Wilcox inks 18 players with ‘fight and grit’
Among the highlight videos Cal released on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday was one of 270-pound offensive lineman Matthew Cindric chasing a speedy defensive back 70 yards without ever considering stopping.
In a lot of ways, that short clip embodies the Bears’ entire recruiting class — a group that the Cal coaching staff believes is tough, tenacious and values team above personal achievement.
“You notice things like that: how hard they play and how much it means to them,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. “It goes back to: Do you really love playing football? It’s hard. It’s a physical game, and you get tired, but these guys show the fight and grit.
“That’s what it takes to be good.”
The Bears will add players, needing a quarterback and seeking upgrades at other positions, but their 18-prospect crop should lay quite a foundation for where Wilcox is trying to take the program.
The group includes nine offensive players, seven defensive players, an athlete and a long snapper — many of whom are huge and most of whom are proven winners. There are six players who measured at least 6-foot-5 and 13 who won championships.
“I think those guys understand what a winning culture looks like, and that’s important for us. There’s a lot of value in that,” said Wilcox, who led the Bears to a 5-7 mark in his first season. “You don’t see it on the recruiting sites or on the highlight film, but when you’re around people who have won championships and understand how hard it is and the work and sacrifice that it takes, it’s a special quality.”
This is the first year that the early signing period was in December, and after a three-day stretch, players must wait until the usual first week of February to make binding commitments. Even with the newness, things went about as seamless as possible for Cal.
The Bears expected to sign 18 players, and they did — although there was a late change at defensive tackle. Serra High’s Atonio Mafi didn’t commit to Cal, and Aaron Maldonado, a late de-commit from UCLA, did.
Four players will be mid-year enrollees, including junior-college transfers Colt Doughty and Lone Toailoa — defensive-front prospects who are expecting to compete for playing time right away.
Four-star prospects, offensive lineman Will Craig and receiver Nikko Remigio, are probably the cream of the crop. Remigio starred at a summer camp in Berkeley, as if his play at Mater Dei High wasn’t enough.
“We had some good DBs in that camp, and nobody had much of a chance covering that guy one-on-one,” said Wilcox, who recalled Remigio jumping to the front of lines and stealing reps from the other campers. “He’s got a great look in his eye.”
Craig is 6-5 and 270 pounds, a relative baby compared with the rest of the offensive-line recruits: Jasper Friis is 6-7, 315, Brandon Mello is 6-6, 285, and Miles Owens is 6-6, 320.
“The frames. The size,” Wilcox said. “… When you look at those guys standing next to each other, you want to follow those guys off the bus. They are huge.”
Wilcox said it’s easiest to evaluate the prospects’ athletic ability and academic commitment, but his staff also keys on character. As a litmus test after getting to know recruits and their families, he asks himself if he genuinely wants to be around the player.
“They’re obviously talented and skilled players who can help us win championships, but at the same time, you walk out of there and like being around them,” Wilcox said. “... They check all the boxes.”