Cal Football: 2013 Recruiting Class Introduced (Bear Insider Event, Part II of III)

These posts were co-authored by solarise and atomsareenough. Here's Part II that discusses the new Cal football recruiting class.

Tapes rolled:

Darius Allensworth: Darius would have had more offers but the torn ACL early his senior season scared off some programs. We're lucky to have him. He's a long and athletic corner. Good feet. Good student. Solid tackler. Starts and stops very well.

Cameron Walker: Walker one of Dykes' favorites and really amazed that more people weren't onto Cam. Dykes called him "very, very underrated". Quick feet. Long, physical corner. He's a great kid and comes from a wonderful family. Cam has the potential to play early for us, maybe.

Garrett Hughes: Hughes has the potential to grow into a tackle. He has a big lower body and that's how you can tell he's got tons of potential to grow. Explosive. Moves well for his current 265, and Dykes thinks he could grow into a 280 pound tackle. Puts up impressive numbers in the weight room. Comes from a good football program down in SoCal.

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Kyle Kragen: Dykes says Kragen has been a standout in the early workouts. His dad played in the NFL. He's relentless, a high motor guy. Never stops working. Good quickness. Uses his hands well. Bit raw but really glad to have him in this class. He's more athletic than they originally thought.

Takkarist McKinley: Ran 10.6 100m in track. That's incredible at 240lbs, and they couldn't believe it at first until they saw the tape. He's very raw but a great athlete. Hard worker. Got size, strength, and speed. He's still improving on his academics, but working hard at it.

Sione Sina: 6' 4" and runs fast. He's only 255 lbs now, but has a huge lower body, so he will be big. His size is deceptive. Might redshirt because of his torn ACL but we'll get two years from him. Sina is a good student.

Jacobi Hunter: They had been recruiting him at LA Tech. He's 335 lbs to be generous (i.e. he's possibly even bigger) but can do the splits. The story with him was that he committed early to Indiana for some reason and then shut down his recruiting, so he didn't really have as much attention as he otherwise would have. He was Defensive Player of the Year in a top Texas league in high school. His coach at Indiana left, so he called Dykes to come check out Cal. 3.8 GPA, 1600 SAT.

Marcus Manley: He's only played 1 yr of JC football after being academically qualified out of high school, so he will have 4 years to play 3. Tons of upside. Should grow into 300 lbs.

Tony Mekari: Little bit different from the other committed DTs. Undersized but has great motor. Physical and should grow to about 280. He's got a good "fast twitch" type of ability for a lineman. He was an Arizona commit, and was out there visiting Arizona and when they convinced him to come up to Cal on an unofficial visit "on the way back" from Arizona to his home in SoCal. He flipped to us on the spot.

Ray Davison: He's currently about 235 lbs as a linebacker, but he should grow into a 260-270 lbs DE for Cal. Long but can run. Does a lot of different things. Moves really well. Came from a good HS program. He's a big kid with lots of upside.

Johnny Ragin: Ragin (Dykes says he likes to purposely mispronounce it and call him Ragin') was a pleasant signing day surprise. They thought the Ducks would get him. Kid grew up in Oregon, worshipping the Ducks. Has Oregon all over his bedroom but ultimately stuck with Coach Dykes and Cal. Really appreciates the Cal education. Already 225 lbs and can really run. Heck of a football player.

Edward Tandy: Really serious kid, intense demeanor. Looks like he wants to punch you in the face if you are sitting across from him (Tandy is now solarise's favorite recruit since he wants to punch you in the face.). Dykes said with a smile that he made sure to sit at a wide table across from him when he went and visited. Hits very hard. Knocked out six people last year. Explosive, athletic guy. Strongest kid in his high school's history, and his high school in Tustin has had some great athletes. Should play at 220lbs.

Chad Whitener: Another kid Dykes recruited at LA Tech. Originally, when Whitener committed to Cal and Dykes was still at LA Tech, Coach Dykes told him "Why would anybody want to go to Cal?" When Dykes got the Cal job Whitener called and said "Gee Coach, why would anybody want to go to Cal?". Dykes said "Touché". When Coach Dykes recruited him, Whitener was 5' 11" 220lbs. Now he's at 6'2 1/4", 255. Whitener is a true MLB, loves contact, and plays physical. Strong student too.

Matt Anderson: Chris Sailer the kicking guru endorses Anderson. Sailer brought Dykes a two-time Ray Guy award winner before as a transfer to LA Tech from Oregon so Anderson has the coach's trust. One observation is that Anderson gets the ball up high fast, indicative of leg strength.

Chris Borrayo: Chris is a mauler. Very strong and physical. First in his family to go to college, and he's a great student. Dykes says he's perfect for the Guard position. Finishes off blocks. Another guy with a huge lower body. He said Borrayo has a chance to compete for a state championship as a wrestler.

Erik Bunte: 6' 7" 320 lbs. Huge guy. He bends well already, but will need to learn to play with a lower pad level. Tremendous upside. Fast twitch guy, comes off the ball well. He's athletic and has lots of potential. Really good student.

Aaron Cochran: Just watch the tape, the video says it all. Poor kids who played against him. They just ran away from him rather than get run over and pancaked. He's a "big, big, big dude" at 6'7", 340 lbs.

J. D. Hinnant: He was very heavily recruited and loves football. Good athlete. Finishes his blocks. Had a life-threatening accident, and was fully released last Thursday. We stuck with him throughout. He's working out again, gaining his weight back. He's very hard working and has a great family. Dykes thinks he could be "a really good one down the road".

Vinnie Johnson: He's a NorCal guy, grew up a Cal fan, so he was sold on Cal immediately. Johnson's dad runs the Davis hospital system. He's a really good student, so the Cal education was a big factor as well. Already at 255lbs. Quick feet, changes directions well, incredibly athletic. Under-the-radar guy. Another one of Dykes' favorites.

Ray Hudson: 6'4" 235lbs will play FB/TE/Inside Receiver for us, will wear many different hats. He moves well, has great hands. Big guy who uses his body really well. Dykes likes big guys because they're "always open". Hudson can do it all.

Jack Austin: Austin is 6'4", 217. Dykes also said he really really liked Austin, and Jack was one of his favorites. He's a big, physical, competitive, gifted ball catcher. Can play both outside or inside receiver for Cal. Goes up and gets it. Won't run away from contact. A Dykes kind of guy. He was a former Boise State commit, and Dykes called him "one of those underrated Boise guys".

Caleb Coleman: One of the faster guys unlike Hudson or Austin in this class. About 5' 11" with straight ahead speed. Been a Cal fan for the last 15 years. Competes for catches well in traffic and finishes well. Underrated because of his small St. Mary's high school program.

Drake Whitehurst: Whitehurst is from Portland. He's a good 6'5" - 6'6". Drake catches the ball well. Polished route runner at this stage, makes cuts well for his size. Will transition well to inside WR. He won't run away from anyone, but he's fast enough. He's a good red zone threat, especially with fades or jumpballs. Dykes likes having large receivers. This class may miss some speed but given the speed guys from the last class, big receivers will complement the team well.

Khalfani Muhammad: Very very fast. 10.4 100m speed. Quick and fast. Should play early next yr given our depth at RB. Dykes laughingly said he told Khalfani "Now, don't come here unless you're ready to play immediately". Changes direction really well. Dad was Pac-8 100m champ from $C. He loves to play football, and finishes runs strong for a smaller guy. Falls forward and keeps the feet going. Great kid.

Jared Goff: He's a great fit for the offense and will work well in the system. Does everything well. Strong, accurate arm. Keeps the feet moving in the pocket, and his eyes downfield. Amazing pocket presence. That's an underrated ability in QBs. Throws the ball well; Dykes says he has a good sense of how to throw the ball depending on the situation, whether to put some loft or touch on it, or zip it in there when needed.

Tomorrow, Part III: The Q&A!