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Cal is pretty much close to approaching the limits of their 2014 recruiting class. Marcus Griffin (deciding between Arizona, Cal, Mississippi State and Washington State) and Tre Watson (committed but getting interest from Utah and Washington) seem to be the only big recruiting questions of note.
So this week’s set of visitors isn’t going to attract as much attention as previous weeks. Still, there are a few names that have been circulated that are worth taking a look at.
Chase Forrest, Santa Ana (Ca.) Mater Dei quarterback
Forrest just committed to Cal, and ESPN has him visiting this weekend. Plenty has been said about Forrest this week. Take a look at Nam's big writeup on all the new commits, including Forrest.
Harry Warner, Phillips Exeter (N.H.) Academy offensive guard
Warner is the other confirmed visitor this weekend. I can confirm Exeter is no joke; it’s one of the most prestigious academic high school institutions out there. He’d be a great fit at Cal if we can find a way to get him here.
Post-grad OL Warner Exploring Options: Phillips Exeter (N.H.) Academy offensive lineman Harry Warner is lookin... http://t.co/8pomWCCJAF
— PonyStampede.com (@Mustangfootball) January 24, 2014
Warner has offers from William & Mary, Dayton, and San Diego. He doesn't have a Cal offer yet. Here are Warner's highlights at Hudl.
Deion Oliver, Warminster (Pa.) Archbishop Wood offensive guard
Now here’s an interesting eleventh hour name to add to the list. Oliver recently received an offer from Cal and is taking a trip out from Pennsylvania this weekend. Oliver currently holds offers from solid institutions like Old Dominion, Army, Yale, Columbia, Bucknell and Georgetown. The 6’5, 286 pound offensive guard could be a late surprise if we manage to get him.
Deion Oliver 2014 OL ( @D_Real_ ) meet HB Ray Hudson ( @rayhudson11 ) and QB Jared Goff @JaredGoff16 - Deion is on his OV this wk end #cal
— Will Hewlett (@WillHewlett) January 29, 2014
Check out 2014 OL/DT Deion Oliver - Going to be a steal for a program. 6'6 280 out of Archbishop Wood HS, PA http://t.co/TrWi63Q9Sk
— Will Hewlett (@WillHewlett) December 20, 2013
Marcus De La Pena, Danville (Ca.) San Ramon Valley running back
We don’t have an official confirmation on this one, but this Tweet seems to suggest he’ll be visiting in some capacity.
De La Pena has offers from Army and Wyoming. He measures in at 6’1 and 205 pounds.
Patrick Laird, Mission Prep running back
There is literally nothing from any of the recruiting services on Laird. Weird. The San Luis Obispo product had such a noteworthy season you'd expect SOMEONE to take a look.
All the sweat translated into a monster season of 3,117 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground — making him the third-best rusher in California in yards gained and the ninth-best in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com.
Laird is this year’s Tribune County Football Player of the Year. For the second straight year, a Mission Prep player has taken the honor. Quarterback Tyler Baty earned it last year.
Laird’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed by college programs. He has attracted recruiting interest from Cal Poly and multiple Ivy League programs, including Harvard, Brown and Dartmouth. UCLA has offered Laird a preferred walk-on spot.
His 4.35 grade-point average and football skills have piqued the interest of top-notch academic schools.
Mission Prep RB Patrick Laird (@PatrickMLaird) says he's been offered a preferred walk-on spot at Cal, and he is planning a visit soon.
— Alex J. Jankowski (@AJank_SLO) January 8, 2014
Super excited for my official to Cal this weekend #cantwait #GoldenBears ☺️🏈
— Patrick Laird (@PatrickMLaird) January 31, 2014
Right now Laird has preferred walk-on offers from both Cal and UCLA, and it's unclear what's going on with the Ivies. He's definitely a high quality kid who would be a great academic fit.
We will try to update you if we can confirm any more visitors!
