yeah coach wilcox wanted to check in with 3.91 gpa 2024 cal commit bj canady but don't tell nobody but today is a meal day for the intermittent fasting justin so the visit to buc-ee's for the turkey & ham sandwich on sourdough along with fresh fruit and a cup of warm sauted mushroom soup with a flavored no sugar water along with premium 91 for the avis wuz part of the recruiting trip
https://instagr.am/p/C0PNbmCutrt coach prime ran off 70+ scholly student athletes at the university of colorado & recklessly ended their academic goals of earning a degree, now his longtime fiancee tracey edmonds has also entered the transfer portal
ultimate team player (always crying by himself away from his teammates after the trojans losses this season) caleb williams is not gonna play with his team in usc's holiday bowl against louisville, he got priorities
Disappointing that our ST coach Vic So'oto took so long to figure out WHO our FG kicker should be and to add icing on the cake . . . he's now GONE.
It was the difference early, particularly the loss to Auburn. Who knows how the season goes if we make those FGs? But I don't know if Luckhurst made those in practice. Thst said, So'oto is not allocating scholarships. Mateen obviously thinks he can get one or some NIL to pay for college. Maybe even <eventually> from Cal.? No one is necessarily <wrong> here. Everyone is just trying to figure out what is best for them. Hopefully Wilcox, So'oto and all have made it clear Mateen is valued, will play in the bowl and is welcome back next year, even if we do not presently have a scholarship for him.
I would not be surprised if Mateen is a walk on somewhere with a promise to have a scholie if he performs. Yes, kind of like here initially. I don't think schools are going to be jumping out at him. Not a knock. Just probably the market for kickers who are not seen as elite.
Exactly this. Placekickers that get scholarships have proven that they are accurate, can kick from distance and can kickoff into the endzone.
update re: yesterday's zoom call between knowlton & the acc commish
the acc commish is encouraging cal to play more west coast teams in non conference play particularly mid majors during the middle of acc conference play
the commish fully understands (unlike the con artist) the importance of the sec football scheduling model of a-c-c-d games to ensure bowl eligibility
right now the bears for 2024 got an "a" game at auburn, a "b" game hosting san diego state & a "d" game hosting uc davis
it's absolutely critical that in cal's inaugural 2024 season in the acc that bowl eligibility is achieved from both a recruiting & fan base energy standpoint...there's gonna be another round of conference realignment in the future & if the bears aren't a perennial bowl team we're gonna be left behind, the mountain west is a death blow...reality is that cal is the acc because of the lobbying efforts of stanford's condeleezza rice & notre dame's jack swarbrick, it got nothing to do with jim or carol who wuz sitting on the sidelines with their hands in their pockets eating popcorn
so that's why not signing the oregon state and/or washington state future football game contracts that are sitting on knowlton's desk awaiting his signature should never be executed, the con artist is awaiting both schools dropping their lawsuits against the departing pac 12 schools
oregon state is a nationally ranked team that could mean cal is not bowl eligible in 2024, the bears got zero recruits from oregon in the current high school class & the fan base got zero interest in traveling to a drizzly azz truck stop town like corvallis anymore
the bears will be playing the irish in the future but not until the current notre dame/stanford series is done in 2025 & the nd tv deal with nbc is finalized...right now it's looking like 3 to 5 games during the next 12 years
the acc comish is working to replace the big 10 in the rose bowl, he's already got deals in place with the holiday bowl & the la bowl (which would be a huge boost for cal recruiting in so cal with usc & ucla games never happening again) for acc teams
not surprisingly at the end of the zoom, knowlton made a cheap shot comment about larry & george as pac 12 commishs which is ironically disingenuous coming from the worst/least qualified athletic director in the nation who plays dodgeball with every interview request
yeah the con artist is continuing his degradation of cal revenue sports, the 4th out of conference game for 2024 is absolutely critical with respects to the upward trajectory of the cal football program...he's made in clear he's not gonna cut any sports or reduce any of his massive infrastructure of worthless bureaucrats like himself & markeisha, financial comprehension/responsibility is not in his tool kit
only a dumb **** would schedule oregon state for 2024 (or extend mark fox's contract)
cap
cal's dumb as **** athletic director has signed the 2024 oregon state contract as 1st reported here, knowlton's clueless enablers will tell you the beavers are a beatable team but reality is that they've been a nationally ranked team the last 2 years & with martinez returning at rb they will be a 50/50 game for the bears next season
james arthur knowlton signed the oregon state contract despite the acc commish telling him to schedule a mid major mid season to ensure as many acc teams as possible are bowl eligible
not sure colorado re: the specifics of the contract but can confirm cal will be playing oregon state in 2024
this is an absolutely mind boggling scheduling decision by the athletic director in playing a program that has been nationally ranked the last 2 seasons, that has beaten us 3 out of the last 4 years & that will view the game against us as a bitter rival that left them on the outskirts of the power 4 conferences
meanwhile knowlton is secretly borrowing tens of millions of dollars from the central campus instead of cutting teams/reducing his army of worthless bureaucrats, he's significantly underfunding the football program coaching & support staff including nutrition and the basketball program (despite a charismatic new head coach) is averaging LESS than 3,000 fans per game at haas & there's ZERO progress on the con artist's long promised but not delivered basketball practice facility
of course all of this will NOT be reported on by the bearinsider.com insiders
big c, lucky got a nfl strength leg but don't discount mateen's elite 2023 season: a perfect 27 of 27 on extra points and 8 of 9 on field goals including 2 of 2 on kicks over 40 yards
got to do the hang on the field with promising true freshman defensive back sailasa vadrawale from rohnert park who wuz also surrounded by his beautiful family
sai tole me that he weighed 160 lbs in high school, that he weighs 170 lbs right now & that he hopes to weigh 180+ lbs for 2024 spring ball
the surprising news is that the staff wants the ball hawk with elite closing speed to play safety
future bay areal california golden bear starter#
cal's monster class exclusive 2024 innovative defensive scheme update:
the california golden bears d under the direction of defensive coordinator peter sirmon are gonna play the quickest & smallest safeties in the nation during the 2024 season...with most acc teams playing some variation of a spread offense, this makes a lotta sense vs just playing ronnie lott sized safeties that are just too slow in covering +1 athletic wideouts
so in addition to the 170 lbs sai converting to safety, the disbarred cali law firm of brown, watson, brown & drayden has also extended an offer to transfer portal safety logan wilson from north texas who got 2 years of remaining eligibility & also weighs 170 lbs
reality is that elite tackling bears safety craig woodson got repeatedly burned by pac 12 tight ends all season usually running a couple of yards behind them in coverage...if craig declares for the nfl draft he's gonna get exposed by his 40 yard times at cal's pro day & his football career will be over in a ruthless billion dollar nfl biz that places a premium on safeties that can run electronically timed sub 4.5 40s...woodson choices are to unwisely declare for the nfl draft (he's on zero organization's draft boards) & be out of football, grad transfer to another school or return to berkeley & 100% focus on speed work technique/development with the s&c staff this spring/summer
yeah shocky's alma mater is gonna innovatively play d in 2024 while the monster passes the wawa while she alligator cries...is it time for shocky to move to nyc to be closer to life in the acc (and levain bakery)?
ultimate team player (always crying by himself away from his teammates after the trojans losses this season) caleb williams is not gonna play with his team in usc's holiday bowl against louisville, he got priorities
fight on (at the trap house)#
And his coach Lincoln Riley is already on his way to finding the next Big Thing.
Riley attended the Folsom vs Pittsburg game last weekend for the North Regional D1-A Final and offered sophomore Folsom QB, Ryder Lyons a scholarship. Lyons is 6-2 and 210 lbs.
Lyons is currently fielding interest from Oregon, Utah, Washington, Cal, BYU, and Notre Dame.
the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public university in the world (for those that walk briskly cuz they always be running late cuz they got a flip phone or something)
ultimate team player (always crying by himself away from his teammates after the trojans losses this season) caleb williams is not gonna play with his team in usc's holiday bowl against louisville, he got priorities
yeah coach wilcox wanted to check in with 3.91 gpa 2024 cal commit bj canady but don't tell nobody but today is a meal day for the intermittent fasting justin so the visit to buc-ee's for the turkey & ham sandwich on sourdough along with fresh fruit and a cup of warm sauted mushroom soup with a flavored no sugar water along with premium 91 for the avis wuz part of the recruiting trip
I watched a lot of Vadrawale's high school highlights because he was pretty much our only recruit for a while. Dude just kept making football play after football play -- every week. If he is even halfway fast, he's gonna be making plays for us before long. I'm a fan!
This Guy is my Hero 💕He’s been through so much for the love of a 🏈game but has kept his faith and persevered! God is so good and we’re so blessed😎Cal Bears 🐻 💯👌🏾🏈💯 pic.twitter.com/uXl8a2De11
2024 scholly roster departures: right now there are 18 PUBLIC departing bears, additional medical & football retirements along with transfer (including grad transfer) & nfl announcements which will be forthcoming after the bowl game
matthew cindric, center...out of eligibility...berkeley degrees w/haas biz school & masters education barrett miller, tackle...out of eligibility...stanford engineering degree & berkeley cert program isaiah ifanse, running back...out of eligibility...berkeley cert program monroe young, wide receiver...out of eligibility...berkeley degree brian hightower, wide receiver...out of eligibility...berkeley cert program darius long jr, defensive tackle...out of eligibility...berkeley degree jackson sirmon, inside linebacker...out of eligibility...berkeley haas global grad program david reese, inside linebacker...out of eligibility pending potential appeal for 7th season...berkeley cert program raymond woodie iii, safety...out of eligibility...berkeley degree patrick mcmorris, safety...out of eligibility...berkeley cert program ben finley, quarterback...grad transfer portal...berkeley cert program tyson mcwilliams, cornerback...grad transfer portal...berkeley degree brayden rohme, offensive tackle...grad transfer portal...berkeley degree kaleb elarms-orr, inside linebacker...transfer portal...no berkeley degree everett johnson, offensive tackle...grad transfer portal...berkeley degree blake antzoulatos, inside linebacker...grad transfer portal...berkeley degree king doerue, running back...football retirement...purdue degree jeremiah earby, cornerback...transfer portal...no berkeley degree
at the end of the day the # of scholly additions gotta equal the # of scholly departures for the 2024 season, got it?
yeah there wuz 36 scholly departures for the 2023 season
daniel scott, safety...out of eligibility, nfl indianapolis colts odua isibor, edge defender...out of eligiblity jamieson sheahan, punter...out of eligilbity darius long jr, defensive line...now a walk on for final semester, already earned berkeley degree kyle smith, inside linebacker...portal as grad transfer ryan puskas, inside linebacker...portal as grad transfer orin patu, edge defender...grad transfer to arizona patrick histake, edge defender...portal to hawaii...no berkeley degree henry ikahihifo, outside linebacker...portal to nevada...no berkeley degree braxton croteau, outside linebacker...medical retirement femi oladejo, linebacker...portal to ucla...no berkeley degree trey paster, linebacker...grad transfer to colorado state fatu iosefa, safety...portal to san mateo community college...no berkeley degree kaleb higgins, corner back...portal to sacramento state...no berkeley degree ben coleman, guard...grad transfer to asu spencer lovell, guard...grad transfer to kansas ryan lange, guard...football retirement, will earn berkeley degree jackson brown, tackle..portal to pitt...no berkeley degree jake muller, tight end...fooball retirement, will earn berkeley degree elijah mojarro, tight end...grad transfer to nevada nick alftin, tight end...portal as grad transfer keleki latu, tight end...portal to nevada...no berkeley degree jermaine terry, tight end...portal to oregon state...no berkeley degree j michael sturdivant, wide receiver...portal to ucla...no berkeley degree justin richard baker, wide receiver...medical retirement tommy christakos, wide receiver...medical retirement aiden lee, wide receiver...portal to garden city community college...no berkeley degree ashton hayes, running back...portal to nevada...no berkeley degree chris street, running back...portal to utah tech...no berkeley degree damien moore, running back...portal to fresno state...no berkeley degree decarlos brooks, running back...grad transfer portal to asu slater zellers, longsnapper...grad transfer to asu dario longhetto, kicker...grad transfer to asu jack plummer, quarterback...grad transfer to louisville kai milner, quarterback...portal to northern arizona...no berkeley degree zach johnson, quarterback...portal as grad transfer
durant, good stuff, he also got an offer from stanford as he's NOT a dumb azz
6'2" 237 lbs teddye buchanan is an absolute tackling machine from st ignatius high school (played qb in high school & got overlooked) & south san francisco who got 208 tackles & a ball hawking taker 8 interceptions at linebacker
would be fun to see buchanan in a bears uniform when they play the aggies in the fall of 2024
and yeah teddye got good hair for someone who plays like his hair is on fire
the following is my take based on multiple sources directly involved, ima very confident that all parties can come together with transparent communication and amicably resolve this situation
mateen wuz recruited out of san diego by then special teams analyst/coordinator michael barton
bhaghani took an unofficial visit to berkeley for the 2022 big game at memorial stadium...at the game he sat by 2024 elite punter kanyon floyd (asu commit with a full scholly) from horizon high school...on the flight back to phoenix that nite i sat by kanyon & his dad jeff...they tole me that coach barton tole them that while the scholly situation wuz not 100% determined for the 2023 season that any preferred walk on earning a starting position would be awarded a scholly the following season as is the practice at most power conferences
mateen accepted the cal preferred walk on offer & this season won the starting kicking position with a perfect 27 out of 27 extra points and 8 out of 9 field goals (including 4 ice in his veins kicks in the rose bowl) including 2 out of 2 from 40-49 yards
bhaghani handled kickoffs in only 1 game, his directions prior to the game wuz to "kick the ball to the right" which wuz not practiced during the preceding week...he had a poor kickoff in that game which gave the opponent very good field position
cal's special teams kicking is handled on a consulting basis by packers hall of famer ryan longwell (who is also an elite golfer) who travels to berkeley around once a month to work with the kickers
https://instagr.am/p/BliTs0pA7gs ryan (and not the staff or head coach) called mateen a couple of days ago & informed him that mateen will not be receiving a scholly in 2024 & that he intends to bring in his own guy for the scholly as longwell runs a kicking business...this obviously also has implications for the 2023 scholly kicker michael luckhurst
mateen luvs berkeley's educational opprotunties & as an excellent student is interested in following in the footsteps of shocky & nando in seeking admission to the world renowned haas undergraduate business school which opens nearly every door imaginable & is worth millions over a lifetime...he is well liked by the staff & teammates and is recognized as a hard working team player
bhaghani does not want to leave berkeley & would like to handle the kicking duties in the bears upcoming independence bowl game vs texas tech despite ucla already offering a roster spot for 2024
my take is that ryan wuz not aware of coach barton's promise that a preferred walk on winning the starting duties would be guaranteed a scholly the following season
wut needs to happen to amicably resolve this situation?
coach wilcox needs to touch base with coach barton to get clarification re: his conversations with mateen...then an in person meeting needs to be scheduled with mateen & his family with coach wilcox, coach so'oto, marshall cherrington & ryan longwell to transparently discuss solutions
there's absolutely no way mateen should be basically forced to leave the #1 ranked public university in the world
the following is my take based on multiple sources directly involved, ima very confident that all parties can come together with transparent communication and amicably resolve this situation
mateen wuz recruited out of san diego by then special teams analyst/coordinator michael barton
bhaghani took an unofficial visit to berkeley for the 2022 big game at memorial stadium...at the game he sat by 2024 elite punter kanyon floyd (asu commit with a full scholly) from horizon high school...on the flight back to phoenix that nite i sat by kanyon & his dad jeff...they tole me that coach barton tole them that while the scholly situation wuz not 100% determined for the 2023 season that any preferred walk on earning a starting position would be awarded a scholly the following season as is the practice at most power conferences
mateen accepted the cal preferred walk on offer & this season won the starting kicking position with a perfect 27 out of 27 extra points and 8 out of 9 field goals (including 4 ice in his veins kicks in the rose bowl) including 2 out of 2 from 40-49 yards
bhaghani handled kickoffs in only 1 game, his directions prior to the game wuz to "kick the ball to the right" which wuz not practiced during the preceding week...he had a poor kickoff in that game which gave the opponent very good field position
cal's special teams kicking is handled on a consulting basis by packers hall of famer ryan longwell (who is also an elite golfer) who travels to berkeley around once a month to work with the kickers
https://instagr.am/p/BliTs0pA7gs ryan (and not the staff or head coach) called mateen a couple of days ago & informed him that mateen will not be receiving a scholly in 2024 & that he intends to bring in his own guy for the scholly as longwell runs a kicking business...this obviously also has implications for the 2023 scholly kicker michael luckhurst
mateen luvs berkeley's educational opprotunties & as an excellent student is interested in following in the footsteps of shocky & nando in seeking admission to the world renowned haas undergraduate business school which opens nearly every door imaginable & is worth millions over a lifetime...he is well liked by the staff & teammates and is recognized as a hard working team player
bhaghani does not want to leave berkeley & would like to handle the kicking duties in the bears upcoming independence bowl game vs texas tech despite ucla already offering a roster spot for 2024
my take is that ryan wuz not aware of coach barton's promise that a preferred walk on winning the starting duties would be guaranteed a scholly the following season
wut needs to happen to amicably resolve this situation?
coach wilcox needs to touch base with coach barton to get clarification re: his conversations with mateen...then an in person meeting needs to be scheduled with mateen & his family with coach wilcox, coach so'oto, marshall cherrington & ryan longwell to transparently discuss solutions
there's absolutely no way mateen should be basically forced to leave the #1 ranked public university in the world
Thanks. That makes complete sense.
As an already admitted and enrolled PWO paying California in-state tuition, it might be strategic to get Mateen a "scholarship" (NIL covering tuition, room and board) from Cal Legends which would allow Wilcox to use the football scholarship on an out of state student athlete that would otherwise need more help with admissions.
Shocky, when you finish awarding scholarships to all these O-linemen and kickers/punters, is there going to be room for any other positions? Maybe like a one-deep?
Sorry, but IMO, a kicker deserves a scholly at this level when they have demonstrated they can make kicks, from distance, and also handle the kickoff duties, which MB couldn't do. Otherwise they can be a walk-on (which many kids would kill for).
Pretty good kickers are a dime a dozen. Really good ones are more valuable.
Shocky, when you finish awarding scholarships to all these O-linemen and kickers/punters, is there going to be room for any other positions? Maybe like a one-deep?
Sorry, but IMO, a kicker deserves a scholly at this level when they have demonstrated they can make kicks, from distance, and also handle the kickoff duties, which MB couldn't do. Otherwise they can be a walk-on (which many kids would kill for).
Pretty good kickers are a dime a dozen. Really good ones are more valuable.
I would feel bad for Mateen if Cal made a promise and didn't follow through. Though I question how Barton could make such a promise since; (i) he was a junior coach; and (ii) he had no idea how the scholly numbers would look after covid and if/how many other walk ons might also become starters. Barton was in no position to make a "promise' so my uninformed guess is Barton presented that scholly possibility as something "likely" rather than promised.
Beyond that - Mateen is NOT being forced to leave Cal. He is choosing to leave to get a scholly - which is totally understandable. But Mateen could have stayed - and still might. Getting him some NIL dollars seems like a great idea, but those are better spent elsewhere at least for now.
Cal/Longwell had the decency to tell him where he stands. Mateen has a choice to make and I wish him well (except when kicking against Cal).
Shocky, when you finish awarding scholarships to all these O-linemen and kickers/punters, is there going to be room for any other positions? Maybe like a one-deep?
Sorry, but IMO, a kicker deserves a scholly at this level when they have demonstrated they can make kicks, from distance, and also handle the kickoff duties, which MB couldn't do. Otherwise they can be a walk-on (which many kids would kill for).
Pretty good kickers are a dime a dozen. Really good ones are more valuable.
I would feel bad for Mateen if Cal made a promise and didn't follow through. Though I question how Barton could make such a promise since; (i) he was a junior coach; and (ii) he had no idea how the scholly numbers would look after covid and if/how many other walk ons might also become starters. Barton was in no position to make a "promise' so my uninformed guess is Barton presented that scholly possibility as something "likely" rather than promised.
Beyond that - Mateen is NOT being forced to leave Cal. He is choosing to leave to get a scholly - which is totally understandable. But Mateen could have stayed - and still might. Getting him some NIL dollars seems like a great idea, but those are better spent elsewhere at least for now.
Cal/Longwell had the decency to tell him where he stands. Mateen has a choice to make and I wish him well (except when kicking against Cal).
First, the fact he doesn't handle kickoffs is minor IMO. Traveccio (as I remember) had trouble putting KOs in the end zone, so if we had a guy that could do that on KOs instead, by all means give him that job. It does not detract from the value of a reliable FG kicker.
Second, Isn't Longwell a "kicking consultant" which (should be) less authoritative than a "junior assistant"?
That said, I have no issue with Cal telling Mateen what they can and cannot offer and Mateen checking out the Portal to see if he can do better. The only issue I have is that Mateen should know that his contribution to us getting to a bowl and Wilcox getting an extra $100,000 in bonuses as a result is appreciated and he is wanted and welcome back on the team, even though it would again be as a walk-on. We especially need him for the bowl game. Any talk of kicking him off the team as punishment for entering the Portal is self-defeating and not very appreciative of the fact he saved our season (and if we had started him sooner we would have gone 7-5 with a win over Auburn and would be playing in a better bowl).
ursine, the success of the cal football pwo program is built on a foundation of integrity in honoring scholly promises, ima still 100% confident that jack endries, trond grizzell & mateen bhaghani will receive 2024 schollys as a result of winning 2023 starting roles
https://instagr.am/p/BOTs5_CAt5s since the mateen backstory post i've been asked by a cal football staffer if i'd like to donate to nil to ensure bhaghani's status as a california golden bear
the reality is that ima not gonna work in any endeavors with those that terminated cal's monster class (the most read thread in the history of college basketball, when my love letter to cal basketball got censored jaylen brown among others joined me in walking away from any financial support of cal athletics) & that continue to enable james arthur knowlton's current path of running our sport teams into an existential financial iceberg
and with that being said that's a loss for the cal football & basketball programs, my fundraising for rescue doggys here in maricopa county is a multiple of the current aggregated nil fundraising for cal's revenue sports
