Cal rebounds well from uncertainty
Dykes’ first class appears solid, and it might get better
BERKELEY — New Cal football coach Sonny Dykes is expected to unveil a solid recruiting class Wednesday, but a couple last- minute decisions loom.
In addition to the 27 players the Bears will announce on national signing day, the status of two prospects remained uncertain: defensive backs L. J. Moore and Patrick Enewally.
The Bears got a recommitment late Monday night from three- star ( out of five) linebacker Johnny Ragin III of Wilsonville, Ore., who rebuffed 11th- hour efforts from Oregon. Ragin flipped from BYU to Cal late last month.
“Oregon was the dream growin’ up, and I had a nice visit,” Ragin said via Twitter. “But My Future’s at Cal, and I can’t wait to get there and go to work! # GoBears”
The Bears probably have lost four- star offensive guard Cameron Hunt, a 6foot- 4, 267- pounder from Centennial- Corona who gave them a commitment in July. He reportedly told Cal’s coaches a week ago he will sign with Oregon.
However things unfold, Dykes and his staff seemingly have constructed a class that will add depth and fill needs. They got commitments from four offensive line prospects besides Hunt, addressing one of the team’s weakest areas.
Cal is switching to a 4- 3 alignment under new defensive coordinator Andy Buh and expects to bolster area that by signing five linemen.
Four- star quarterback Jared Goff of Marin was CalHiSports’ second- team all- state pick and is one of five players already enrolled and ready to tackle spring practice.
“Because of the lack of stability in spring and summer and fall, they were never going to end up with a top 15 or top 20 class,” said recruiting expert Brandon Huffman of Scout. com. “But now they have a chance to be a top 25 or 30 class.”
In the days before Cal played its season finale at Oregon State, the Bears’ sagging fortunes and the uncertainty of coach Jeff Tedford’s future had taken a toll on recruiting. The Bears’ class at that point was rated No. 53 nationally by Rivals. com and No. 47 by Scout. com. Its standing among Pac- 12 schools was no better than No. 8.
As of Tuesday morning, Scout had the Bears at No. 25 nationally, and Rivals rated them No. 27.
Exactly where the Bears wind up in the rankings will depend on decisions made by two prospects still being pulled in multiple directions:
Moore, a 6- 1, 170pound cornerback from Central- Fresno, is rated a four- star by Scout and Rivals. Moore was believed to be favoring the Bears as recently as last weekend, but now it’s expected he’ll pick between Arizona State and Oregon State.
Enewally, a 6- 1, 191-pound safety from GahrCerritos, is a three- star prospect whom the Bears began seriously chasing in recent weeks. He visited Berkeley two weekends ago, but no one seems to have a clear picture of his intentions.
Cornerback Darius Allensworth, a four- star player from Heritage High in Riverside County who committed Cal in August, confirmed late last week he intends to sign with the Bears, even after a midJanuary visit to Washington State.
Dykes lost only a handful of players who committed on Tedford’s watch. As many as 16 of the Bears’ expected signees came on board after Dykes was hired on Dec. 6.
“I do like what he’s got, especially how many of them are West Coast kids and how little of the staff is West Coast- based,” Huffman said. “With a lot of those guys, they had to start from scratch. ”