Golden Nuggets: Sonny Dykes Talks Recruiting, Says No Current Bears Will Transfer

Every time I read an interview with Sonny Dykes, I get even more excited about the upcoming season. Coach Dykes recently spoke to Crumpacker about what has been keeping him busy over the past several week. Completing one of his most important tasks, he found a house!

A little less than two months into his new job, Sonny Dykes failed in one of his first objectives as Cal's football coach. He couldn't find a house in Berkeley to his liking, so he expanded his search radius and staked a claim in nearby Piedmont.

That fit Dykes' requirement of finding a place close to Memorial Stadium so that his wife and two young daughters can be at practice in order to foster what the new coach hopes will be a family atmosphere for Cal football.

"I timed it last night. It took me 11 minutes" to get home on surface streets, Dykes said. "That's pretty good."

Dykes shed light on why the staff had limited interest in a handful of Tedford's recruits.

Some of the high school recruits who committed to Cal under former coach Jeff Tedford will not be playing for Dykes.

"We've had to move on from some kids academically who we thought weren't going to be admitted," Dykes said. "We've got to be real careful about the students we bring in here. It's rigorous. It's tough. Guys have got to be well prepared. That's a good thing."

Dykes' goal was to build a class anchored by the offensive and defensive lines. He is pleased with the recruiting class so far. He revealed some great news: none of the current players plan to transfer.

"I think we will have a really strong class," Dykes said. "We had to fill some needs, and I think we did that. We need offensive and defensive linemen, and we filled that. That will be the strength of this class."

In the transition from Tedford to Dykes, a few current players contemplated transferring, but after Dykes talked to them, "not one player" decided to leave.

"I talked to everyone who was considering it or on the verge, and everybody is back," Dykes said. "Players are excited. It is positive."

And finally, Dykes showed that he runs his program with class and dignity, unlike a certain former assistant coach.

Dykes also said he did not encourage any of his former players at Louisiana Tech to consider following their coach to Berkeley, calling it "bad business."

Dykes continues to be a master of PR.

Football

• Victor Egu explains his decision to switch from Cal to Yale. He says the team was recruiting him for a defensive end position, which he was fine with, but the team was apparently full at that position. That begs the question of why Cal would continue to recruit him if the position were supposedly full.
• With several commits and prospects on campus this weekend, this is a huge recruiting weekend for Sonny Dykes and the staff.

Basketball

• Down 16 points in the first half, the women's team rallied to defeat Colorado 59-56.
• Coach Gottlieb says this win was one of her proudest moments as coach of the Bears.

Rugby

• Cal officially reopened Witter Field with a spectacular 176-0 win over Stanford. ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY SIX TO NOTHING. Those Lobsterbacks would have been better off forfeiting.

Tennis

• Riki McLachlan's strong performance helped propel the Bears to a win over Boise State.
• A come-from-behind victory over no. 20 Michigan earned the Bears an ITA Indoor Bid.

Lacrosse

• The Bears were picked to finish fourth in the MPSF preseason poll.

Swimming and Diving

• The 4th-ranked women's team lost a dual meet against no. 6 Arizona.
• The men's team avenged their fellow swimmers with an upset win over no. 1 Arizona.
• The women's team bounced back with a 177-121 win over ASU.
• The men's team also defeated ASU to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Track and Field

• Several Bears set personal records during day one of the UW Invitational.
• The Bears won six events on day two of the UW Invitational.