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Golden Nuggets: More on commits Trevor Kelly and Sam Atoe and the Cal culture

Let's learn some more about our new players as they learn more about the culture at Cal.

CalBearsOnline.com

BearInsider has a pair of profiles on our new JUCO commits from the College of San Mateo, Trevor Kelly and Sam Atoe. The articles give us some insight about the two, such as Kelly's D-line idols from Cal.

The 3 star Kelly recalled visiting Cal in high school and focusing on former Bear and current Jacksonville Jaguar defensive end Tyson Alualu and his aggressive style of play on the Cal defensive line.

"I've looked up to him," said Kelly. "I definitely appreciate the way he plays. He has a motor. He's very strong and was a strong defensive lineman for Cal. I think I have a lot of those characteristics myself."

Their defensive coordinator, Tim Tullock, gave some insight into Atoe's performance.

"Sam's a do-everything guy. He returned kicks. He returned punts. He covered kicks. He covered punts. He played safety. He played nickel. He's just a great football player. He has great instincts. He plays with his hair on fire. He's all over the field.

"He's a kid you can really do a lot of things with. There's so much spread stuff out there and he gives you the physicality of a linebacker that can play in the box with the skills of a DB that can play in space."

Perhaps most interesting (in my super-valuable opinion) is Atoe's description of the locker-room culture at Cal.

"I know there's some things that went on in the locker room. I don't know too much about it but I'm hoping to come in there and start something great and on the rise.

"[The Cal coaches] want us to come in and help create culture where everyone plays as a team, with no individuals or egos. They know how we are not only as athletes but as people off the field.

"I believe in what he coaches are selling and we're on board."

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