Bear Territory : California CF25

**bayers3** · 10-15-2024, 04:44 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

The ESPN 300 for college football's 2028 recruiting class has debuted, as our scouts have spent the past several months evaluating prospects at multiple camps, combines and workouts. While we prioritize our rankings off game tape, our supplemental spring evaluations are instrumental in showing physical and athletic development from the fall.

Defense has come back in vogue this year, specifically interior lineman. Five of the top six prospects are on defense, and seven of the Top 10. Four of the Top 10 are DT, with a RE making half of them defensive line prospects. The south / southeast continue to dominate as the top talent producers.

Top Prospects

WR Tremaine Mayweather

Ranking : No. 1 (WR No. 1)
Uncommitted

Opening 2027 as the top prospect is a deep threat receiver out of Birmingham Alabama’s A.H. Parker highschool. No surprise that all of the usual suspects are involved, though Alabama is conspicuously absent. Auburn, Georgia, Florida, and Clemson are all in the hunt for his services.

DT Richard Calcaterra

Ranking : No. 2 (DT No. 1)
Uncommitted

An absolute mountain of a prospect, Calcaterra stands out on film as a 6’4 340 nose tackle for Scottsdale Christian Academy. He was in the running for #1, but he’s been so physically dominant that there are concerns he hasn’t developed his rush beyond just pushing over the competition. This might work well in college, but for the moment his ceiling could be very high. Cal is in the lead for his commitment, but fUCLA and Arizona are also in the hunt.

FS Deon Yates

Ranking : No. 3 (FS No. 1)
Uncommitted

Once again an Alabama prospect, but once again the Crimson Tide are nowhere to be seen in the race for his signature. A hybrid defender out of Wetumpka, he has SEC written all over him and would be in the running for top prospect if not for Calcaterra’s ceiling. Georgia, Florida, Auburn, and Clemson are once again duking it out to add him to their defense.

RE Angel Stead

Ranking : No. 4 (RE No. 1)
Uncommitted

Our third straight defensive player, this time hailing from Cincinnati Ohio. The 6’3 288 end is a very solid run stopper, but definitely needs to work on his hands and pass rush. Despite that, he’s very talented and will make any defensive coordinator happy. Notre Dame, Penn State, Iowa, Cincinnati, and Kentucky are all frontrunners to hadd him to their roster.

DT Matt Gastineau

Ranking : No. 5 (DT No. 2)
Uncommitted

Gastineau has drawn comparisons to Aaaron Donald thanks to his quick step and burst off the line, having a speed rusher at DT can be a powerful weapon. Coming out of Metairie Louisiana’s Archbishop Rummel High School, the 6’5 298 tackle could certainly add some weight and become a force in the middle of a defense. Alabama, LSU, and Georgia are in the lead for his commitment. Florida and Arkansas are also in the hunt, but it’s sounding more likely that Kirby Smart has the inside track.

**redsox907** · 10-15-2024, 11:10 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

6'4, 340lbs?? Dude is going to need a triple team lol

A bear of a man heading to the Golden Bears?

**bayers3** · 10-16-2024, 12:17 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

ESPN 300 Commits : None
Top Offensive Prospect : None
Top Defensive Prospect : None

Previous Ranking : N/A

Tosh Lupoi just barely got Cal into the Top 10 last year, a ranking that could have been better if he had managed to sign any 5-star prospects. Despite that, he did manage to bring in a lot of players for positions of need so there aren’t any glaring holes in the roster. Hopefully that frees him up to swing for the fences with this class, which does include a number of 5-star prospects already.

It’s early, but the Golden Bears are already linked to two Top-10 prospects; DT Richard Calcaterra and QB T.J. Gold. Either one would represent the highest ranked prospect Cal has ever signed, look for Tupoi to try and lock them up early and give Cal a jump on finishing with a Top-5 recruiting class.

TOP TARGETS

**bayers3** · 10-17-2024, 10:57 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

The 2027 Heisman race is on, and for whatever reason the voters have soured on Cal WR George Cheeseman after he took home the award last year as a true freshman. With that in mind, and based on recent history, this race is wide open. From what we’ve seen in the past few years, none of these players will be on the list by mid-season.

TOP CONTENDERS

Utah QB Isaac Wilson

The Utes haven’t opened the season ranked, but they have thrived in the Big 12 and the younger brother of #2 overall pick Zac Wilson could be in a prime position to take advantage. Due to Utah’s offensive system it will be hard for him to lead the nation in any statistical category, so it’s likely that his candidacy is heavily tied to the success of his team. If Utah are successful, it’s likely that Wilson will have a big hand in it.

Can Wilson escape his brother’s shadow?

Texas Tech WR Micah Hudson

Bold move picking a WR not named George Cheeseman, but the Red Raiders’ senior WR is a good pick. An elite receiver in a pass-heavy offense has all the exposure needed to dethrone Cheeseman, but he’s going to need to have one incredible year to top what Cal’s winner did last year.

Michigan State WR Nick Marsh

Marsh is definitely one of the nation’s best receivers, but unlike Hudson he works out of an offense that isn’t known for gaudy passing numbers. Marsh is absolutely going to be playing on sunday next year, but he’s also likely going to be heavily TD dependent if he’s going to stay on this list. Few receivers in recent seasons have had wire-to-wire production, so he’s exposed to the QBs waiting to get on this list if he doesn’t haul in double-digit TD by Week 8.

Clemson WR T.J. Moore

Yet another non-Cheeseman WR, but this one is in the same conference as the defending Heisman winner. Moore, like Hudson, is perfectly placed to make a solid run and might feel slighted not being higher on this list. Moore has been considered one of the best receivers in college for some time now, and in his senior season he’ll have his last chance at proving it with Clemson’s first Heisman win.

Texas QB Arch Manning

It took a while, but Manning finally opens the season as a real Heisman contender. He’s the only player on this list that plays for a ranked team, Texas opens the season at #16, but he’s also highly likely to remain in this list if the Longhorns can get on top of the SEC. It won’t take long for the SEC to sort out if Manning is going to stay on this list or fall off by midseason like so many contenders in recent years.

**redsox907** · 10-17-2024, 11:56 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

It seems like every season the reigning winner gets left off.

Cheeseman just needs to use it as bulletin board material as he catches the Golden Bears to the Natty

**Deuce2223** · 10-18-2024, 01:11 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

Originally posted by redsox907

It seems like every season the reigning winner gets left off.

Cheeseman just needs to use it as bulletin board material as he catches the Golden Bears to the Natty

Yep. GNK was never in the Top-5 after his 1st and Vildor wasn't either despite them both winning as Freshman.

**bayers3** · 10-18-2024, 11:02 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

Originally posted by Deuce2223

Yep. GNK was never in the Top-5 after his 1st and Vildor wasn't either despite them both winning as Freshman.

I have to think it's OVR, Cheeseman is not a 90+ he's just got 99's in the SPD/AGI categories.

**bayers3** · 10-18-2024, 11:07 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

**bayers3** · 10-20-2024, 08:54 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

BERKELEY, CA - After surprising the Gators 49-26 in the Swamp last year, it was the Golden Bears’ turn to host the fallen giants of SEC football. Florida has not been able to reclaim their status in the SEC, and without the vaunted Swamp to boost their cause this game didn’t seem quite as dangerous for #3 Cal.

“Things look better for us on paper,” said Cal’s Tosh Lupoi prior to the game “but this is Florida, and we know they have talent, we can’t sleep on anyone because of the rankings.”

A bigger concern for Tupoi would be Florida QB DJ Lagway, a dangerous player who could hurt them through the air and on the ground. Cal would be armed with their own dual-threat option, but Lagway has significantly more experience than Cal’s Duane Dinson.

Lupoi could relax a bit to start the game, with Cal coming out of the gate enjoying their usual good fortune on both sides of the ball. Dinson would drive the Golden Bears down the field and open 2027 with a 20-yard TD pass to TE Vai Bush right up the middle, splitting Florida’s cover 2 look. Lagway would bring the Gators right back down the field, using his legs to convert two first downs, before throwing an interception to FS Scoot Henderson in the endzone. Henderson’s pick would have a silver lining for the Gators, catching the ball in a small crowd he would be knocked out of the endzone and forced to take off running. Florida would catch Henderson on Cal’s 8, pinning them deep in their own end.

The silver lining was short lived as the Gators learned the hard way that they won’t be able to zero in on WR George Cheeseman. After three plays the Golden Bears would get out to the 20, and a bubble route to the left would unleash WR Darryl Hawkinson for an 80-yard TD and a healthy 14-0 lead.

The Gatos would not be culled so easily, unleashing a 12-play 76-yard TD drive that would end with a frustrating 10-yard run by Lagway with Cal’s defenders standing around watching him walk in.

The 2nd quarter was a back-and-forth affair starting with Cal responding to Florida’s TD drive, scoring with a 7-yard HB Deuce Linwood run. Then Florida would answer back with a HB Jadan Baugh 2-yard run, and Cal would come right back with a 12-yard Cheeseman TD catch.

Florida was working on a response, but ran out of time to get into the red zone before the half. They would settle for a 43-yard FG by Ethan Grossman with 0:16 left in the half.

Down 28-17, with a solid recovery coming off the rough opening to the game, the Gators had to have felt good to open the second half. The FG would hurt a bit, but they would get the ball to start the 3rd quarter and try to make it a one-score game. A solid stop by Cal would end in a punt, pinning Cal back on their own 11.

The next two drives would take the game from “manageable” to “out of reach” by the time the 3rd quarter would come to a close. Cal would go 89 yards back the other way, scoring on a 17-yard TD run by Linwood before things would go pear shaped for Florida.

Lagway would start the next drive well, completing two passes before running for a first down, but his third pass would practically kill off their chances. A pass to WR Andy Jean along the sideline would bounce off his chest and get snatched out of the air by SS Tremayne Landman, who would use the moment of confusion to take off for the endzone. 29 yards later, Landman would turn the mistake into a pick-six and a 42-17 lead.

Landman’s pick-six pulled Cal even farther ahead.

After that, Florida went full gambler on their approach to the game in the 4th quarter. A 12-play 72-yard TD drive that ended with another Baugh TD run closed the gap a bit, but they started taking big risks and none of them paid off.

A failed onside kick attempt gave Cal the ball on Florida’s 39 and ended with a 3-yard Dinson TD run. The next drive they were faced with 4th & 10 on their own 25 and went for it, but failed to convert and gave Cal a short field again. A tipped pass to Bush resulted in an interception, saving them from things getting much worse.

Lagway, again exploiting Cal’s watch-and-wait approach to his scrambling, led a 14-play 91-yard drive to score with a 5-yard run. They followed that up with another onside kick, but once again failed and gave Cal 35 yards to go. Dinson would score with a 6-yard TD run, rubbing more salt on the wound and keeping the score out of reach.

Lagway would lead another drive, thanks to a passive Cal offense, and run it in himself with less than 1:00 left to play. At this point it was clear Cal couldn’t lose, and the mood on Florida’s sideline was as low as it could get.

THE TAKEAWAY

Dinson might just be the real deal. Finishing 28/30 with 458 yards, 3TD and 1INT is a great way to start your career. He also added 23 yards on 4 carries with 2TD, overshadowing Linwood’s 119 rushing yards. Receiving, the Cheeseman-Hawkinson duo is looking like a nightmare for defenses. Cheeseman (15/215 yards, TD) and Hawkinson (7/116 yards, TD) looked a step faster than the SEC caliber secondary, and look like they could be the nations top 1-2 pass catchers.

UP NEXT

California : Away at Arizona State.

**redsox907** · 10-20-2024, 01:04 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

defense gave up some late points, hopefully that doesn't become a trend in closer games.

But that duo of Dinson/Cheeseman/Hawkinson is going to terrorize the ACC this season

**bayers3** · 10-21-2024, 10:55 AM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

TEMPE, AZ - Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has some soul searching to do after this game. The former Oregon OC has done a decent job since the move to the Big 12 to try and build a program, but tonight’s game may have set them back quite a bit.

With sweltering heat, even at night, it would have seemed like Cal would be struggling to get through this game. Instead, it was the hosts who would be counting down the seconds until they could get off the field and forget this ever happened.

Perhaps as a preview of things to come, the second play of the game was a 74-yard TD pass from Cal’s QB Duane Dinson to WR George Cheeseman on a bubble route. Cheeseman cruised past the Sun Devil defenders like they were running in molasses. A three-and-out offensive drive would give Cal the ball back, and that possession would end with a short HB Deuce Linwood TD run.

Dillingham would staunch the bleeding with a decent drive, but would have to settle for a 49-yard FG by K Cameron Calcaterra to end the 1st quarter.

The opening quarter would feel like halcyon days for the hosts, especially QB Sam Leavitt. Cal would score again, going up 21-3, before a bizarre turnover would start Arizona State’s slide to a historic low. Two plays into their next drive Leavitt would try to hit WR John Wilcox on a drag route, but fail to notice Cal LE Karl Haggan, and softly toss the ball right at him. Haggan would catch the pass, but be frozen with surprise for a second before taking off toward the endzone. He would be stopped on the Arizona State 4, and two plays later Dinson would walk in for a TD.

Hagan’s surprise grab would set Leavitt down a dark path.

The next two drives would be a blur for Leavitt, and Dillingham would head into the half wondering how things could go so wrong. CB Joey Eddie would pick off Leavitt in the endzone on a long bomb, resulting in a WR Darryl Hawkinson 7-yard TD catch. Then LOLB Taylor Webb would pick off Leavitt on a very questionable pass to HB Darren Burley, putting Cal on the Arizona State 43. That turnover would result in a 2-yard TD pass to Cheeseman and a 42-3 lead at the half.

It’s almost incredible to think that things got worse for the hosts in the second half. Dillingham kept Leavitt on the field, which would prove to be a terrible decision.

A TE Vai Bush 1-yard TD pass would be followed by a 32-yard SS Tremayne Landman pick-six, and that would be followed by a 7-yard TD pass to Hawkinson. Up 63-3, Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi would sit all of his starters aside from Dinson in an attempt to let things cool off. Somehow, things did not cool off for Leavitt.

In an attempt to run the clock out, Cal would do nothing but run the ball in the 4th quarter, but that somehow made things worse for the hosts. HB Larry Hall would score on a 1-yard run before CB Sidney Mason III would scoop up a fumble and run it back to the Arizona State 41. Another Hall TD run would come from that turnover, but it wouldn’t end there. Leavitt would be intercepted by Vincent Simmons Jr., resulting in a 22-yard Dinson TD run. By this point it was obvious that the Sun Devils had quit.

Bizarrely, on the exact same play in the same part of the field, Leavitt would test Simmons Jr. and once again get intercepted by him. A 9-yard Dinson TD run would come from that, and then Leavitt would cap off his night with his seventh interception to put Cal on Arizona State’s 32.

Dinson would scamper 32 yards on the next play, finishing his night with 144 yards on 13 carries for 4TD. Cal’s backups would get the ball one more time, and the Sun Devils just could not put in the effort to slow them down. HB Darrell Stacy would cap off the historic beating with a final 1-yard TD run.

The 99-point margin of victory would set the record for largest defeat in the FBS era, and the 105 points scored would be the most since 2003 when Rockford beat Trinity Bible 105-0. It would be the most point scored in the FBS since 1968 when Houston topped Tulsa 100-6.

THE TAKEAWAY

Dinson has to be in the Heisman conversation now. He finished 36/42 with 422 yards and 5TD to go with his 4 rushing TD. He’s making use of multiple receivers, with Cheeseman and Hawkinson both catching 2TD, and Bush continues to be the top receiving TE. This has to be an aberration, Cal isn’t going to hang 100 on everyone or face teams that throw 7INT, but Tupoi could challenge for the national title with this team.

UP NEXT

California : Home against Kansas State.

**Lunchpail** · 10-21-2024, 04:06 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

I have no idea how you powered through that entire game

**redsox907** · 10-21-2024, 11:02 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

I thought the 87 I hung on UNLV last season was tough, but dang

**bayers3** · 10-22-2024, 01:57 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

Originally posted by Lunchpail

I have no idea how you powered through that entire game

They just kept turning over the ball a few plays after the kickoff. They weren't even bombs that I could user for the pick, they were intercepted before I even knew what was going on.

**bayers3** · 10-22-2024, 01:57 PM

Re: Bear Territory : California CF25

BERKELEY, CA - Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman’s title defense has not gone as planned. The Wildcats entered today 2-1, but still ranked #9, and had to face a team that just won 105-6.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” said Klieman before the game “we brought home the title, so everyone is coming at us. They say it’s harder to win your second than the first, and so far that’s been true.”

The title defense took a major hit right out of the gate in Berkeley, and the 1st quarter didn’t do much to make anyone think it was going to get better. Cal would start the game with a 4-play 84-yard drive ending in a 6-yard TD pass to WR George Cheeseman, and Kansas State would put together a good drive but end up having to kick a 20-yard FG. K James Garrison would hit the right upright and have to watch the ball bounce wide for a miss.

The Golden Bears would capitalize on the mistake and turn the next drive into a 43-yard TD pass to Cheeseman.

The Wildcats would finally get on the board as the 2nd quarter started, this time Garrison would hit a 27-yard FG to make it 14-3.

With things seeming to calm down, Kansas State looked to get back into the game, but the remainder of the 2nd quarter would turn into a train wreck for the visitors. A 10-play 76-yard drive would end with a 12-yard TD pass to WR Kyion Grayes to stretch the lead to 21-3.

The next drive would end in an unlikely turnover, with Cal LE Karl Haggan snagging his second interception of the season. Unable to get to QB Blake Barnett thanks to a double team, Haggan would keep his head up and look to knock down any passes his way. When Barnett tried to throw over him, he was ready and jumped up to snatch it out of the air.

Hagan makes another surprising grab.

As usual, the turnover would result in a Cal score, the drive would end with a 4-yard TD pass to WR Darryl Hawkinson. A three-and-out from Kansas State would give the ball back to Cal with plenty of time to score again before the half. This time it would be a 29-yard TD pass to Cheeseman.

Much like the big win against Arizona State, Cal would come out in the second half and look to run the ball and grind down Kansas State’s defense.

The Wildcats couldn’t get anything going in the second half, with CB Jamison Dyer intercepting Barnett in the 3rd quarter, and could do nothing to stop the Golden Bears from scoring again and again.

THE TAKEAWAY

Defeating the defending national champion would prove that Cal is the real deal. It would be reported after the game that Tupoi managed to sign their first 5-star prospect in history, MLB Cordell Ansah, along with three other prospects that were in attendance.

UP NEXT

California : Away at Miami.

Bear Territory : California CF25

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