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Bad news? Okay. There has been recent talk -- not officially confirmed -- of College of San Mateo safety Sam Atoe not qualifying to enter this fall, which would be a huge blow at a position that already can't afford any more losses.
@AGuyNamedNam Nothing confirmed officially, which is y I haven't put it out there, but it's been floating around in the ether 4 svrl months.
— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) June 19, 2014
Reading here with Gorcey's comments, things with Atoe seem kind of iffy at best. We'll keep you posted on his status when we find out more.
Now, the good -- and more concretely confirmable -- news is that if Atoe is gone, his loss has been somewhat negated in the form of new safety Arthur Wainwright, from College of the Sequoias, per a report from Gorcey and JCFootball.com's Kevin Lustgarten. [He will presumably be available to play this fall, but we will update this report with that information when we get it.]
According to a source, College of the Sequoias safety Arthur Wainwright has signed with #Cal: http://t.co/7q7TmkhvI8
— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) June 19, 2014
College of the Sequoias OLB Arthur Wainwright signed papers with Cal today. Great news!... http://t.co/OirU9I1l2S
— Kevin Lustgarten (@jckevin) June 19, 2014
Last season, Wainwright played linebacker for Sequoia, recording 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and a fumble. At 6'3, 198 pounds -- and a self reported 220 pounds according to his highlight tape -- Wainright also becomes the biggest safety on the roster alongside 6'3 Griffin Piatt, and towers over most other players in Cal's largely sub 6'0 secondary. His size takes a backseat to the fact that he effectively replaces Atoe, though. Seeing as the Bears already missed on Koa Farmer and needed a safety of some kind, it was absolutely vital that they find a player like Wainwright while they keep looking for a longer term replacement for Avery Sebastian and company.