After reeling in top-20 recruiting classes in 2004 through 2006, Jeff Tedford's efforts haven't been as spectacular. Starting in 2007, the year of the great Cal collapse, Tedford's classes have been declining in the annual rankings given out by recruiting giants Scout.com and Rivals.com. To make matters worse, Stanford has been pulling in top-20 classes since Harbaugh has been in charge the last two seasons. Why is that worse? Both schools are selling the same thing...and Stanford is winning.
For instance, both schools are selling stellar academics, the beautiful San Francisco Bay, national notoriety by playing in the Pac-10, and of course, now they are both selling a winning program with bowl games attached. Stanford, who has already been to a Rose Bowl in this millennium, has an extra weapon in it's arsenal. That's something that Cal can't claim. In fact, most Bear Backers weren't even born the last time Cal made it to Pasadena for the "Grandaddy of Them All". Right now, Scout.com ranks Stanford's incoming class at No. 14, while Cal falls way behind at No. 38. Rivals.com has Stanford ranked No. 19 and Cal closely edging up to No. 23. The differences between how both scouting services rank the classes shows that there is no exact science to recruiting. This is good news for Bear Backers who trust that Tedford is getting the players that he wants in the program. Better news may be on the way soon. Reports out of Alabama are circulating that Cal has stolen the Crimson Tide's top commit, safety Keenan Allen, and his half-brother Zach Maynard who visited this past weekend. This coup would give the Golden Bears one of their best defensive classes in the Tedford era.
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