jumped back and forth a bunch of times. In the end, whether he goes to Cal or TCU, the optics of 3 flips in a calendar day are bad, especially when you look this indecisive at the 11th hour, but no one is name calling here. He'll enjoy Ft Worth.
I never said anyone is attacking him, did I? I said expecting kids to not behave like kids is ridiculous. Also, calling a kid a " fucking head case" is name calling and is unfortunate and not becoming of the fan base. Not going to dither on that even though Rugbear played for our sturdy Bears and has mad respect around here (and maybe is a "cranky old man"). I took your response to me to be supporting this narrative, so take it how you want. And, I disagree, he may very well not like Forth Worth, especially when he finds out TCU's defense is going to be on the field 45 minutes a game. :)
I do have expectations of 17-18 year old kids that commit to CAL. I expect them to have a level of maturity that they follow through on commitments, especially after they decommit and recommit.
Jaydn Ott back to us. What a bonanza this class is.
Eases the Williams (re)flip.....
YARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
LETS GOOOOOO
Saith Starkey
Good class so far. How they fill it out via the transfer portal will determine how impactful this class is on the upcoming future.
Spot on. There is so much more to be done with this class via the portal. The reality is that this class will be near the bottom third in conference and in the 50's nation wide. Not optimal in year 5 of a program. A W/L record, early in the season, that doesn't display upward trajectory, in this era of early signing, is detrimental for recruiting. As we witnessed this year w/ multiple decommits. Fortunately Ott reconsidered based on his belief in the staff and the education Cal will provide him. For next year, it is imperative that Cal gets off to a fast start and maintains consistency throughout the season. Cal cannot afford many low ranked classes for Wilcox to achieve his goals. No one knows that better than Wilcox.
The portal can provide a quick fix but can also be a crap shoot, one never knows how that will play out. The next few weeks will be interesting to see how and where Cal fills in areas of need.
For me the intriguing part of this class is the OL, especially if J. Brown decides on Cal. These OL appear to be athletic and better prepared for college ball. Albeit projecting high school kids to college assimilation is tough especially at OL.
If we can somehow get some forward momentum next year and finish with a winning record, I think we'll could see a top-20 class next year. Again, I think Wilcox's gesture of loyalty will endear him to HS coaches and parents who prioritize continuity and character.
Yep...gotta think Wilcox's show of loyalty will pay dividends long term.
But...Urban's now available!! /s
Well said and I agree Taco.
Trent Ramsey has committed. Go Bears.
I gotta give Angus his props on this one, this is a good get. Kid is fired up to get back West and dominate on the OL. Coach 'em up Angus!!
Yep, I agree. Angus did well on the recruiting trail, now it is time to coach them up on the field.
YUGE, we need this YUGE guys.
Good
Lost in the shuffle in all of this today, JH Tevis officially transfers to Indiana
And apparently got into their business school. Congrats JH.
OTT TO CAL. LETS GO BABYYYY
Get out of here!!! Hot dang we got 2 quality RBs in this class, way to go AT.
"Get out of the city! -Balki Bartokomous
Where'd that come from? Nice.
Christopher Brooks transfers to Purdue (per Rob's twitter)
Rooting for him...his game definitely plays in West Lafayette, and could make some serious noise for the Boilermakers...
Speaking of....
https://youtu.be/gRVjT2duUgw
Ashton Hayes NLI received.
"NIL Secured Recruits" Shouldn't this be NLI?
National Letter of Intent v Name Image Likeness, correct?
Some are NLI, others are NIL (see Jackson St)
Curlee Thomas in the house!!
Happy about this one, he seemed to be waffling.
Yeah baby!!!!!!!!
Nothing like waiting on 18-year-olds to make decisions for the future of your favorite football team! Let's go!
The last two years have been supremely disappointing. Especially the inconsistent and relatively stagnant (year to year points) offense. But I can’t blame Wilcox. Call’s program is too fragile to just shake off something like Covid.
I also respect Wilcox a lot, and I think he can pull us up. As much as I like Garbers, I’m ready for a new QB, and maybe a super heavy multi TE set that wears down defenses.
This class looks good so far. Players certainly matter most in the end.
We’re Cal fans, so we’re resilient as hell! Let’s get it team!
And don’t forget a serviceable backup QB
Tuitele in!
And another one…
That Ott to do it.
ISWYDT ;-)
Trent Ramsey on, why Cal?
https://youtu.be/kFCZ14hunqA
https://youtu.be/kDSOQovkZaU
Wilcox's presser on signees.
We're gonna like these kids....especially Vatikani.
Need to get J. Brown, J. Plummer, C. Sidney, and N. Tuitele signed up now. J. Brown, I think, will be a great OLineman for Cal. So far a great day that was aided by the surprises of Ott and Ramsey ~ didn't see that coming.
Listening to Wilcox's presser, we may have an additional QB "sooner than later". Very curious to see who they bring in.
Enjoyed that presser - he seems like a good guy. I'd want my kid to play for him.
Welp you know how I feel about him. I recall watching him when he played. I told my gf, at the time, that that dude really understood the game of football. He was always at the right place at the right time making plays. He's got great character and the right person to lead these young men and our program. Pardon me for a minute, I got to go run through a wall for Coach.
That's it, when you hear guys like Saffel and Clark talk about Wilcox, it becomes evident that he is much more than a football coach, even more than a father figure, he is just an all around decent human being with heaps of integrity and lots of loyalty to his people. I never stopped trusting his process because of this and it is clear that Oregon saw this.. His comments really show that instead of walking away and blaming institutional barriers, he's taken on the challenge and not making excuses. He's a special person and really exceptional among college coaches. Also, I do hope he finds a way to keep Saffel around, this kid has a bright future and could be a recruiting ace, so damn charismatic!
Ha! Well, I completely respect his commitment to Cal. Now let's get a QB...really pleased with the day tho!!
Plummer signed
Glad that Demonic Williams ended up at TCU. What a fucking head case. Three flips in 24 hours. Let Sonny deal with him.
Just a kid, man.
18 years old and immature. You'd think he'd get some guidance from his parents. I'm not trying to be an asshole, but if you have multiple offers its not that hard to do your homework and figure it out. I'd even give him a pass for a last minute change of heart, but to decommit, recommit, and then commit to TCU in 24 hours? Sorry, if he's a little kid, ok, but he's not. Kids his age make hard decisions and die in wars. Maybe I'm just a cranky old fart.
Relax man.
I am relaxed Rob, but perhaps I have a different standard of accountability than you and others on this site.
With paid adults sure. With a 17-18 year old kid who hasn’t even played a single collegiate football? Not so much. He didn’t want to be here fine. I’ll do what coach does and focus on who is here and wants to play for us.
I mean, IMHO you're being unusually cranky. He's probably under a lot of pressure to make what is a life-changing decision at a young age. And yes, a lot of kids go through that. A lot of kids went through a war as you said -- but once you're in the military it's not like you can just de-commit halfway in. How many do you think regretted their decision and would have gone a different direction given the chance?
A lot of us grew up before social media and the blow-up of the internet, so the perspective we have in regards to how to display yourself on social media is completely different from someone who grew up after 2000.
Yes, what he just did in the last 24-48 hours isn't a good look. But you're a grown-ass man, and honestly, this isn't a good look. With one being more excusable than the other. Love you, man. But yeah.
I'm just more demanding, but I appreciate what you are saying.
You never now what someone else is going through. This could have been a case of he and his parents strongly disagreeing about his future. You know, typical stuff that happens between kids and their parents, but usually not in a national spotlight.
I hear you but I don't care. What he did was bullshit IMHO.
Would've been saved the kid the humiliation if every time they changed their minds wasn't publicly announced.
Exactly...it's perfectly fine to change your mind...just don't put it on social media every time you do...
Yeah, I think you are both expecting a tad too much for 17-18 year old kids. Also, the only thing he posted on Twitter was a decommit. I imagine national recruiting agencies were all over him the past few days trying to break the story and in the process adding tremendous pressure. Posting comments like this gets to the tongue-in-cheek comment I made below...you know, about forty+ year old men vesting so much stock in to kids this age. We all want good recruits and want our school to be wanted by these recruits, but at the end of the day, calling kids like this a "head case" and writing the kid off is just cheap and not really becoming of our fan base.
Who's expecting too much from 17-18 year olds? Tell that to our veterans. Tell that to my ex-partner who lost buddies in Viet Nam but came home with 3 purple hearts, a bronze star and a silver star....he did all that at ages 19 to 21.
No one is attacking the kid and you're probably making more out of it than needs to be, Peety...and that's what this thread is for, anyways, so gimme a break with the "not becoming of the fan base" nonsense. You want to see attacks, go check out an Alabama board, or better yet - wait til TCU plays in Lubbock and hear what will be yelled at this kid and his family in the stands...this is absolutely nothing - got no real dog in this fight.
I have zero expectations of 17-18 year old kids, especially those that I have never met. And I don't really care that he, like countless recruits before him, jumped back and forth a bunch of times. In the end, whether he goes to Cal or TCU, the optics of 3 flips in a calendar day are bad, especially when you look this indecisive at the 11th hour, but no one is name calling here. He'll enjoy Ft Worth.
I never said anyone is attacking him, did I? I said expecting kids to not behave like kids is ridiculous. Also, calling a kid a " fucking head case" is name calling and is unfortunate and not becoming of the fan base. Not going to dither on that even though Rugbear played for our sturdy Bears and has mad respect around here (and maybe is a "cranky old man"). I took your response to me to be supporting this narrative, so take it how you want. And, I disagree, he may very well not like Forth Worth, especially when he finds out TCU's defense is going to be on the field 45 minutes a game. :)
I do have expectations of 17-18 year old kids that commit to CAL. I expect them to have a level of maturity that they follow through on commitments, especially after they decommit and recommit.
Yup. Good call.
It’s gotta be hard trying to figure it out w all the pressure coming in. I hope all is calmer for him now
This is dedicated to all of you on this banter. I have no idea why, but for some reason y'all reminded me of this song...enjoy: Rug, Paw, Park, Rob
https://youtu.be/5TCMpA5TfHc
Good one!
GTFOAH, that is too funny! You should become media coordinator for recruiting next time it becomes available.
You’re a nut.