Cal Football Recruiting Off To A Fast Start

Jeff Tedford has a reputation of finishing each recruiting season on a strong note. However, he also has historically started slowly. It was not uncommon for the Bears to not receive their first commitment until June or even July. Therefore, for the 2010 class, an emphasis was put on targeting, offering, and closing on important recruits as soon as possible.

The new strategy has already paid off, as a potential third commit gave his verbal to Cal over the weekend. Defensive Tackle Cassius Marsh, a standout at Oaks Christian High (a Southern California powerhouse), is ranked by Scout.com as the third best DT in the country.

Marsh seems to be very solid in his commitment to Cal. According to Scout, "he had known for months Cal was the place for him." He is listed at 6'3", 270 pounds, and could eventually move to Defensive End, with 6'1"/310 (and much slower) fellow DT recruit Jay Guy occupying the Nose Tackle spot. Guy, however, is apparently still considering other offers, and is listed by Rivals as a soft commit.

Cal also received a verbal from top-10 linebacker Cecil Whiteside last week, and another linebacker, No. 8 MLB (Scout) Dan Wilkerson has Cal listed as his top choice. If Wilkerson commits soon, over 50 percent of a future Cal 3-4 defense could be filled with high-four-star recruits before the beginning of May.

Tosh Lupoi, who was responsible for recruiting Whiteside and now Marsh, is still targeting huge (and highly-regarded) DE/DT Gabe King. King has fluctuated in his opinions of various schools, but at one point had Cal as his favorite.

If nothing else, Cal is drawing serious interest from top athletes, as evidenced by Junior Day and the first three commits of the season. The Bears will no doubt look to strengthen the Wide Reciever and other positions in this class, but so far, it looks like the 2010 commits could address more needs than those of 2009.