New Cal football front seven recruiting offers
Who can the Bears add to their newest depth?
There are definitely three national prospects Cal is after on the front seven, like Andrew Savaiinaea, Curlee Thomas and Kaiden Turner. Defensive line coach Andrew Browning has been up-and-coming with a breakout 2021 class, and now with Keith Heyward joining in the mix, the Bears will be looking to go back-to-back with great 2022 classes.
Aurora (Co.) defensive lineman Nunie Tuitele (Hudl highlights)
247 Sports ranking: 55th best weakside defensive end, 12th best Colorado recruit
Biggest offers: Air Force, Cal, Colorado State, Navy, Nevada, Wyoming
Cal is Tuitele’s first major Power 5 offer. Tuitele’s motor is the first thing that stands out on tape. He keeps moving and working and is relentless in his pursuit of the ball-carrier.
Evanston (Ill.) linebacker Sebastian Cheeks, 6-2, 210 pounds (Hudl highlights)
247Composite ranking: 14th best outside linebacker, 3rd best Illinois recruit
Biggest offers: Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan, half the B1G, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Stanford
Cheeks is one of those athletes you’d love to have but probably will not have. He’s been nationally recruited for awhile by Notre Dame. Cheeks is a great athletic talent, but he does want to be known for his academics as well.
"I would say mental toughness. I'm a critical thinker on the field and in the classroom,” said the Evanston standout. “I give 100% effort, and not being cocky, but I don't believe I'll be outworked. Growing up with older brothers, I've become incredibly competitive, whether its sports, in the classroom, or even a game of checkers. I think without the competition my brothers instilled in me; I wouldn't be here.”
Arlington (Tx.) defensive end/outside linebacker Joseph Adedire (Hudl highlights)
247Composite ranking: 35th best strongside defensive end, 80th best Texas recruit
Biggest offers: Arizona, Baylor, Cal, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan
Adedire racked up 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2020 and just has a nose for making the crucial play. Flying a bit under the radar in the Lone Star State, Browning and Heyward might have found a gem.
Boonville (Miss.) outside linebacker/defensive end DJ Wesolak (Hudl highlights)
247Composite ranking: 13th best weakside defensive end, 6th best Missouri recruit
Biggest offers: Auburn, Clemson, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and a ton of major programs
Wesolak, like Cheeks, might just be a bit too national for Cal to potentially get into the mix with (already at 38+ national offers), but he has shown a decent amount of interest in the West Coast that the Bears shouldn’t completely count themselves out.
Adedire is visiting on the 25th (he's visiting Georgia Tech and Michigan prior to us)
I think we have a shot at any and all of these guys, but we will be lucky to land a few. Why do we have a shot? Well, to start, these three are mid-level 3 star kids: Andrew Savaiinaea, Curlee Thomas and Kaiden Turner. If they choose programs like Notre Dame over CAL they are going to have compete with a lot more talent in the depth pool to get playing time. CAL is an ascending P5 program that will develop these kids and they will get a shot at more playing time and sooner. Tuitele doesn't even have a consensus ranking although he is a 247 3 star. Sebastian Cheeks is a mid level 4 star and Wesolack is 4 star and both will be a tough get as it appears they are headed to ND (according to 247 crystal ball (which has been known to be wrong quite often).
Joseph Adedre is a 3 star but like all the other 3 star kids, he was selected to fit the CAL Football culture. That means he's smart, hardworking, has solid character and will improve over time. Those are the kind of kids I love as I remember the old days when Don James coached and the success he had with them, especially at w UW. James built a 'program' just like Wilcox is doing. Here's a good read: https://www.si.com/college/washington/football/kansas-city-chiefs-andy-reid-and-the-james-way-of-evaluating