Early Signings

Since Sonny Dykes has yet coach a game for Cal it's a bit early to come to any conclusion as to how he does things. If this spring is any indication, Dykes gets his recruiting started early. Under Jeff Tedford, Cal would get a sprinkling of commits by June. Early commits are pretty common for schools like Alabama, LSU, Ohio St., and other top football schools. Kids line up for those scholarship offers. Those schools can recruit on name alone and could fill their available spots in seconds. Cal has to work a little. Dykes and his staff appear to be doing some work. Through this past weekend, Cal has seven commits.

S   Quentin Tartabull-Bishop Alemay HS, Mission Hills, CA
RB Vic Enwere-Stephen F Austin HS, Sugar Land, TX
QB Luke Rubenzer-Saguaro HS, Scottsdale, AZ
DE Isadore Outing-Andy Dekaney HS, Houston, TX
RB Tre Watson-Centennial HS, Corona, CA
WR Jalen Harvey-El Cerrito HS, El Cerrito, CA
S    Koa Farmer-Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA

Farmer committed last October so he's technically a Tedford recruit. This ia a real nice start to Cal's 2014 freshman class. The two Texas recruits Vic Enwere and Isadore Outing intrigue me. Not only are they terrific football players, they are terrific students. And, they are from Texas. Dykes has stated that his staff will target Texas in recruiting. Enwere and Outing are an indication that he's holding true to that statement. Texas has an abundance of football talent.  It's a good place to have a recruiting presence. I like when Cal can attract players from out of state. There's no doubt that there's a ton of talent in California but I like it when Cal can make a national statement. It looks like Dykes has that in mind and Texas is at the top of his list. With Dykes and his version of the spread offense being the future of Cal football, Rubenzer could be a critical part of his plans. Tedford brought in some talented quarterbacks the last couple of years, Zach Kline and Jared Goff in particular. This year's starter will likely be one of those two. Although Kyle Boehm and Austin Hinder are in the battle as well. Rubenzer has the pressure and advantage of being Dykes' first quarterback recruit. Rubenzer is a serious dual threat. He has tremendous running skills. He will be joining some serious arms in 2014. This is the most quarterback talent that I can ever remember Cal having at one time.

I like the safeties that Cal has in this class. Very nice.

I've always wondered about Cal's lack of early commits. Was Tedford simply waiting to make scholarship offers? Waiting for other schools to fill most of their spots? Who knows. I think that committed players recruit other players. Seeing other players committed to Cal builds interest in Cal. I don't really see any downside to getting early commits. It must be kept in mind that none of these commits really mean a thing until the letters of intent are signed. The more that I see and hear of Sonny Dykes the more that I like him as Cal's head football coach.