Golden Nuggets: Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL and darn good at getting you hired

Getting a recommendation from the NFL's best quarterback must mean something.

QB Aaron Rodgers must have seen something special in Kansas's Tarik Black as he has offered his assistance to Black in preparation for the NFL Draft. The weird thing is that Black is a basketball player... In trying to make Black the next big basketballer-turned-TE, Rodgers and Black have been playing hard-to-get on their cell phones. You don't want to seem too interested!

"One of the guys in our media department said, 'Aaron Rodgers likes you. Likes you a lot,'" [Black] recalls.

Black laughed it off. Then he heard this:

"No, he really likes you. He wants you to try out for Green Bay."

It still didn't register. Even when Black was handed Rodgers' cell phone number, he refused to text the former MVP for a month. "I didn't know what to say," he explains. Black's roommate had to nudge him into it. Finally he composed a message:

Perhaps less surprisingly, Rodgers never has a bad thing to say about Coach Jeff Tedford, helping boost Chicago's Coach Lovie Smith interest in Tedford.

Spurred partly by a glowing recommendation from an old rival, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Smith flew ex-Cal coach Jeff Tedford to Chicago last November to see if their philosophies meshed. Tedford, fired in 2012 after a largely successful 11-year stint in Berkeley that included a near-Rose Bowl season with Rodgers in 2004, ultimately agreed to become Smith's offensive coordinator wherever he landed.

"Hey, we were both unemployed," Smith says. "He's got a long history of (developing) guys who made it to this league. Also, I knew he'd be refreshed."

AARON I'M GOING TO NEED A JOB SOON PLEASE TO BE HELP ME.

Cal Athletics

• Golf's Robert Röller and football's Nick Forbes volunteered for the Special Olympics. Röll on you Bears!
• In what has become a recent trend for the GN, Cal hosted an event to introduce student-athletes to professionals in a variety of industries
  

Women's Swimming and Diving

• A wonderful profile of Missy Franklin by the Daily Cal discussing how she motivates young girls and even Calympians like Nathan Adrian and Natalie Coughlin
• Speaking of Bok Choy, at the U.S. Masters Nationals, he tied his personal best in the 100-yard free. Oh yeah, that just happens to be THE AMERICAN RECORD.

Men's Tennis

• In the NCAA Championships, Ben McLachlan will be playing in the singles competition and Gregory Bayane & Chase Melton will be in doubles

Women's Tennis

• Meanwhile, Anett Schutting, Zsofi Susanyi, Lynn Chi, and Denise Starr are in the NCAA Singles Championship with Maegan Manasse as an alternate; Schutting & Chi are also in the Doubles Championship

Women's Golf

• Nicola Rössler is an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection

Rugby

• The Golden Bears (18–3, 5–0 PAC) came up short in the Varsity Cup National Championship, losing to the Cougars. This is BYU's fourth national championship, which is second-most in the country. Cal holds the most with 26.

Softball

• The Golden Bears were swept in the series against the Utes
• Introducing Bebe Wiggs, an honorary Golden Bear!
  

Baseball

• Cal (19–22, 7–12 Pac-12) couldn't pull off the upset against no. 2 OSU

Women's Basketball

• The latest #LayshiaFact: She will be a grand marshal for the 2014 Cadillac Barbie Pride Parade!

Men's Basketball

• Center Kingsley Okoroh is the first to sign a letter of intent for Coach Cuonzo Martin

Lacrosse

• Gaby Christman was named to the MPSF Second-Team

Men's Soccer

• Some changes to the coaching structure: a promotion and the return of a Bear as an volunteer

Women's Crew

• No. 2 Cal lost the Big Row to the no. 4 Furd for the first time since 2009. The team was rowing in honor of the late Jill Costello.

Men's Crew

• But! No. 2 Cal demolished no. 11 Furd in this Big Row. They too were wearing pink in Costello's honor.

Women's Water Polo

• Kelly McKee discusses the Bears' third-place finish at the MPSF Championship and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament

Football

• Our own Scott Chong spoke with The Saturday Edge to characterize the Bears after the spring
• A conference call with Sonny Dykes reveals how good it is to have a (somewhat) healthy team again and standout players for the spring (audio autoplays)
  
• Our 2014 recruiting class will be rounded out by DT Chris Palmer
• Congratulations to CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Kerry Washington for the birth of their baby girl!
• Did the Eagles' GM hint that chemistry led to the downfall of WR DeSean Jackson in the same way organic chemistry led to the downfall of us all? (Video autoplays)