RollOnYouAll said:

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on 7/18/24
Taking a quick peek beyond 2025, my way too early hopes are for prospective top recruits Rylee Erisman (brother Ryan's coming to Cal in 2025)

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RollOnYouAll said:

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on 8/21/24
Perhaps even a "way too early" thread for the 2027 recruiting class lol - at least on the girls' side, a few early standouts are Rylee Erisman and Audrey Derivaux, both competing in the 2024 Junior Pan Pac Championships that's currently in progress...

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RollOnYouAll said:

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on 11/14/24
Jonny Newsom: "Hoping she follows her brother to Cal. "

https://f5s-img.s3.amazonaws.com/008/cd/36/cd36a0b5c43365194ce79f6c2c838ff1b7a785f4_1272320_u17800.jpg

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Way Too Early Recruit Rankings: Girls' High School Class of 2027


1. Audrey Derivaux Jersey Wahoos Haddonfield Memorial High School Haddonfield, NJ
Best Times:

• 400 IM: 4:03.31 (best in class)
• 200 IM: 1:55.24 (best in class)
• 200 back: 1:50.91 (best in class)
• 200 fly: 1:52.78 (best in class)
• 100 fly: 51.73 (best in class)
• 1000 free: 9:40.62 (best in class)

At 15, Derivaux is already one of the best medley swimmers in the country, and she towers over this class, owning the fastest time in six events, four of them by a wide margin.

...

The Jersey Wahoos' product is already fast enough to be an NCAA 'A' finalist in the 200 fly and 400 IM, and she's also in scoring position in the 200 back and 200 IM. Her freestyle best times of 22.73, 49.27 and 1:45.20 in the 50, 100 and 200 indicate she'll be a future relay contributor, no doubt. With the improvement curve she's on, and her abilities across all strokes and all disciplines, the sky is the limit.

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2. Rylee Erisman Windermere Lakers Windermere High School Windermere, FL
Best Times:

• 100 free: 46.69 (best in class)
• 50 free: 21.61 (best in class)
• 200 free: 1:43.51 (best in class)
• 500 free: 4:43.35 (best in class)
• 100 back: 51.36 (best in class)

Arguably the best sprint free prospect the U.S. has ever seen, Erisman is the fastest 16 & under American ever in the 100 free, owning the girls' 15-16 NAG record of 46.69, which was set while she was just 15. For context, that time would've placed 4th at the 2025 NCAA Championships, only trailing Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and coming just .01 back of Camille Spink.

Erisman is also elite in the 50 free, as her lifetime best of 21.61 ranks 2nd all-time in the girls' 15-16 age group and gives her two events fast enough to make the NCAA 'A' final last season.

The Laker Swim product is also the fastest swimmer in the class in the 200 free (1:43.51), 500 free (4:43.35) and 100 back (51.36), and her times in the 200 back (1:54.28) and 200 IM (1:57.54) also rank right at the top. She's also the fastest 15-year-old ever in the 100 free in long course meters, and currently ranks 2nd in the 50 free, 4th in the 100 free and 5th in the 200 free all-time in the 15-16 age group.

By the time she enters college, Erisman will be a legitimate title threat in the 50 and 100 free, and probably the 200 free, making her a likely 50-plus point scorer individually right from the jump, not to mention the ability she'll have to change her team's relay fortunes.

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Number of outstanding local or in state talent in this class (from Pleasanton, Santa Clara, Cerritos etc), the heavyweight here being Luka Mijatovic...

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Way Too Early Recruit Rankings: Boys' High School Class of 2027


1. Luka Mijatovic Pleasanton Seahawks Foothill High School (Pleasanton) Pleasanton, CA
Best Times:

• 500 free: 4:10.96 (best in class)
• 1650 free: 14:37.63 (best in class)
• 1000 free: 8:42.45 (best in class)
• 200 free: 1:33.52 (best in class)
• 400 IM: 3:41.76 (best in class)

Mijatovic is already a World Championship Qualifier, a two-time U.S. Nationals finalist and is faster in the 200/400 free than Michael Phelps was when he was two years older. In short course, he displays an unmatched versatility, and he just went 1:45.9/3:45.7 in the 200/400 free in long course, times that are beyond phenomenal, even more so for a high school sophomore.

Mijatovic would have scored in the 500 and 1650 freestyles at this year's NCAAs, two events where we rarely see high schoolers with scoring times.

He also owns the fastest 200 free time, the only one under 1:35, and the fastest 400 IM by six seconds.

He owns top-five times in the class in every stroke and can come down all the way to the 50 free (20.66). His 43.65 100 free is second to Luke Vatev by just 0.15 seconds, and he's quick enough in the 100 fly to be a potential relay contributor down the line.

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According to the interview video below, #2 recruit Rylee Erisman's recruiting process has been going well since June 15, and she'll be making her first campus visit this weekend (the official visit period begins as early as August 1):

16-Year-Old Rylee Erisman Recalls Lessons Learned at US Trials, World Jr Championships

Erisman was at Michigan last weekend.

Recruits were at USC and Florida over Labor Day weekend, while NC State and Michigan hosted swimmers this past weekend.

Cal men had a couple of international recruits recently, most notably Owen Ekk (Canada, but based in Florida), Jacob Mills (GB) and Abdul Jabar Adama (Nigeria, based in GB). All 3 were standouts at Junior Worlds in Romania last month

swimmer19 said:

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Erisman was at Michigan last weekend.

Recruits were at USC and Florida over Labor Day weekend, while NC State and Michigan hosted swimmers this past weekend.

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Both Rylee Erisman & Audrey Derivaux spotted at Legends Aquatic Center today, yay!

OBear073akaSMFan said:

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swimmer19 said:

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Solid group of recruits on campus this weekend, in addition to Derivaux and Erisman:
- Ines Arnall (SwimSwam #19)
- Sofia Szymanowski (HM)
- Rowyn Wilber (BOTR)
- Alba Arnall (BOTR)

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Terrific football game they were able to attend. .

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Also in attendance, 2026 commits! (may have missed a few?)
- #5 Kelsey Zhang
- #9 Ava De Anda
- Egle Salu (Estonia)

- #1 Baylor Stanton
- #5 Tim Wu
- Jordan Ragland (HM)

Last but certainly not least, the top recruit for 2017!
- #1 Luka Mijatovic

RollOnYouAll said:

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swimmer19 said:

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Solid group of recruits on campus this weekend, in addition to Derivaux and Erisman:
- Ines Arnall (SwimSwam #19)
- Sofia Szymanowski (HM)
- Rowyn Wilber (BOTR)
- Alba Arnall (BOTR)

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Last but certainly not least, the top recruit for 2017!
- #1 Luka Mijatovic

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...Interesting conversation in the comments to this Swimswam article:

#20 Ellis Crisci Kicks Off Texas Men's Recruiting Class For Fall 2027

Bobthebuilderrocks:
"Also, Luka in the comments throwing up the horns"

JeahBrah:
"With roster spots tight in the future, Crisci getting a spot may mean Bob knows Texas isn't getting Luka"

Go Bears:
"He (Luka) has also been at Cal back to back weekends. We shall see!"

Bobthebuilderrocks:
"I figure you were there in person, but I saw some of the pictures online and I can't remember the last time I actually saw Dave Durden on a social media post. Thought that was noteworthy"

Go Bears:
"Yeah, I saw him on campus with his parents last weekend. So I was surprised/ encouraged to see him back this past weekend via social media, with a bunch of the 2026 commits and high pri 2027 targets.

But… I'm certainly not counting Bowman out. Would not be surprised if he lands at Texas."

Bobthebuilderrocks:
"It's interesting because I feel like the pull to Texas is the mid-d group (all due respect to Noah Yanchulis and whoever works the mid-d guys at Cal, I think Gabriel Jett at US Nationals was awesome) and the pull to Cal is probably the fact that his mom went there and as someone who lived in the Bay Area, I know that like 99% of the little kids in the area that show some talent and are fast want to go to Cal. I'm very interested to see where he goes.

I also saw Rylee Erisman on some posts and I'm very intrigued to see what Dave^2 & co can do with the women's team. I knew Teri a little (emphasis on a little) so when all that stuff came out it was a huge bummer to see but to see the turn-around the Cal women might have is very fun. Similar to my thoughts last season when Bob came in for Texas but obviously this will be to a greater extent seeing as it's been a while since the Cal women were on top"

Go Bears:
"I see it the same way. I'd feel a lot more confident if he were a sprinter or backstroker. But beating Bowman/Texas for an elite (generational?) mid-d recruit will be no easy feat, even with Luka's Cal ties.

Yeah, Rylee and Audrey Deriveaux were both visiting this past weekend. Amazing how well Dave^2 have been recruiting on the women's side after the Terry scandal. They have completely revitalized the program in 2-3 years."

Crooked lane lines:
"It's also the Josh factor. No matter your opinion on him, he is an amazing recruiter"

Go Bears:
"True! And Noah seems like a rising star as well."

ArtVanDeLegh10:
"I'm not surprised. Both Dave and David are two of the best coaches/recruiters out there."

Bobthebuilderrocks:
"I kinda get the feeling Cal will nab Erisman and Deriveaux, curious to see what happens

Talking about Luka being generational, you reminded me of this article:
https://swimswam.com/top-ncaa-mens-swimming-recruits-of-the-past-decade/

Probably top 3 coolest article swimswam's ever put out"

Swimswam's #3 ranked Sadie Buckley is on campus this weekend.

"Buckley is a Ryan Lochte/Katinka Hosszu type swimmer with both IMs and the 200 back being her clear top-three events, though she's strong elsewhere. Buckley's best times of 1:51.99 in the 200 back, 1:56.45 in the 200 IM and 4:07.87 in the 400 IM are all under the 2025 NCAA cutline and rank 2nd in the class behind Audrey Derivaux.

Buckley had a big performance at the U.S. Open in December, winning the 400 IM in her current PB while also setting best times in the 200 back (1:53.14), 200 IM (1:58.65), 100 free (50.80) and 200 free (1:48.20). She then caught fire again at the NCSA Spring Championships in March, setting new lifetime bests in the 200 free (1:46.72), 500 free (4:44.85), 200 back (1:51.99), 200 fly (1:59.33) and 200 IM (1:56.45).

Buckley's momentum has continued into the 2025 long course season, highlighted by new bests in the 200 back (2:10.16) and 200 IM (2:15.09). Looking at how close she is to NCAA scoring range, Buckley's 200 back is within a quarter of a second (1:51.75), while her 400 IM is within six-tenths (4:07.29)."

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Meanwhile, visitors @ Texas this weekend (I'm still hopeful for these potential Baby bears though!):
#1 Luka Mijatovic
#1 Audrey Deriveaux
#2 Rylee Erisman
#8 Daisy Collins

A few other recruiting trips:
#13 Abby Chan & #19 Ines Arnall & BOTR Rowyn Wilber @ Stanford
HM Sofia Szymanowski + half a dozen visitors @ Virginia
#9 Carly Afanasewicz @ Michigan
#14 Izzy Riva @ Harvard


HM = Swimswam's "Honorable Mention"
BOTR = Swimswam's "Best Of The Rest"

A couple of guys to keep an eye on:

Luke Vatev: SwimSwam's #2 recruit, sprint-mid free/back/fly. Cal's on his list (either visited recently or has an upcoming trip). Older brother Matt is committed to UPenn for next fall.

Collin Holgerson: #4 recruit, backstroker with the top 100 breast time in the 2027 cohort. Visited Cal several weekends ago.

Both guys were at Stanford a couple weeks ago, alongside #8 Brady Campbell, #10 Owen Ekk, #15 Connor Christopherson, and #16 Anthony Dornoff. Holgerson also visited Tennessee and Michigan

EDIT (9/29): Holgerson has committed to Tennessee

This may be premature, but it looks like Bears have our very first commit from the recruiting class of 2027, apparently on the men's side.

Dare I hope for ... #1 Luka Mijatovic ?

... stay tuned for the official announcement(s)!

9-year old Luka Mijatovic back in 2019:

RollOnYouAll said:

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This may be premature, but it looks like Bears have our very first commit from the recruiting class of 2027, apparently on the men's side.

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SwimSwam #5 Davis Jackson (TAC Titans/Raleigh, NC) announced his verbal. Welcome!

Jackson is the #4 all time 15-16 year old in the 200 back (1:41.2), which is the top time of the 2027 cohort. He's on the US National Junior Team in the 100 back, and also has potential in the 100 fly and both IM distances.

swimmer19 said:

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RollOnYouAll said:

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This may be premature, but it looks like Bears have our very first commit from the recruiting class of 2027, apparently on the men's side.

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SwimSwam #5 Davis Jackson (TAC Titans/Raleigh, NC) announced his verbal. Welcome!

Jackson is the #4 all time 15-16 year old in the 200 back (1:41.2), which is the top time of the 2027 cohort. He's on the US National Junior Team in the 100 back, and also has potential in the 100 fly and both IM distances.

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Davis Jackson, the #5 Recruit in the Class of 2027, Verbally Commits to Cal

Davis Jackson from Raleigh, North Carolina, has announced his verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley,

Quote:

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"After strong consideration, I am filled with gratitude to announce that I will be verbally committing to continue my academic and athletic journey at the University of California, Berkeley! First of all, I would like to thank all my family and friends who have helped support me throughout my swimming endeavor. I would also like to thank Coach Rob, Matt, Bruce, and Blake who have all played a strong role in aiding me towards getting to this point in my swim career. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Dave, Josh, and the rest of the coaching staff at Cal who have been extremely helpful to me and my family throughout this extensive process, as well as giving me this opportunity to further my swimming career. I am strongly looking forward to being a part of this team and seeing what it has in store for the future! Let's Go Bears!"

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A junior at Leesville Road High School, Jackson swims for his school and the club team TAC Titans. He specializes in backstroke and IM and leads the cohort in the 200 back with 1:41.91, making him a good fit for the Golden Bears, whose men's backstroke legacy is legendary (think Ryan Murphy, Keaton Jones, Destin Lasco, Gabriel Jett, et alia).

We ranked Jackson #5 on our Way Too Early list of top boys swimmers in the high school class of 2027.

....

The Golden Bears won the conference title at their inaugural ACC Championships last season, beating runner-up Stanford by more than 200 points. Jackson's best times would already score in the 'B' final of the 200 back and the 'C' final of the 100 back.

Mijatovic is only visiting 3 programs - Cal, Texas and IU. Seems like a commitment is impending.

Rylee Erisman was on the Social Kick Podcast last week, where she mentioned she had 2 visits left and wasn't planning on making a commitment for another month at least.

swimmer19 said:

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Mijatovic is only visiting 3 programs - Cal, Texas and IU. Seems like a commitment is impending.

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Analyzing Each of Luka Mijatovic's Potential NCAA Landing Spots




Note: FWIW the consensus in the comments section of the Swimswam article below appears to heavily favor Bob Bowman @ Texas, with most believing that Luka won't pick the obvious sentimental option (Cal)...


#1 Ranked Luka Mijatovic Done With NCAA Recruiting Visits, Just Has One Hard Decision To Make

The #1 ranked recruit in the boys high school class of 2027 Luka Mijatovic took visits to Cal, Texas, and Indiana. He has said he will not do any other visits

Mijatovic told Social Kick in a recent podcast that he is now in the decision making process. He said that even taking just three visits was "very draining."

He also spoke on some of the most important aspects of the decision making process saying, "I think just having the connection with the coaches and the team is the most important part for me."

Mijatovic is from Pleasanton, California, which is roughly a 30 mile from from Cal's campus in Berkeley. He traveled by plane to visit Texas and Indiana.

swimmer19 said:

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Solid group of recruits on campus this weekend, in addition to Derivaux and Erisman:
- Ines Arnall (SwimSwam #19)
- Sofia Szymanowski (HM)
- Rowyn Wilber (BOTR)
- Alba Arnall (BOTR)

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First verbal on the women's side for 2027 - big welcome goes out to Alba Arnall !


BEST OF THE REST

Butterfly:

• Alba Arnall (54.6/1:58.7, 23.7/51.4 FR, 54.5/1:57.4 BK, 2:04.2 IM)

Alba hails from Westchester Aquatic Club in NYC, and is ranked BOTR by Swimswam, #65 nationally by Swimcloud

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The group of known visitors here who has yet to announce their commitments, AFAIK (as ranked by Swimswam):
- #2 Rylee Erisman (#1 by Swimcloud)
- #1 Audrey Derivaux (#2 by Swimcloud)
- #19 Ines Arnall (#27 by Swimcloud) - Alba's (twin?) sister
- BOTR Sofia Szymanowski (#31 by Swimcloud)

Going elsewhere:
- #3 Sadie Buckley (#3 by Swimcloud) has committed to Texas.
- BOTR Rowyn Wilber (#42 by Swimcloud) has verballed to USC.

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Buckley just posted her commitment to Texas. Makes me think we are likely getting at least one (or both) of the top 2.

The door remains open for Ines Arnall to join her sister, but she was still taking visits last week (with Szymanowski at Michigan)