Honor Fa'alave-Johnson

The new staff has been in place on a full time basis for just over three weeks with the players having arrived/returned two weeks ago. So what's the vibe?First, there are a lot more staff members. The recruiting team (which is significantly larger now) has moved into the new recruiting center (thanks to the generosity of a BI community member) up on the Goldman plaza complex inside Memorial Stadium. It's pretty dope and a nice upgrade for recruits and their families. That's helped create space for all the new coaches and analysts but there's still some shifting around to accommodate everyoneThe energy is just different. Recruiting is going on everywhere, all the time. If you were curious whether the new DC and OC would be active recruiters, the answer is a resounding yes. They are hugely involved building relationships in the same manner as a position coachThe tone is also different. This staff has a humility and cohesiveness that is very evident. While there are some intense coaches in the traditional definition, there's a lot of low key intense. The one common denominator is a lot of energyThe culture change will be significant. A more direct, tough love style is my best guess as to how it feels to the players. A stricter and more disciplined approach to player accountability. A more direct, shortest distance between two lines approachThe connections to the last staff are still there. Not simply the retention of Saffel, Anae, Novak and Rolovich but new DC Michael Hutchins had Peter Sirmon as his position coach and Justin Wilcox as his DC at USCWe're going to get time with all of the new coaches for you to get to know them better, that will be a big emphasis of our coverage in the SpringGreat to see Geoff McArthur back. He's fired up and will be a good tandem with Ike Hilliard. Ike's more laid back, feels more into the X's and O's and super deep on technique, and while Geoff loves to teach technique, he's got an approach to the mental side of the game that will add a lotI mentioned to McArthur that I felt like Chase Hendricks was a very similar player to himself and he loved that. Said that Chase is faster than he was and had a higher Football IQ. The staff really likes HendricksCooper Perry get some positive early returns as well in the WR roomThe competitive vibe in the Football Office is different. They want to win on every recruit they covet and very direct and pointed about who they have to beat out and how to do it. There's no fear or doubt in what I can ascertainTosh is very direct that his not being here for NSD impacted the quality of the '26 class Cal brought inI feel good about where things sit with Honor Fa'alave-Johnson - Cal is at the top of his list (perhaps not alone) and very much in contentionIt would be more than surprising to see the 2027 class not be in the top 20 nationally in terms of qaulity per player. That said, Tosh is very clear that they evaluate HS talent based on film, their actual measurables and the character reports they get. They like more than a few 3 stars right now ahead of higher ranked recruits. That means something from him as he's chasing a LOT of high four stars and a five starThis staff cares about showmanship. Donor events are already of higher quality with more information and an emphasis on generating excitement and enthusiasmThe new HC and both coordinators are not yet polished public speakers. You can feel their energy and confidence and with time they will become more polishedIf there's a concern (and this likely falls under the heading of "I'm glad this is could be an issue", is that this group does not look like they sleep much. The hard work and time in office culture feels beyond even where it was under Tedford.