DB Hagan tops Bears' recruits
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
This year's recruiting class at Cal might lack the sizzle of last year's, but it should be a solid group that will serve the football program well. Coach Jeff Tedford is expected today to announce an incoming class of 20 recruits, 16 high school players and four junior college transfers, including two who signed in December. "There's not a flashy headline type of guy like DeSean Jackson was last year," said Brian Stumpf of studentsports.com, an online service that monitors recruiting. "Overall it's a solid group."
Last year, Jackson, from Long Beach Poly, was one of the most highly sought recruits in the nation. He appeared on cable television the evening of letter-of-intent day, sitting at a table with caps from Cal and USC -- dramatically donning the blue and gold one. He moved right into the starting lineup last fall. Darian Hagan, a defensive back from Los Angeles, did the same thing a few days ago -- choosing a Cal cap in front of the camera. And while Hagan is highly touted, he is not quite at the five-star level Jackson was last year. Still, there are some outstanding players in the group as Tedford -- with four winning seasons in four years at Cal -- continues to attract some of the top talent in the West. Hagan is described as a "tweener," able to play either cornerback or safety. "There's one thing everybody says about Darian," said Stumpf, who compares him to Donnie McCleskey, a Cal defensive back the past four seasons. "He's a football player. He'll end up being a play-maker."
Kevin Riley, of Beaverton, Ore., is one of the top 10 quarterback prospects in the country, Stumpf said, and was at last year's renowned Elite 11 quarterback camp held at San Juan Capistrano in July. "Kevin is a coach's son and has that cerebral part of the game you need to have as a quarterback," Stumpf said. "He's very athletic, has a strong arm and probably one of the quickest releases in the country -- just like Jeff Tedford likes." Riley probably will redshirt because four quarterbacks -- Nate Longshore, Steve Levy, Joe Ayoob and Kyle Reed -- are expected to compete for the job in spring practice. "You can't have too many quarterbacks," said Stumpf, who lettered at Cal as a wide receiver in 1997 and '99. The class includes two touted running backs -- James Montgomery of Rancho Cordova (Sacramento County) and Tracy Slocum of Clovis (Fresno County). "They're solid but are not five-star kind of guys," Stumpf said, noting the two initially could provide depth at tailback -- a position already set with Marshawn Lynch and backup Justin Forsett. "Montgomery is a small, quick guy" in the mold of Forsett, Stumpf said.
Stumpf said Slocum has a build similar to former Cal running back J.J. Arrington and is "going to hit the hole hard." Another recruit earning Stumpf's praise is Derrick Hill, a defensive tackle from McClymonds in Oakland. Stumpf compared Hill to former Cal lineman Lorenzo Alexander. "He's low to the ground and hard to move," he said, adding Hill someday could be the anchor of Cal's D-line, a the role now filled by Brandon Mebane. The junior college transfers -- newly signed punter Andrew Larson and offensive lineman Mike Gibson, plus already-committed defensive end Rulon Davis and offensive lineman Mark Gray -- are capable of making contributions immediately.
Many of the recruits probably will redshirt. "I don't think there's a skill position guy (who) can come in right away, like there was last year," Stumpf said. Stumpf said that once all the letters are in across the nation, Cal's class should rank between 20th and 25th, and third or fourth in the Pac-10. The rankings reflect the lack of a big name and an abundance of linemen, positions that are traditionally difficult to grade. By position, the class has four offensive linemen, three defensive tackles, two defensive ends, three running backs, three defensive backs, two wide receivers, one linebacker, one quarterback and one punter. Seventeen of the 20 are from California. Under NCAA rules, coaches are prohibited from talking about their recruiting classes until they have the signed letters in hand.
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