SF Chronicle: Tedford's persistence pays off

Bears make up for lack of marquee names with plenty of talent
Bruce Adams
Cal coach Jeff Tedford spent some fretful hours before getting his brood rounded up and on safe ground, out of harm's way and protected from the USCs, Miamis and Notre Dames of the world. On the eve of letter-of-intent day -- when a recruit can sign with the college of his choice -- Tedford found himself "baby sitting" running back James Montgomery. "I tucked him in," Tedford said of his phone calls to Rancho Cordova (Sacramento County) late Tuesday night. Tedford was on the phone with him again at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"He was hounded hard by practically everyone," Tedford said. Among the most persistent were USC and Washington, still calling the Cordova High star after letter-of-intent day dawned. "He stayed strong," Tedford said. "I was really proud of him." In between calls to Montgomery, Tedford had spent Tuesday night contacting all of his recruits. "Text messaging is awesome," he said.
He was in his office at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, already with an eye on the fax machine. By 9 a.m., all the letters had been received.
All in a day's work in the often frantic and always competitive business of college recruiting. One night in Los Angeles, Tedford made three home visits, eating dinner with each family. On another three-day swing, he drove from San Diego to Orange County to Los Angeles to Fresno and finally to Oakland, where he caught a plane for Seattle.
Along the way, he even had dealings with some former NFL players. Newly signed defensive end Keith Browner Jr. is the son of the Browner who was a linebacker at USC and in the NFL, and incoming wide receiver Daniel Lofton is the son of former Stanford and NFL receiver James Lofton.
This class might lack a marquee name but is packed with talent. A few of the notables include quarterback Kevin Riley from Beaverton, Ore., defensive tackle Derrick Hill from McClymonds High in Oakland, cornerback Darian Hagan from Crenshaw High in L.A., and running backs Montgomery and Tracy Slocum. Tedford discovered Slocum more than a year ago when the coach was watching wide receiver DeSean Jackson, now at Cal but then at Long Beach Poly, in a game against Slocum's team from Clovis East (Fresno County).
There's even a "sleeper." Wide receiver Jeremy Ross was not heavily recruited out of Laguna Creek High in Elk Grove (Sacramento County), although USC made a run at him only a few days ago. "He's a bright-eyed kid who loves to play," said Tedford, also mentioning that Ross' time of 4.39 in the 40 was the fastest at the Stanford Nike combine in May.
The class numbers 21, including defensive lineman Tyson Alualu from St. Louis High in Honolulu, a member of last year's recruiting class who stayed home because of "family issues" and enrolled at Cal just last month.
Briefly: Offensive coordinator George Cortez is leaving either to pursue a career in the NFL or find a position in his native Texas. Tedford plans on naming a replacement "in the next couple days." ... Junior offensive tackle Andrew Cameron, out most of the 2005 season with a knee injury, will not return in '06 for medical reasons.