By Greg Biggins
The commitment of quarterback Austin Hinder (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) to Cal could have an affect on a few other top signal callers out West as well as a few other Pac 10 programs in the running for an elite quarterback this year. Hinder committing to the Bears was rumored to happen for months but is still a big pickup for Cal. Physically, Hinder has tremendous upside but will need time to develop and get stronger. Cal has several talented quarterbacks already on the roster, which will give Hinder ample time to fill out and mature as a quarterback. Bear head coach Jeff Tedford is known as one of the best quarterback coaches in the country and in Hinder, he's getting a player that is already solid mechanically but just needs some tweaking to fulfill his vast potential.
What does Hinder's commitment mean for a couple of other signal callers out West? Cal was in the top five for arguably the top two quarterbacks in the region, Jake Heaps (Sammamish, Wash./ Skyline) and Jesse Scroggins (Lakewood, Calif.) and you can now expect both to scratch the Bears off their list. For Heaps, he had a top five of BYU, Washington, Tennessee, LSU and the Bears. Many close to the situation feel BYU is the team to beat here and that opinion was echoed by a few players I talked with at the NIKE Camp at Stanford. As for Scroggins, he's still open but always listed Cal among his favorites along with schools like Tennessee, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Washington and LSU. The Lakewood native said just last week that he planned to take an unofficial visit to Cal in the summer but look for that to be scratched now as well. Scroggins plan is to commit late in the summer after taking a series of unofficial visits and without a clear leader at the moment, his recruitment will be one of the most interesting to watch this year. Hinder's commitment will also have a big impact on UCLA as the Colorado native was the only quarterback the Bruins had offered, outside of Heaps who had already scratched them off his list. It will be interesting to see what direction they now go in with Hinder off their board.
They could move on Scroggins, a player in their backyard and the top quarterback I've seen all spring. At this point however, it's likely too late as Scroggins said a week ago he's narrowed his focus to the schools that have offered and not interested in anyone else. The Bruins were recruiting Peter Thomas (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) for a while but have cooled on the San Diego signal caller and are no longer on him. One name to watch could be Brett Nottingham (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista). Nottingham will camp with the Bruins in June and looked very good at the recent NIKE Camp at Stanford and the Elite 11 regional camp at Cal the same weekend. Nottingham has a college body right now, throws a great ball and is a very cerebral player as well. Boise State is the most recent school to offer and his stock is on the rise but if the Bruins were to offer, they would likely jump to the top of his list.
West Notes
• Cal is the most recent school to offer offensive lineman Alex Crosthwaite (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral). The offer from the Bears is No. 7 for Crosthwaite and Cal will be in this one until the very end.
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