By Jimmy Tran
There were no recruitment hoaxes or severely missed opportunities involved in this year's National Signing Day. Instead, the Cal football team stayed under the radar for the most part and signed an 18-player class that is filled with talented prospects from across the country. "I think we did a really nice job of addressing some of our needs," coach Jeff Tedford said. "As always, our approach in recruiting is speed and athleticism, and I feel like we pretty much hit every position." In particular, Tedford praised defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi for his part in fielding a class that had players from eight different states. "He was a bulldog right down to the end," Tedford said. "You talk about a tireless guy. I don't know if he ever sleeps. He's all over the place and he did a great job, as did our whole staff." The Bears signed eight players on the offensive side of the ball, nine defensive players and one specialist in kicker Vince D'Amato. In an attempt to fill in the losses of key players at both the offensive line and linebacker positions, Cal inked four recruits at each.
The offensive line group was ranked 13th in the nation by Scout.com, while the linebackers ranked 24th. Notable standouts in the offensive line group are center Mark Brazinski, who was rated the No. 3 center prospect in the country, and All-American Charles Siddoway, the top recruit from the state of Oregon.
"We've had good offensive line classes in the past, and this one's no different," Tedford said. The recruits won't be the only new additions to the offensive line, though, as the Bears recently hired Steve Marshall to be the offensive line coach. While Tedford was unsure whether Marshall ultimately had an effect on the recruitment process, he still wanted to assure his prospects that Marshall was the right man for the job.
"We hung on to everyone but (Stanley) Haziak, so I don't know if it had an effect," Tedford said. "I talked to our O-line guys and said our hiring was going to be someone who has the same philosophy as we've always had here." Haziak was teetering between UCLA and Cal up until Tuesday night, but the offensive guard from Hawai'i ultimately decided to sign with the Bruins. Another decision that was unsure until the final hours was receiver Markish Jones, who did not officially commit until 2:45 p.m. yesterday. He was the only recruit that committed after 9 a.m. "We're fortunate to get him," Tedford said. "He's a guy, as it winds down here, that's as talented as the guys we've been looking at all along." Jones joins the four offensive lineman, running back Dasarte Yarnway, quarterback Allan Bridgford, and athlete Isi Sofele in the offensive recruits group. On defense, the Bears signed two linemen, four linebackers who Tedford deemed as "a great linebacking corps," and three defensive backs that should add depth to a secondary that was third in the nation in interceptions last season. Defensive tackle Deandre Coleman is arguably the biggest name of the three four-star prospects. Coleman, the top player signed out of the state of Washington, was ranked just outside the top 100 by Scout.com and brings plenty of talent to the 3-4 defense that was implemented last season. The switch on defense played a big role in recruitment this season and resulted in the signing of more linebackers.
"I think especially the linebacking corps, they see the versatility that the 3-4 provides us," Tedford said. "You definitely have to recruit to the 3-4, because the numbers just don't match if you recruit to the 4-3. It's just logical to do that." In a move that went against the trend of previous seasons, Cal offered D'Amato a scholarship. Tedford had nothing but praise for the California native. "When we decided we needed to go find the best kicker we can find to compete and have this job here, Vince was the guy," Tedford said.
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