Cal football recruiting news: The Golden Bears go national
A host of out-of-state prospects are considering California.
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Thereโs no doubt this will be one of the weirder football recruiting cycles for the California Golden Bears. With California high schools only now starting to play football for the 2020-21 season, we will probably see a lot of late offers coming during the 2022 cycle. So while thereโs some news on the recruiting front, donโt expect for a lot of action commitment-wise until the summertime.
Here are some of the prospects Cal is in the mix for.
Paramus (N.J.) ATH Sam Martin Jr., 5-11, 175 pounds. (Hudl highlights)
Martin placed Cal in his top 7, which included UMass, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia. Martin is currently a three-star prospect, ranked by 247Sports Composite as the 42nd best running back and the 12th best New Jersey recruit. Martin is probably going to be a bit of a tough snag.
More from Adam Friedman of Rivals:
"Cal is good in all facets," he said. "You get a good school. They're one of the best public schools in the country. In football they play in the Pac 12 and that's just good for offensive players. They just have all the right things there.
Slyvan Hills (Ark.) running back Isaiah Broadway, 6-0, 195 pounds (Hudl highlights)
Running back coach Aristotle Thompson is still looking for his first running back commit since joining the Bears, and has homed in on one possibility from Arkansas. Broadway holds offers from programs like Baylor, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Utah, and Washington State, is ranked as the 40th best running back in the nation and the 6th best Arkansas prospect by 247Sports Composite.
The Dalles (Ore.) DE Andrew Savaiinaea, 6-3, 273 pounds (Hudl tape)
Savaiinea has offers from half the Pac-12, with Cal the first to extend their hand from the conference. Heโs in no rush to make a decision, and thereโs definitely a lot of pressure between wanting to stay close to home (the Oregon programs) or coming closer to more of his family (California programs).
Adam Gorney of Rivals has Cal and Oregon neck-and-neck.
Brandon Huffman of 247 with more.
"I have a lot of family in California and California is a really nice place," said Savaiianaea. "That's why I like Cal and UCLA. I have a lot of family in Southern California. Coach Johnny Nansen is the one who is recruiting me at UCLA."
Fayetteville (Ark.) LB Kaiden Turner, 6-2, 218 pounds (Hudl highlights)
Turner placed Cal in his top 7, which includes Wake Forest, Indiana, Louisville, Liberty, Washington State and Kansas State. Turner is currently a three-star prospect, ranked by 247Sports Composite as the 35th best inside linebacker and the 17th best Arkansas prospect.
Fort Worth (Tx.) defensive lineman Curlee Thomas (Hudl highlights)
Thomas recently announced his top 11, and Cal was on it. This list includes Arkansas, SMU, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Kansas State and Louisiana Tech. Thomas is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite, ranked as the 31st best strongside defensive end and the 72th best prospect in Texas.
Hereโs a recent feature ($) from Trace Travers at Cal Rivals.
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Apologize in advance for being a grammar national socialist, but to write Aristotle Thompson "has honed in on one possibility from Arkansas" is wrong. He "homed in" on the prospect (like a homing pigeon). To hone is to sharpen. You could say that "Thompson further honed his skills as a recruiter by homing in on a prospect from Arkansas." ;-)
Not sure that Cal is recruiting nationally more than prior years. Of note is that none of the recruits mentioned were four stars nationally. Cal seems to have had success in recent years (actually a year) in getting four star recruits to sign with Cal. Are we regressing in who we are targeting?