Usually don't do these, but I know there's extreme interest in both these guys round-the-clock, and we have some final developments. Thanks to Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee for chronicling all of this.
I have no idea what's going to happen. They could both go to the same school. They could go to Cal. One of them might go to Cal. Both of them might not go to Cal. Washington could send Don James and Billy Joe Hobert this weekend to start building a personal bowling alley for each of them. All I know is it has to be harder on these guys than it is on any of us, and we should respect their decision regardless of where they go.
But they (and we) should know soon. Thankfully.
Snippets of each articles after the jump. Also, Sark skirting away from secondary violations the same way he's skirted away from seal-stomping atrocities.
Update: Possibly apocryphal. We shall see.
Keystone to Thompson, Treggs, source says, could very well be Dalis Bruce. #Cal
— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) January 27, 2012
Source for previous tweet VERY close to the situation.
— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) January 27, 2012
St. John Bosco (Calif.) ATH Dalis Bruce will pick between #Cal and #UCLA Friday as a preferred walk on. Why is this significant?
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 27, 2012
Bruce is VERY close friends with WR Bryce Treggs. Could Dalis' decision give a clue to what Bryce does? Food for thought
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 27, 2012
The sense here is Tedford has a golden chance to smooth things over today - Thursday - with a Thompson home visit. Tedford has for years had a great rapport with the Thompson family, dating back to when Thompson's older brother Syd was a four-year starter at cornerback for Cal, became a captain and flourished in school.
Tonight - Thursday - is also when Lupoi and the Washington staff descends on the Thompson home. And no chance Tedford, Lupoi and those conflicting school colors meet for a cozy, cheerful chat on the front porch. No doubt there's some ill will brewing, and understandable given the turn of events. Patty Thompson, Shaq's mom, said she'll make sure the coaches do not bump into each other.
On Friday, Chip Kelly and Oregon come for a Thompson home visit.
I'm betting that by Friday night, Thompson will know where he wants to go, and the UCLA trip next week will be off, though he he's found it difficult to say no to UCLA coaches Jim Mora and Angus McClure.
Just talked to Arik Armstead on the phone, and there's a sense of relief and pride in the voice of the All-American lineman for Pleasant Grove High School.
He is finished with the recruiting trips, the in-home visits - all of it - and now will continue to confer with his parents, Guss and Christina, to figure out exactly where he might be the next 4-5 years of his life.
On Tuesday, Auburn and coach Gene Chizik stopped by the Armstead's Elk Grove home for a visit. On Wednesday, Cal and coach the defensive staff stopped by. Then it was USC with Lane Kiffin, waving an Armstead jersey playfully (and no, Armstead couldn't keep the jersey).
Today - Thursday - it was Chip Kelly and Oregon that stopped by for a home visit. And just now, Armstead and his father Guss left a nearby hotel where Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and six other coaches - an army - put on a power-point display in a rented conference room. There were also several Armstead jerseys on display, No. 9. Armstead likes that number because it honors his late uncle Willie "Buggy" Armstead, who played football at Chico State a generation ago.
I really, really want to know what was on those Powerpoint slides. Do you have any idea? Discuss the Washington sales pitch in the comments.
(No, what Washington did with the jerseys and the conference room was not a violation of NCAA bylaw 13.6.7.9, because it was an in-home visit away from the University of Washington. Sark is walking the fine line, like he reportedly once walked over a helpless flailing seal and danced the night away.)