Puskas Talks About Visit to Cal, Commitment
6-3/205 Liberty (Peoria, Arizona) High School inside linebacker Ryan Puskas made the trip up to Berkeley Saturday for the Bears spring practice yesterday with teammate Braxten Croteau and tonight joined him as a fellow commit, as well.
"It was an amazing visit!," said Puskas, also noting that the superior weather to Arizona and the program's emphasis on academics made a big impression on him.
"The staff is really supportive and truly cares about the players, so that's a big thing. And the Cal degree and where you can go after football is really important.
"It just felt like home with the supportive staff, players in the locker room, the campus and academics. All of that adds up to making Cal the perfect place for me.
"What I saw kind of blew me out of the water and I really like it up there."
Though Puskas and teammate Braxten Croteau didn't travel up to Berkeley together, they spent a lot of time on the trip side by side.
"We sat in the meetings and hung out with some linebackers on the team," said Puskas, noting that they've talked about playing together collegiately but have no firm plans. "We came up separately with our parents but had it planned for the same time.
"The guys were great, the type of guys you want to build a program around. The meetings were short but efficient. We got in and out fast, with good work.
"I went to two of the practices along with the meetings so I kind of got a feel for how (LB) Coach (Peter) Sermon coaches and how he communicates. He's straight up with them. He's loud, upbeat, direct and you always get a good vibe from him."
The Liberty pair will be able to continue to anchor defenses together at Cal next year -something that has them both excited.
"That will definitely be exciting," said Puskas.
Academically, Puskas sports a 3.5 gpa and is interested in architectural design.
As a junior, Puskas tallied 85 tackles, four interceptions, five passes defensed, one fumble recovered and two punts and two kicks blocked for Liberty last season. He played mainly safety throughout high school but will be playing in the box as a senior.