Cal recruiting: WR Torry McTyer commits to Bears

Torry McTyer received and accepted his first scholarship offer, and he'll be a California Golden Bear next season.

St. Bonaventure Linebacker Jalen Jefferson Verbals To Cal

This news is about a few weeks old, but I figured you might've missed it.

Jim McGill of Bear Insider with the report on the Ventura athlete.

"It was real rainy, but the game was really cool. They have this ritual where they do this drumbeat when they walk in the locker room and that got me really pumped up."

Jefferson's rapport with the Cal staff made a big impression on the speedy outside linebacker.

"I like all the coaches," said Jefferson. "They act just like us. They're really down-to-earth. I just feel like I can really be myself there and look forward to playing there. 

"The education really sold me, too. It's the best around. And I like the way they practice in the morning to give enough time to focus on academics and get to sleep on time. That helps a lot."

California Golden Blogs with additional details.

He's ranked as the 34th best OLB by Scout, the 36th best OLB by ESPN, and the 60th best national athlete and the 63rd best state recruit by Rivals.

Jefferson is slated to play outside linebacker in college and had offers from the Arizona and Washington schools along with Boise State.

Finally, here's some highlight video! His sophomore tape requires a Rivals subscription.

JALEN JEFFERSON ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOLJUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS (via lightsoutd805)

Kyle Boehm Has Perfect Game Against Sacred Heart

A future Golden Bear showed off his promise on the field last Friday night. Solarise of the California Golden Blogs has more on the performance, with video highlights (check out the post for updates on other Cal verbals and prospects).

Archbishop Mitty Monarchs (San Jose, CA) edged out Sacred Heart 33-32 [1][2]. Kyle Boehm, QB (Cal) completed 12/12 passes for 227 yds and 2 TDs. Boehm also ran 2 QB sneaks for TDs to propel the Monarchs.

David Kravish Verbals To Cal

SLAM Online reports.

The Pac 10 Conference continued with a huge day on Thursday as California jumped into the mix with a verbal commitment from 2011 PF David Kravish of Lee’s Summit North H.S. (MO). … This could be a steal for the Bears as Kravish has nice size, good length, solid athleticism, above average instincts, and decent skill package with lots of room to grow and improve in the coming years.

For more info, check out the California Golden Blogs!

Juan Anderson Heading To Marquette

One of the big men Mike Montgomery was looking at is heading to the Midwest. Jeff Faraudo reports.

Cal’s recruiting took another hit today with the news that Castro Valley HS small forward Juan Anderson, rated the No. 69 prospect in the country by Rivals.com, has committed to Marquette.

“It’s a great academic school, they play in the best basketball conference in the country and the coaches really showed me they care. They pursued me very well,” Anderson told me this afternoon. “I just felt most comfortable with that decision.”

Asked about Cal, the 6-foot-6 senior said, “I was really considering them. It’s appealing to play at home in front of all your friends and family. Cal speaks for itself academically. I wanted to venture out and try something new. Marquette felt most comfortable.”

This leaves David Kravish as the main big target remaining.

Two Big Cal Basketball Targets Could Make Decision This Week

Jeff Faraudo of Bear Talk reports that two big men Mike Montgomery has been targeting could come to their decisions this week.

Castro Valley HS small forward Anderson checked out Arizona State over the weekend, and got a home visit tonight from Marquette. Cal is also very much in the picture, and Oregon is regarded as a possible player in the equation.

“He really liked Arizona State,” said Castro Valley coach Nick Jones. ”He’s talking things over with his mom and his AAU coach and trying to make sense of this whole process. I think he wants to get away, on the other hand he’s close to his family."

Kravish also seems just as uncertain.

Meanwhile, Kravish — a 6-9 power forward from Lee’s Summit HS in the suburbs of Kansas City – took a recruiting trip to Colorado last weekend, the last of the three schools he is seriously considering. Kravish also has visited Cal and Iowa.

“Hopefully, by the end of the week he will make a decision,” said Mike Hilbert, his coach at Lee’s Summit. “Everyone is on the same level right now . . . he’s trying to figure it out for himself.

Getting one of these hoopsters to play in blue and gold could be critical, since behind Harper Kamp, there should be plenty of minutes to go around and possible starting spots for big men opening up. Landing one of these could go a long way toward alleviating our pressing concerns at the 4.

At Least Several Critical Golden Bear Recruits Visiting Homecoming Weekend

Cal is looking to stock up on big players, and some critical names will be showing up. For more recruiting updates, check out the rest of solarise's Golden Recruiting Update!

 

Recruits scheduled to officially visit Berkeley

• Avery Walls, S Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, GA)
  Highlights: I II III | Leaders: Cal, Conn, Michigan, MSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Stanford, Tenn, UCLA, Virginia | Official visit: October 9th, Homecoming weekend against UCLA

• Jalen Jefferson, ATH St Bonaventure (Ventura, CA)
  Highlights: I | Official visit: October 9th, Homecoming weekend against UCLA

 

Cal in the leader group

Jason Gibson, OLB Serra (Gardena, CA)
Highlights: I | Leaders: Cal, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Florida | Official visits: Cal, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Florida/Miami | Plans to visit Berkeley unofficially for October 9th Homecoming against UCLA

Nathan Broussard, Defensive End/Linebacker From Plano West, Verbally Commits To Golden Bears

Broussard is a three-star recruit who plays both defensive end and linebacker at Plano West High School in Texas; he was also considering Stanford, Rice, Tulsa and there was high interest between him and UCLA. The Bears ultimately carried the day though. To see video highlights of Broussard and more scouting analysis on him, check on the California Golden Blogs for their story on his commitment.

Here's a great profile from Jim McGill over at Bear Insider, which touches on how the relationships with head coach Jeff Tedford and linebacking coach Kenwick Thompson contributed to Broussard becoming a Golden Bear.

Broussard's relationship with his future position coach, linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson along with Cal head coach Jeff Tedford played big roles in his decision to commit to a program so far from home, not to mention Cal's academic prowess and the proximity of family just an hour from Berkeley in Santa Rosa.

"Coach Thompson and I talk a lot, pretty much once a week so we've been able to get to know each other well," said Broussard. "He's a great guy.

"And I've talked to Coach Tedford on the phone several times and with that and email and Facebook, I've gotten to know him well, too."

...

"Coach Tedford emphasizes that they want to treat you as a normal person and not just like an athlete and to make sure you do real well in school because that's an important part of the picture when you go to college.

"My dad and I could tell just talking to Coach Tedford that he's a genuine person and he keeps it real and lets you know what his expectations are. He told us straight-up what his philosophies are and how when you commit to play for him, they're committed to you, as well. He's a man of his word."

Power Forward David Kravish Enjoyed Cal, Still Uncertain

The 6'9 power forward from Missouri is one of Mike Montgomery's biggest targets for the 2011 recruiting class. His high school head coach Mike Hilbert talked with BearTalk's Jeff Faraudo after his visit this weekend.

Kravish visited Iowa several weeks ago and has a recruit trip to Colorado set for this weekend.

"He said, `Coach, I have no idea what to do now,’ " Hilbert said. "He had a tremendous time (at Cal), really enjoyed the campus, really enjoyed getting to look around.  He really enjoyed the time he enjoyed with the coching staff and teammates out there.

"He was hoping through the process he could start eliminating (schools), but he liked them both equally. That’s what he said. He doesn’t know which way to go. He’s still very much up in the air."

For those unfamiliar with Kravish, here are some details about him from ESPN's recruiting profile.

Kravish has a long, lean and narrow frame. He is agile, bouncy and plays with a strong motor. David attacks the offensive glass with a reckless abandon and is always on the rim tipping in rebounds or keeping them alive with his quick leaping ability, long arms and good hands. David will position himself in the right spots on dribble penetration so he can receive passes and finish with two handed dunks. David changes ends well, but misses opportunities to establish early, deep post position. He has a good touch on his free throw stroke and can knock down the high post jump shot in the flow of the offense. David is difficult to score over because he easily challenges shots. He is going to have to add weight to skinny frame to be able to play at the high major level.

Just as importantly, he fills in some of the educational criteria that makes him an ideal target for the Golden Bears.

"Cal is definitely in the top three — Iowa, Colorado and Cal," his coach, Mike Hilbert, told me today. "All three offer basketball at the highest level. As a pre-med major — biology — Cal and Iowa would be dynamite for him academically."

Hilbert confirmed that Kravish is visiting Iowa this weekend and is scheduled to check out Colorado on Oct. 2. He plans to take an unofficial trip to Wichita State, which has recruited him longer than any school, and probably has ruled out Creighton after visiting last weekend.

Four Big Defensive Recruits Projected To Be Golden Bears

The reliable Charles Drake of The West Coast Buzz makes some projections, and Cal comes out very favorably.

DT	Viliami Moala Grant HS, Ca.	Washington, Cal, Alabama
Drake: It's always been Cal. Tiny and Coach Lupoi at Cal have a great relationship. I'd be shocked if he didn't declare for the Golden Bears after the season.
S	James Sample Grant HS, Ca.	Washington, Cal
Drake: Likely to announce with his teammates after the season (including Moala) and cement Grant as a Cal pipeline.

 

DE/OLB	Jason Gibson Serra HS, Ca.	Cal, Oregon, Florida, UCLA, USC
Drake: Right now it looks as if, at least publicly, USC is not doing enough to make Gibson feel wanted. Cal has been on him the longest and have made him a priority. Another team to watch for with Gibson is UCLA.

 

DT	Todd Barr Lakewood HS, Ca.	Cal, Washington, Florida, UCLA
Drake: Very tough projection here. He loved his trip to Florida and will come back for an official, Cal has always seemed to be his leader, and he really likes UCLA. If he wants to stay out West, at this point, I think it's Cal. But Florida is a very real possibility at this time.

Other big names considering Cal include cornerback Stefan McClure (projected for UCLA), safety Marqise Lee (projected for USC), athlete Devon Blackmon (projected for UCLA)

Two Future Golden Bear Quarterbacks Battled Under The Friday Night Lights

Kyle Boehm, 2011 commit from Archbishop Mitty, and Zach Kline, a recent weekend 2012 commit from San Ramon Valley, clashed in a Bay Area battle of possible future Golden Bear quarterbacks. Both acquitted themselves well. Jim McGill of Bear Insider (Cal's ESPN recruiting affiliate) has more from the game.

Boehm stood out as a big, strong-armed and speedy field general, guiding the Monarch’s to the game-opening score as he sped around the edge for a 25-yard touchdown run to put Mitty up 7-0. Boehm also ran for another score on the way to 126 yards on the ground but Kline’s San Ramon Valley squad did a good job containing the Mitty offense on the night.

Kline impressed in his first start as a Wolverine, going 13 for 18 for 139 yards, showing considerable arm strength and uncanny accuracy from all over the field. Several of the five incompletions were also right on the money but not handled by SRV receivers.

For a Cal fanbase that has been displeased with quarterback play, these do sound like encouraging signs.

Zach Kline, Quarterback From San Ramon Valley, Verbally Commits To Cal

Kline is the first pledge for the 2012 Golden Bears recruiting class. Currently he is a junior signal-caller for the San Ramon Valley Wolverines, located in Danville. solarise of the California Golden Blogs picked up the story early on.

A highly-regarded quarterback prospect from San Ramon Valley (Danville, CA), Kline started his campaign to Cal from the Elite 11 camp this summer, winning the camp's accuracy challenge [1]. He named Oregon State and Cal as his co-favorites following summer workouts and pledged to Tedford & Co Sunday after receiving his verbal offer.

Here's an interview of Kline with Rivals after the Elite 11 camp.

Bruce Feldman, ESPN's recruiting expert, had some nice things to say.

Cal got a committment from 2012 QB Zach Kline, who threw it better than most SRs at the Elite11 this summer. He’s a Roger Theder protege.

Bear Insider's story seems to show that fifteen months from now when he has to fax his LOI in, he'll still be a Bear.

"I literally took 10 seconds - five to think about what he said to make sure I heard it right - and five to say, 'Yes, I'd love to commit. This is a hard, hard verbal. As soon as I get the written document, I'll sign on the dotted line.'

"I'm totally committed. This is where I want to be. I want to be a Bear forever.

"I stayed and hung out quite a bit longer, talking to coach Tedford. I can talk to coach about a lot of stuff. That's one of the things I like about him. I don't have to always talk to him about football but just have normal conversations."

California Golden Bears Sports Recruiting News

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