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2020 Cal Football/Bear Insider NorCal Recruiting Event Tues 2/18

February 13, 2020
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Come see Cal Recruiting Coordinator/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach Peter Sirmon narrate 2020 recruiting class highlight videos as well as hear Coach Sirmon and Bear Insider Editor Jim McGill field questions on the recruiting class and the program on Tuesday February 18. Doors open at 6:30 pm and program starts at 7. Light dinner and beverages will be served. Event will be held in Player Dining Room in Simpson Center. Parking is available next to the stadium in the stadium parking garage. Enter through center entrance of Simpson Center and proceed down hall to the event location.

Use the signup link below to RSVP as soon as possible.

Cal Football/Bear Insider NorCal Recruiting Event signup link

 

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2020 Cal Football/Bear Insider NorCal Recruiting Event Tues 2/18 -Sign up link

11,008 Views | 22 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by GivemTheAxe
MoragaBear
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5:10p, 2/13/20
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If you use the link at the bottom of the story, it should be open now.
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NVBear78
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8:09a, 2/14/20
Bummed, don't think I can make that day on such short notice. Hope the turnout is good.
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BearGreg
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5:04p, 2/15/20
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Hope everyone can make it
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hanky1
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5:28p, 2/15/20
Is there a SoCal one?
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BearGreg
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9:18a, 2/17/20
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Not planned for the moment.

These are great events where you don't have to be a big donor to attend. Take advantage of the coaches and MoragaBear being there and sign up.

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BearGreg
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5:32p, 2/18/20
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Correction: We will have a SoCal event. Stay tuned.

Hope everyone can make it tonight at 630pm - Zachary's Pizza and some quality time with Coach Sirmon and the BI staff. Remember, you don't have to be a donor or even a season ticket holder to get access.
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CalFan777
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5:49p, 2/18/20
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.
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GivemTheAxe
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In reply to CalFan777 • 1:14a, 2/19/20
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
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Bobodeluxe
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In reply to GivemTheAxe • 8:07a, 2/19/20
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
Word for word at every event over the last couple of decades.
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71Bear
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In reply to GivemTheAxe • 10:03a, 2/19/20
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
With all due respect, I believe the following comment requires some context...

"Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important."

Taken at face value, that comment is utterly laughable.

Football is a competitive sport. In order to win consistently at the highest level of the game, you need superior athletes. Period.

To suggest that Wilcox believes acquiring superior talent is "not all-important" is ridiculous. Heck, if that were the case, why does Cal even field a team. Why not drop down to Division 2 and play schools that focus on developing the next Wall Street mogul ahead of championship football.

Having said that, I believe fit is a critical factor, character is important, etc. but all in the context of talent. Bottom line - Cal will never compete for championships without first improving the talent base. Wilcox knows that, Sirmon knows that. We all know that.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that possessing good/great skills are "not all-important". Yikes!

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GivemTheAxe
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In reply to Bobodeluxe • 10:06a, 2/19/20
Bobodeluxe said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
Word for word at every event over the last couple of decades.

Maybe so. But having watched how JW has built up this team over the fast few years, I believe that JW and his recruiting staff really practice what they preach.
So when we complain about JW not recruiting enough 4* or 5* players, we should stop and think: maybe there's a reason why. Maybe he and his recruiters are not as blinded by how many stars a player has as we are.
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GivemTheAxe
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In reply to 71Bear • 10:12a, 2/19/20
71Bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
With all due respect, I believe the following comment requires some context...

"Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important."

Taken at face value, that comment is utterly laughable.

Football is a competitive sport. In order to win consistently at the highest level of the game, you need superior athletes. Period.

To suggest that Wilcox believes acquiring superior talent is "not all-important" is ridiculous. Heck, if that were the case, why does Cal even field a team. Why not drop down to Division 2 and play schools that focus on developing the next Wall Street mogul ahead of championship football.

Having said that, I believe fit is a critical factor, character is important, etc. but all in the context of talent. Bottom line - Cal will never compete for championships without first improving the talent base. Wilcox knows that, Sirmon knows that. We all know that.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that possessing good/great skills are "not all-important". Yikes!


Sirmon said talent was important. We need to compete with the highest levels in the PAC12.
But his final comments led be to understand "talent" was not "all-important". He would not recruit a player who had great "talent" but was lacking in the other criteria.

When reviewing a number of the recruits he not only commented on their athleticism but he pointed out other positive personal traits that made him stand out (besides his talent): this guy is a leader, this guy never quits, this guy has developed a lot as a player, this guy is really easy to get along with and plays the game with a smile; this guy is smart and really motivated; this guy really wanted to come to Cal to get a good education.
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GivemTheAxe
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In reply to BearGreg • 10:24a, 2/19/20
BearGreg said:
Correction: We will have a SoCal event. Stay tuned.

Hope everyone can make it tonight at 630pm - Zachary's Pizza and some quality time with Coach Sirmon and the BI staff. Remember, you don't have to be a donor or even a season ticket holder to get access.


As my final comment. The Zachary's pizza by itself was clearly worth the price of admission.

Good job.
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OdontoBear66
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In reply to GivemTheAxe • 10:42a, 2/19/20
GivemTheAxe said:
Bobodeluxe said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
Word for word at every event over the last couple of decades.

Maybe so. But having watched how JW has built up this team over the fast few years, I believe that JW and his recruiting staff really practice what they preach.
So when we complain about JW not recruiting enough 4* or 5* players, we should stop and think: maybe there's a reason why. Maybe he and his recruiters are not as blinded by how many stars a player has as we are.
I think we would give our eye teeth to be like Wisconsin was for years, and they did it just like described above. In my wildest dreams I cannot imagine us like Alabama, but Michigan or Wisconsin is very feasible. Some 4/5 stars the bulk of 3+stars that harmonize would get us there.
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GATC
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In reply to 71Bear • 11:15a, 2/19/20
71Bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
With all due respect, I believe the following comment requires some context...

"Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important."

Taken at face value, that comment is utterly laughable.

Football is a competitive sport. In order to win consistently at the highest level of the game, you need superior athletes. Period.

To suggest that Wilcox believes acquiring superior talent is "not all-important" is ridiculous. Heck, if that were the case, why does Cal even field a team. Why not drop down to Division 2 and play schools that focus on developing the next Wall Street mogul ahead of championship football.

Having said that, I believe fit is a critical factor, character is important, etc. but all in the context of talent. Bottom line - Cal will never compete for championships without first improving the talent base. Wilcox knows that, Sirmon knows that. We all know that.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that possessing good/great skills are "not all-important". Yikes!

Agree with GivemTheAxe - Sirmon was great. Got a lot of insight and great inside information. 71Bear too bad you weren't there.
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71Bear
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In reply to GATC • 2:12p, 2/19/20
GATC said:
71Bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
With all due respect, I believe the following comment requires some context...

"Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important."

Taken at face value, that comment is utterly laughable.

Football is a competitive sport. In order to win consistently at the highest level of the game, you need superior athletes. Period.

To suggest that Wilcox believes acquiring superior talent is "not all-important" is ridiculous. Heck, if that were the case, why does Cal even field a team. Why not drop down to Division 2 and play schools that focus on developing the next Wall Street mogul ahead of championship football.

Having said that, I believe fit is a critical factor, character is important, etc. but all in the context of talent. Bottom line - Cal will never compete for championships without first improving the talent base. Wilcox knows that, Sirmon knows that. We all know that.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that possessing good/great skills are "not all-important". Yikes!

Agree with GivemTheAxe - Sirmon was great. Got a lot of insight and great inside information. 71Bear too bad you weren't there.
Along with Chris Avery, I co-hosted my share of these gatherings over the years. Time to step aside....
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CalFan777
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In reply to 71Bear • 4:58p, 2/19/20
71Bear said:
GivemTheAxe said:
CalFan777 said:
Coach Sirmon is hanging out with people like us on his birthday? You all better be gracious towards him tonight.

He was great. He also made comments that implicitly gave me his take on an issue long discussed on this board: do stars matter in recruiting?
He said the biggest thing he looked for was did the recruit "fit" into the team's long term goals and needs. Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important. Some of his comments during the program I also understood to mean he Valued: character, effort, leadership, and the ability to learn and grow as a player.
With all due respect, I believe the following comment requires some context...

"Being a good/great player with good skills was important. But not all-important."

Taken at face value, that comment is utterly laughable.

Football is a competitive sport. In order to win consistently at the highest level of the game, you need superior athletes. Period.

To suggest that Wilcox believes acquiring superior talent is "not all-important" is ridiculous. Heck, if that were the case, why does Cal even field a team. Why not drop down to Division 2 and play schools that focus on developing the next Wall Street mogul ahead of championship football.

Having said that, I believe fit is a critical factor, character is important, etc. but all in the context of talent. Bottom line - Cal will never compete for championships without first improving the talent base. Wilcox knows that, Sirmon knows that. We all know that.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that possessing good/great skills are "not all-important". Yikes!

A blue chip recruit that ends up transferring is worse than a red chip recruit that stays and develops. The blue chip transferring also makes getting roster balance harder.

A blue chip recruit that does not stay eligible takes up a roster spot and hurts our APR. This can negatively effect recruiting too.

A blue chip recruit that does not love football and isn't naturally competitive might never develop and/or drop out of the program.
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CalFan777
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In reply to CalFan777 • 5:06p, 2/19/20
That said, a number of programs have built very strong football programs without Top 10 classes every year. Wisconsin is the best example. Iowa and Michigan St. are good examples. Washington and Stanford probably count as well: neither had close to Top 10 recruiting talent when they made the playoff or would have made the playoff if it existed. The goal should be to get the most talent possible so long as that talent will stay in the program and graduate (or go to the NFL in three years).
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79 Bear
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5:35p, 2/19/20
We had some blue chippers that were not good fits come into the program about ten years ago. Didn't work out too well in terms of wins and losses (or otherwise). As I understand it our current coaches look to recruit according to need, talent, character and fit. Included within that is academic qualification. Coming from a winning program is also a good part of it, since a history of winning at one level tends to carry over to the next. Coach also said they want players who love playing the game. The premise is that when you get a team of players with this combination of talent and personal attributes you are building a winning program. I think that's a great approach.
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Lomiton
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In reply to CalFan777 • 7:21p, 2/19/20
Character matters in that there is almost no way that a player, as part of the team, as an individual or even in the classroom, won't face some sort of adversity at some point.

Can they handle losing? Getting benched? Getting beat on a play? Getting hurt? Playing hard every play? Playing within the system? Behaving in their off time? Getting their school work done? Continually striving to get better? Can they handle personal and team success? The questions go on and on.

Stars matter because football knowledgeable people overall do a decent job at projecting a high schooler's athletic potential. What they can't answer is the character part because the next level is the great "unknown." Personally I could care less what a HS coach or some rater says about this - because until the bullets start flying at the next level, NO ONE, including the kid himself has any idea as to how he will truly respond.

Making the educated guess as to what a young man has inside AND being prepared to provide an atmosphere of success, even if there is a stumble or two, is the job of the coaching staff. And even the good ones don't win them all.

Without talent it doesn't matter. Without the character component, it won't matter either. No matter how many the stars or how much the potential.

Fingers crossed...

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NYCalBear
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In reply to BearGreg • 9:01p, 2/19/20
Any updates on when the SoCal event will be?
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GivemTheAxe
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In reply to Lomiton • 12:00a, 2/20/20
Lomiton said:
Character matters in that there is almost no way that a player, as part of the team, as an individual or even in the classroom, won't face some sort of adversity at some point.

Can they handle losing? Getting benched? Getting beat on a play? Getting hurt? Playing hard every play? Playing within the system? Behaving in their off time? Getting their school work done? Continually striving to get better? Can they handle personal and team success? The questions go on and on.

Stars matter because football knowledgeable people overall do a decent job at projecting a high schooler's athletic potential. What they can't answer is the character part because the next level is the great "unknown." Personally I could care less what a HS coach or some rater says about this - because until the bullets start flying at the next level, NO ONE, including the kid himself has any idea as to how he will truly respond.

Making the educated guess as to what a young man has inside AND being prepared to provide an atmosphere of success, even if there is a stumble or two, is the job of the coaching staff. And even the good ones don't win them all.

Without talent it doesn't matter. Without the character component, it won't matter either. No matter how many the stars or how much the potential.

Fingers crossed...


Well said.
At the event I asked whether Polk's great performance in 2019 was as much a surprise to the recruiters as it was to me.
Moraga agreed that it was somewhat unexpected.

He said that in HS Polk during games was always on the field doing something. He knew Polk was a very hard worker willing to do anything and everything. That's what made him stand out.

Moraga thought that Polk was so overworked and tired that his natural talent was not properly displayed.
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