The Cal Football Fan

Final 2007 recruiting class list

I’ve compiled a final list of Cal’s 2007 recruiting class, including ratings, stats and links to the Scout/Rivals page of each recruit. Overall, I think this is a very strong class that is talented and fast, adding incredible depth to Cal’s roster at all positions. Jeff Tedford and the coaching staff have really put together a winner in this year’s recruiting class.

As a side note, I’ve ignored ESPN’s recruiting coverage and ratings completely because Tom Luginbill has seemingly ignored anyone on the West Coast who USC hasn’t made an offer.

EDIT 2007-02-08: Included Florida transfer Nyan Boateng on the list.

OFFENSE

Pos	Name	Scout	Rivals	Ht/Wt/40	Hometown	Committed
FB	John Tyndall		(5.5)	6-3/220/-	Pacific Grove, CA	1/21/07
OL	Justin Cheadle		(5.7)	6-2/266/4.9	Bakersfield, CA	9/26/06
	Sam DeMartinis		(5.6)	6-6/252/5.48	Sherman Oaks, CA	11/5/06
	Todd Huber		(5.7)	6-2/273/5.04	Palos Verdes Estates, CA	10/21/06
	Mitchell Schwartz		(5.7)	6-5/297/5.51	Pacific Palisades, CA	12/29/06
	Matt Summers-Gavin		(5.9)	6-5/271/5.1	San Francisco, CA	1/5/07
QB	Brock Mansion		(5.7)	6-5/221/4.75	Dallas, TX	6/22/06
RB	Jahvid Best		(5.9)	5-10/183/4.4	Richmond, CA	12/12/06
	Shane Vereen		(5.9)	5-9/170/4.5	Valencia, CA	8/11/06
TE	Skylar Curran (JC)		(5.4)	6-4/245/4.67	Woodland, CA	12/14/06
	Savai’i Eselu		(5.7)	6-3/245/4.8	Honolulu, HI	12/18/06
WR	Nyan Boateng (SEC)	Transfer	Transfer	6-2/205/4.45	Brooklyn, NY	01/13/07
	Mike Calvin		(5.6)	6-2/188/4.48	San Lorenzo, CA	11/16/06
	Alex Lagemann		(5.6)	6-2/205/4.53	Saratoga, CA	6/19/06

DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos	Name	Scout	Rivals	Ht/Wt/40	Hometown	Committed
DB	D.J. Campbell		(5.6)	6-0/177/4.54	North Las Vegas, NV	11/19/06
	Sean Cattouse		(5.6)	6-2/180/4.63	Chicago, IL	1/2/07
	Chris Conte		(5.8)	6-3/180/-	Los Angeles, CA	2/7/07
DE	Solomona Aigamaua		(5.4)	6-3/215/4.6	Honolulu, HI	1/17/07
	Cameron Jordan		(5.6)	6-3/250/5.14	Chandler, AZ	1/29/07
	Ernest Owusu		(5.7)	6-4/245/4.9	Princeton, NJ	2/7/07
	Scott Smith		(5.6)	6-7/240/4.90	Honolulu, HI	1/17/07
LB	Devin Bishop (JC)		(5.7)	6-2/225/4.7	San Francisco, CA	1/1/07
	Alex Cook (JC)		(5.8)	6-3/225/4.5	Brenham, TX	2/5/07
	D.J. Holt		(5.7)	6-0/236/4.75	Encino, CA	12/10/06
	Robert Mullins		(5.7)	6-0/191/-	Los Angeles, CA	1/23/07
K	Bryan Anger		(5.5)	6-4/189/4.7	Camarillo, CA	11/18/06

By the numbers:

• 26 total recruits, with 14 on offense (1 FB, 5 OL, 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 TE, 3 WR), 11 on defense (3 DB, 4 DE, 4 LB) and 1 kicker
• 3.44 average stars per Scout (with 12 four-star recruits), and 3.12 per Rivals (with 5 four-star recruits)
• #12 recruiting class in the nation according to Scout, #21 according to Rivals
• 10 out-of-state recruits, representing Hawaii (3), Texas (2), Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey

Wednesday: Signing Day

Today is the day we find out for sure what our 2007 recruiting class looks like. We already know that these verbal commitments can come and go, but once a letter of intent (LOI) is signed it’s a done deal.

Updates will be posted as news comes in. I have heard that there may be a last minute surprise in store, and Ken over at Bear Territory alludes to this in his blog.

In the meantime, TBIOOTF has posted a nice overview of Cal’s recruiting over the past few years, and Tightwad Hill also has some pretty good posts cautioning against taking the recruiting star rankings too seriously. Take a look.

EDIT 11:13am: All 25 LOI’s in, according to Scout. Signing Day was very smooth, with a couple of pleasant surprises.

EDIT 10:10am: Scout is reporting that all expected LOI’s plus Conte/Owusu are in, other than Smith/Aigamaua in Hawaii who will wait a bit for a ceremony with their coach. 23 down, 2 to go!

EDIT 8:30am: Here’s a surprise: Chris Conte, a safety who committed to Cal early (6/10/06), then switched his commitment to UCLA (1/20/07), has in the end submitted his LOI to Cal! Here are the Scout, Rivals articles linked. Also, Rivals has re-rated him since earlier in the recruiting process and now has him listed as a 4-star safety. This is great news for the defense.

EDIT 7:04am: Rivals is reporting that Ernest Owusu (3-star DE from prep school in New Jersey who did not previously announce a commitment) has decided to come to Cal over Stanford, Minnesota, UNC, and some other BCS conference schools.

EDIT: The SF Chronicle writes:

Cal football coach Jeff Tedford is expected to announce today an incoming class of 23 recruits that makes a statement … “Jeff Tedford and his staff have firmly established themselves as great recruiters,” Rivals national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree said. “When you talk about the top classes each and every year, Cal now has to at least be in the conversation.” …

Crabtree estimates … Rivals will rank the Bears’ class in the top 25 for the fourth consecutive season despite the absence of a five-star recruit … Cal’s recruiting class is solid from top to bottom, fills needs and includes a bevy of linemen … According to Scout.com, Cal is No. 15 in overall points, trailing only No. 5 USC and No. 8 Oregon in the Pac-10.

Cal’s group includes 20 high school players and three junior-college transfers, and is especially strong at running back, linebacker and along the offensive line. By position, the class has five linebackers, four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, two running backs, two wide receivers, two tight ends, two defensive backs, a quarterback and a punter.

DE Cameron Jordan commits

Yesterday, defensive end Cameron Jordan committed to the 2007 recruiting class. Coming out of Chandler high school, Jordan is the 6th rated recruit in the state of Arizona. With Nu’u Tafisi, Abu Ma’Afala, and Steve Kelly graduating this year, defensive line coach Ken Delgado has several open spots on the D-line, which Jordan looks to compete for with fellow 2007 defensive-end recruits Scott Smith and Solomona Aigamaua. Jordan comes to Cal after earning all-state honors this past season:

Jordan’s size and production will be a valued commodity at Cal. The All-State DE racked up 17.5 sacks, 37 hurries and 85 tackles on the year in leading his Chandler squad to an impressive 11-2 record before falling in a tough loss to 5A state finalist Mountain View last month.

Recruiting news: good and bad

First, the good: wide receiver Nyan Boateng has transferred to Cal from Florida to have 2 years of eligibility starting in the 2008 season (transfers must sit out one season according to NCAA rules). Boateng was rated as a 5-star prospect in high school, and was selected for the Army All-American Bowl along with our own DeSean Jackson. However, injuries prevented him from making an impact at Florida. Boateng is a tall and athletic receiver listed at 6″2′/205 lbs/4.45 forty and a 42″ vertical. He is definitely a welcome addition since the receiver core will lose Lavelle Hawkins, Robert Jordan, and possibly Jackson to the NFL after the 2007 season.

The bad news: safety Terry Mixon (brother of Tim Mixon) who previously made a verbal commitment to the Bears as a junior college transfer, has changed his commitment to Washington State. While he would have been an excellent addition to this class, we wish him the best of luck up in Pullman. In related news, there is still no decision about Tim’s petition for a sixth year of eligibility.

Army All-American Summers-Gavin commits

4-star offensive lineman Matt Summers-Gavin, rated the #14 guard in the nation by Scout and #11 tackle by Rivals, has made his commitment to the Bears. This addition of this 6′5″/280 lbs US Army All-American gives Cal “one of the nation’s best offensive line classes” (Rivals). Summers-Gavin is local, from St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco. Cal’s offensive line recruiting class now consists of Summers-Gavin, 4-star tackle Sam DeMartinis, 4-star guard Justin Cheadle, and 3-star guards Mitchell Schwartz and Todd Huber. In the last week or so, Cal has also added commitments from Schwartz and 3-star safety/athlete Sean Cattouse (Chicago, IL).

Surprise: Devin Bishop commits to Cal

Cal Football is really becoming a family affair. First Marshawn and his cousins Jordan and Larkins, then the Mixons, and now the Bishops.

Linebacker Devin Bishop, younger brother of linebacker Desmond Bishop (#10), has submitted his letter of intent to Cal in a surprise move on junior college LOI day. He’s transferring from San Francisco City College like Desmond. He’s rated 4 stars by Scout and 3 stars by Rivals.

Devin was previously set on Minnesota, but opted to sign with Cal instead. The 6′2″/225 lb/4.7 forty linebacker should be a good addition to the class and further loads up the linebacker corps for success. With Desmond graduating and heading to the NFL, the Bears should have another Bishop on the field making tackles.

Two tight ends, Curran and Eselu, commit

Cal has added two quality tight ends to this year’s recruiting class, Skylar Curran out of Butte College in Woodland (CA) and Savai’i Eselu from Moanalua High School in Honolulu.

Curran committed last week as a relative unknown. At 6′5″/240 lbs, he can still run a 4.67 forty and is listed as a 3-star recruit by Scout. As a junior college transfer, he will have the ability to make an immediate impact next season by enrolling in spring with eligibility to play 3 years in 3. Butte is the JC where Cal found other gems like QB Aaron Rodgers and TE Garrett Cross, and hopefully Curran will live up to this great legacy as well.

Eselu committed to Cal this week, switching from an earlier commitment to Oregon in November. He is also rated 3-stars by both Scout and Rivals, and he is 6′4″/245 lbs and runs a 4.9 forty. Eselu is a solid addition to Cal’s blossoming Hawaii-Cal connection. It also appears that he is a very good student, and Cal’s academics played a big role in attracting him to the Bears over Oregon.

4-star RB Jahvid Best commits, turning down USC/ND/more

Salesian High (Richmond, CA) star running back Jahvid Best has committed to the 2007 recruiting class, turning down offers from USC, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Oregon to play for the Bears. He is 5′10″/185 and is rated as the #11 prep running back in the nation by Rivals, also taking a place in their prestigious Rivals 100 list. Best is also described as a young man of excellent character to bring to the program.

The most striking thing about Best is his speed… he’s also a track guy who runs a 10.39 100m. That is just stupid fast and you’ll see some guys in the Olympics clock that kind of number. With Best and Shane Vereen committed to this class (also James Montgomery and Tracy Slocum from the 2006 class, aiming to fill the shoes of the current backs), the running back situation looks very bright for many years.

5-star safety Terry Mixon commits

This recruiting weekend was a busy one, as another of Cal’s 18 visiting recruits has committed to this class. Terry Mixon, a 5-star safety out of JC Grossmont in El Cajon (CA), made his verbal commitment over offers from Arizona State, Mississippi, Tennessee, Washington and more. Terry is the brother of cornerback Tim Mixon, who may return for a 6th year after suffering a season-ending injury during fall camp.

Edit for FAQ’s: Terry (6′2″/210) is bigger than Tim (5′10″/184), making him more suitable for big hits than pass coverage. He has eligibility to take 3 years to play 2. Also, Terry initially committed to Arizona State, but opened recruiting back up after their head coach Dirk Koetter was fired for Dennis Erickson.

4-star linebacker D.J. Holt commits

D.J. Holt, a 4-star prep out of Encino (CA), has committed to Cal. He’s listed as both a defensive end and linebacker but is slated to play middle linebacker; Rivals ranks him the #19 defensive end while Scout rates him the #13 strong-side linebacker in the country. Holt picked Cal over several other offers including Arizona State, Washington, and Fresno State, and he looks to be an excellent addition to the defense for this class.