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Pete Maloney's avatar

But how many years are you willing to accept a 6-6 record? Is mediocrity the new standard? And do you think with Wilcox at the helm we will get stellar recruits? No we won’t; we rank #64 for 2024 college football recruits (10 ACC schools even rank higher than Cal, and we play 7 of them next year). We are destined to be out- recruited every year that we keep Wilcox; I mean, be honest, would YOU come here to play under Wilcox if YOU were a 5 star or 4star recruit?

And Jaydn Ott—- love you bro, but you are going to be a SERIOUS HEISMAN CONTENDER next year. You will get a much smaller spotlight here than you would playing behind a monster O Line like Texas or Ole Miss, and next year alone Texas will play prime time tv games against the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. I am NOT a fan of Texas but I do wish nothing but the best for Ott, and feel we will just hold him down if he stays. Look out for yourself, kid!

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Bean's avatar

Until the grade criteria relax, no coach here will recruit lots of 4 or 5 stars.. At least Wilcox is accustomed to the grade straitjacket and looks for players who fit well (Uluave, Endries, Reese) instead of unproven teenagers with just pedigree.

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Toohandy's avatar

You are SO right about the grade criteria. What's Oregon's? Probably just too be alive. So many of you Wilcox haters know nothing about it or how the NIL works. Mendoza, Ott, Uluave, etc. are here also for the education they will get at a great academic University.

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Archon79's avatar

This year was a gauntlet so 6-6 is a passing grade to me.

6 wins next year would be completely unacceptable.

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PawlOski's avatar

Takes a village. Maybe the record reflects more about a lack of institutional support than it does about the HC.

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KetamineCal's avatar

I am not defending Wilcox in the least. We have him next year because we can't afford a buyout due to our financial situation. I thought we would be 4-8 with 6-6 as our ceiling and I'm just circling back to my preseason prediction.

Ott is an absolute stud. The NFL already knows about him and will evaluate him wherever he is. I certainly hope he's satisfied with the NIL (which I've been told is good but have no evidence) and playing situation and am glad he didn't jump last year.

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concernedparent's avatar

Ott strikes me as a guy who has his eye on the future prize, the NFL. He loves being at Cal, he loves (and is loved by) his team, he's developing here and getting better every year. A lot of unknowns when you switch schools. If we can offer a competitive NIL deal I believe we have a good shot. He's going to be highly rated by pro scouts wherever he plays.

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Pete Maloney's avatar

While we have had some truly stellar rb’s come out of Cal, I think (sadly) the kid might bolt for greener pastures. The times are changing, as Dylan said. Heck, college kids are even getting endorsements and commercials now while playing, and I don’t blame them. I REALLY REALLY love the kid, but I think he’d be foolish to stay with Wilcox. The spotlight tv games are Saturday mornings and afternoons; we won’t merit many of those, I fear.

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mrjpark's avatar

Well, we're part of an ESPN conference now so they won't be deriding us for shits and giggles, and he's about to get a lot more visibility with us playing East Coast games.

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Alex Ghenis's avatar

The NFL scouts aren't just watching the spotlight TV games and Ott knows they'll see his film. Worth noting that almost the entire o comes back next year and AT & Spav are almost certainly staying, so he knows what he can look forward to here.

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Archon79's avatar

Every dollar of NIL money should go to keeping Ott another year.

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O.Overall's avatar

I think he stays because it’s the bird in hand and he will play just one more year before NFL anyway

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mrjpark's avatar

He probably also saw what happened to Sturdivant.

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Bowlesman 80's avatar

That would be his smart play. Plus, here, he especially stands out, like a big fish in a small pond.

Lastly, look at all the NFL greats that came from non-powerhouse programs. Jerry Rice comes to mind.

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