Quite frankly, this class is disappointing. It isn't a "sky is falling" disappointment but it should have been better. Wilcox is a great coach in most aspects of the job. The #1 unknown is whether he can recruit. To date, that is still an unanswered question.AunBear89 said:
Might as well get this started. The coaches can't recruit! What are they thinking? Bunch of second and third choices. Fire the entire staff. We're Cal and we can't have nice stuff.
Did I miss anything? Obsessing on the decisions of teen-age boys is fun!
It's early to say this year's class is a disaster, but it's looking like Wilcox will have to pull off another winning year or two with so-so talent before we can start landing bigger fish. That's never easy but I like our chances - he's already shown this year that he can do more with less.71Bear said:
Quite frankly, this class is disappointing. It isn't a "sky is falling" disappointment but it should have been better. Wilcox is a great coach in most aspects of the job. The #1 unknown is whether he can recruit. To date, that is still an unanswered question.
One of the primary reasons why Cal has been so crappy over the last decade - lousy recruiting. Having said that, I guess the sky was falling all those years.
Agree...sky isn't falling. Of course I'd like to see Cal recruit well but we have to be honest - Cal is still in a rebuilding phase and you don't get the best recruits until you're winning or have a perennial top 25 program. I was thinking the same thing - it's going to take a another year or two of winning before the better recruits sign on.510 Bear said:It's early to say this year's class is a disaster, but it's looking like Wilcox will have to pull off another winning year or two with so-so talent before we can start landing bigger fish. That's never easy but I like our chances - he's already shown this year that he can do more with less.71Bear said:
Quite frankly, this class is disappointing. It isn't a "sky is falling" disappointment but it should have been better. Wilcox is a great coach in most aspects of the job. The #1 unknown is whether he can recruit. To date, that is still an unanswered question.
One of the primary reasons why Cal has been so crappy over the last decade - lousy recruiting. Having said that, I guess the sky was falling all those years.
THE SKY IS NOT FALLING
This is the second year that an early signing date is in effective for all recruits. In the past, the December date was reserved for JC's only. Last year, roughly 75% of all recruits signing an LOI signed in December. This year, the figure should be in that ballpark.bearsandgiants said:
when did early signings become more important than february signing day?
Well, aUNbear89 is ugly.Bobodeluxe said:
The red hair is ugly...
The records at Rivals go back to 2002. Since then, this is the first time that Cal has not signed at least one four star from the state of California.StarsDoMatter said:
The sky is not falling. It's not pretty either..
We whiffed on tons of elite Nor-Cal recruits (well, all of them). We whiffed on every 4-star in the state of California. Has that ever happened before? Now, we're back door covering our butts with transfers and JCs. 5 TX, 5 AZ commits. So much for locking down CA.
This caught my attention: William Jones flipped from us to K-State (to a coach who's been on the job for 3 days)
The sky is not falling, but this staff isn't scaring anyone in the pac-12 with their recruiting acumen.
I think Wilcox is looking for more than just kids who want to attend Cal. In addition to the desire to play for the Bears, I believe he is looking for kids with the talent to play against P5 competition.I Bear said:
Geez, some of y'all would be upset if we signed clones of Aaron, Marshawn, Bishop & Jahvid. The program is moving forward in a positive direction, which wasn't the case with Sonny or the last year's of JT. JW can't make kids come here regardless of how great we think CAL is! This is in fact a great class simply because the young men who signed up WANTED to be here! Now it's time for the coaches to get the max from the kids and it's time for us to back the program!
71Bear said:This is the second year that an early signing date is in effective for all recruits. In the past, the December date was reserved for JC's only. Last year, roughly 75% of all recruits signing an LOI signed in December. This year, the figure should be in that ballpark.bearsandgiants said:
when did early signings become more important than february signing day?
bluedud said:Blueblood said:Well, aUNbear89 is ugly.Bobodeluxe said:
The red hair is ugly...
Fair enough, can't hide from the truth. But again, unless you're a perennial top 25 team, or on a major upward trajectory, you're not going to get 4 or 5 star guys, not with the current academic requirements and not without a winning program.StarsDoMatter said:
The sky is not falling. It's not pretty either..
We whiffed on tons of elite Nor-Cal recruits (well, all of them). We whiffed on every 4-star in the state of California. Has that ever happened before? Now, we're back door covering our butts with transfers and JCs. 5 TX, 5 AZ commits. So much for locking down CA.
This caught my attention: William Jones flipped from us to K-State (to a coach who's been on the job for 3 days)
The sky is not falling, but this staff isn't scaring anyone in the pac-12 with their recruiting acumen.
A couple of things to keep in mind:71Bear said:The records at Rivals go back to 2002. Since then, this is the first time that Cal has not signed at least one four star from the state of California.StarsDoMatter said:
The sky is not falling. It's not pretty either..
We whiffed on tons of elite Nor-Cal recruits (well, all of them). We whiffed on every 4-star in the state of California. Has that ever happened before? Now, we're back door covering our butts with transfers and JCs. 5 TX, 5 AZ commits. So much for locking down CA.
This caught my attention: William Jones flipped from us to K-State (to a coach who's been on the job for 3 days)
The sky is not falling, but this staff isn't scaring anyone in the pac-12 with their recruiting acumen.
The elephant in the room: ACADEMICS, not a jock school, not a FB school...scary competition that can grind up the best. Sure those are excuses but if you're honest, that has to run through a kids mind. Heck it ran through my mind when I got to Cal...these f*ckers are smart, ALL OF THEM, what did I get myself into. (Okay later I figured out some were also dumb or weirdos but could do the school work.)510 Bear said:
One thing I also wonder about: is there a P5 program that has a comparable level of W-L success over the last decade but is succeeding on the recruiting trail more than we are? If there are a few such programs, then yeah, our staff's recruiting abilities are suspect.
Yeah, I'm not sure why some are saying our JC/transfer recruits are some kind of desperation plan Z. We seem to have landed some decent talent that, unlike all the HS kids, can contribute right away. Many on this board were saying Wilcox & co need to mine that route this year, and they did.Another Bear said:
Any way, one positive thing I see in all this is the Juco recruiting. JC recruits are a build in advantage to Cal and the staff figured that out. The JC and transfers recruits look strong.
I guess if your goal is to be middle of the pack (behind the five schools you mentioned), then there should be zero disappointment. However, if the goal is to be at the top, Cal needs to do a LOT better on the recruiting trail. I expected much more progress this year. Also, Modster and Crawford are used merchandise. They may work out but they are not shiny and new. The statement that Cal failed to sign any four stars from the state stands. Lastly, Crawford is a transfer not a bounce back.BearGreg said:A couple of things to keep in mind:71Bear said:The records at Rivals go back to 2002. Since then, this is the first time that Cal has not signed at least one four star from the state of California.StarsDoMatter said:
The sky is not falling. It's not pretty either..
We whiffed on tons of elite Nor-Cal recruits (well, all of them). We whiffed on every 4-star in the state of California. Has that ever happened before? Now, we're back door covering our butts with transfers and JCs. 5 TX, 5 AZ commits. So much for locking down CA.
This caught my attention: William Jones flipped from us to K-State (to a coach who's been on the job for 3 days)
The sky is not falling, but this staff isn't scaring anyone in the pac-12 with their recruiting acumen.
- Cal will sign two California 4 Stars in the form of bounce backs Devon Modster and Kekoa Crawford
- This is a large class - 28 players and will likely come out at just over 3 stars per player, behind only UW, Oregon, USC, Stanford and Utah in the Pac 12.
- In 2018, Cal finished 9th in the Pac 12 with a 2.82 average stars per player class so progress is clear
- In 30 years of following Football recruiting and talking to college coaches all over the country, one thing becomes clear: It's never about who you miss on, it's all about whether the players you do get can contribute towards a 10+ win team.
I guess the fact that Stanford signed four players, including two four stars, from the Bay Area doesn't count.Another Bear said:The elephant in the room: ACADEMICS, not a jock school, not a FB school...scary competition that can grind up the best. Sure those are excuses but if you're honest, that has to run through a kids mind. Heck it ran through my mind when I got to Cal...these f*ckers are smart, ALL OF THEM, what did I get myself into. (Okay later I figured out some were also dumb or weirdos but could do the school work.)510 Bear said:
One thing I also wonder about: is there a P5 program that has a comparable level of W-L success over the last decade but is succeeding on the recruiting trail more than we are? If there are a few such programs, then yeah, our staff's recruiting abilities are suspect.
Stanfurd has worked around this by going national and offering up stuff that only uber funded private schools can offer, like access to programs that don't require special admission like Haas.
Any way, one positive thing I see in all this is the Juco recruiting. JC recruits are a build in advantage to Cal and the staff figured that out. The JC and transfers recruits look strong.
The new recruits will surely be upbeat, positive after reading this threadStarsDoMatter said:
The sky is not falling. It's not pretty either..
We whiffed on tons of elite Nor-Cal recruits (well, all of them). We whiffed on every 4-star in the state of California. Has that ever happened before? Now, we're back door covering our butts with transfers and JCs. 5 TX, 5 AZ commits. So much for locking down CA.
This caught my attention: William Jones flipped from us to K-State (to a coach who's been on the job for 3 days)
The sky is not falling, but this staff isn't scaring anyone in the pac-12 with their recruiting acumen.
If it were only HS recruits, yes I'd say Cal had a down year but given the JC and transfers, I think it's a good class. Got a RB, WR, QB and OLB...all ready to play. I think the added maturity bumps things up half a star, or at the last should be noted. Things can always better but Cal filled needs and potentially saves a year or two of development.510 Bear said:Yeah, I'm not sure why some are saying our JC/transfer recruits are some kind of desperation plan Z. We seem to have landed some decent talent that, unlike all the HS kids, can contribute right away. Many on this board were saying Wilcox & co need to mine that route this year, and they did.Another Bear said:
Any way, one positive thing I see in all this is the Juco recruiting. JC recruits are a build in advantage to Cal and the staff figured that out. The JC and transfers recruits look strong.
