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For awhile there, it seemed like the California Golden Bears had hit the pause button on their recruiting this offseason. However, after nearly two months since their last commitment, head coach Justin Wilcox and Co. got their eighth commitment of the 2021 class from Fatuvalu Iosefa.
A three-star safety prospect from Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii, Iosefa pledged via social media on June 12.
IM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE MY VERBAL COMMITMENT TO UC BERKELEY! All Glory To God without Him none of this would be possible. Thank you Coach Justin Wilcox @CoachSirmon @CoachYates77 @therealTUI @BenjiPalu_Cal @MWCherrington & @Coach_Conry.
— Fatuvalu Iosefa (@fatuvalu) June 12, 2020
AIGA!!
GO BEARS!! pic.twitter.com/pqCcGjW1cA
He stands at 6’0, 170 pounds and ranks as the the nation’s 116th-best safety, a top overall prospect in the country and the eighth-best player from the state of Hawaii this circuit. He had offers from BYU, Nebraska, Oregon State, UNLV, Utah State and Cal but chose the Bears and his recruiting duo of Peter Sirmon and Marcel Yates.
His football lineage is directly tied to the Pac-12 as his older brothers are current Cal LB Muelu Iosefa and current USC LB Jordan Iosefa.
The younger Iosefa is projected as a Power-5 starter and compares to Randall Goforth, according to 247Sports Blair Angulo.
The Mountain Region Recruiting Analyst had this to say about Iosefa:
Projectable frame with length and room to add muscle mass. Good sized defensive back with growth potential. Boundary defender with great awareness, instincts and physicality. Holds his ground in run support and shows ability to get off blocks. Reacts quickly to plays in front of him. Smart player with understanding of leverage and gap integrity. Breaks up field toward the football and looks nimble on his feet. Good ball skills and above average tackler in space. Could continue to improve backpedal fluidity and foot speed. Potential starter later in college career at Power Five level with chance to garner NFL Draft attention.
Iosefa’s commitment secured Cal as a top-three class as they were in jeopardy of having either Washington or the red-hot UCLA Bruins leap them in the Pac-12 recruiting rankings. They’re chasing Oregon and USC currently, but had a sizeable gap from the third-place to fourth-place ranked teams as Cal’s average recruit ranking dwarfed the Huskies at the No. 4 spot.
Welcome to Berkeley, Fatu!!