Hardy Nickerson Jr. is treading the footsteps of his famous father. He plays linebacker, he's a local Bay Area prospect, and he's now a California Golden Bear. Nickerson Jr. had coveted the Cal offer most of the offseason, and when he finally got it a month ago, it was only a matter of time before he decided to commit. Jim McGill at Bear Insider has the full story.
"I really like Cal because they're well-rounded, with their great academics and campus life," said Nickerson, Jr. "I also really like all the change that's happening there, with the new coaches, new facilities and new stadium. It just seems like there's a new excitement coming to Cal football and I want to be a part of it."
Nickerson Jr. is a late bloomer, and isn't highly rated by any of the recruiting services, but there's a lot of potential filled in his frame. He's a lot bigger than his dad was at his age, and he improved quite a bit from his sophomore to junior season (helping him earn the Cal offer from Kenwick Thompson). There's definitely a good chance he works his way up to starting level if he keeps the right attitude about it (and being a Nickerson, he's definitely got a good head on his shoulders).
Cal has now a plethora of strong California linebackers (and the second one in this class, as Michael Barton of De La Salle committed a few months ago) that should hopefully recharge what's been an erratic 3-4 defense the past few seasons.
For more on Cal football recruiting, the California Golden Blogs is your place to be.