When the #1 athlete in the nation commits and signs to your program, your head coach and main recruiter definitely will have things to say. Here are some of the comments from head coach Sonny Dykes and inside receivers coach Jacob Peeler regarding the commitment of five-star commit Demetris Robertson.
Dykes On the type of role he sees Robertson playing at Cal
"He's a good athlete. He didn't really care too much about what position he was recruited as. He can play on either side of the ball. He's certainly a special playmaker on offense. He can do some pretty impressive things once he gets his hands on the football. But he also has the potential to be a lockdown corner. We'll get him here and see how he picks up everything. We'll figure out, the place where, number one, he wants to play, and number two, where he can best help our football team."
Caught up with @PeelsJP to get his thoughts on adding @d_rob4 to the #CalFamily #GoBears https://t.co/y8egEnb6b1https://t.co/rmLRIP2ekk
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) May 2, 2016
Looks like Robertson's twin sister will move to California with him. https://t.co/NRf2qSLUcx
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) May 1, 2016
It's now time to recognize the work Peeler has put in the past two seasons, particularly stepping up after recruiting coordinator Pierre Ingram was dismissed. Peeler helped lock down what is now looking like a solid top 25 recruiting class, capped off by getting Robertson into the fold. Peeler was also prominently involved in the commitment of several other major prospects this cycle, including Melquise Stovall, Jordan Duncan, Victor Viramontes and Daniel Juarez.
Now the flip side: Peeler's name is going to have to be locked down by the end of this season. Cal has already had trouble keeping one prominent national recruiter, and grabbing Robertson out of the Deep South will catch a lot of the rest of the nation's eyes. Cal has remained bizarrely stingy about assistant pay for many of its non-coordinator coaches, and you can figure to see this issue resurface. It would benefit Sonny and Cal to be proactive here and take steps to lock Peeler into a more comfortable role, presumably taking over as the full time receivers coach and eventual responsibility of recruiting coordinator for the program.
Cal fans, your thoughts on Peeler, Robertson, and what Dykes should do to ensure Peeler's ong-term future with the Bears?