February 4, 2009

Gabriel Baumgaertner
BearTerritory.net Staff Writer

As Cal head coach Jeff Tedford entered Wednesday's annual signing day press conference, a sense of relief emanated throughout the entire room. He could finally breathe out, the 2009 recruiting class is finally in the books.

Though recruiting is a never-ending cycle, Cal long ago began their pursuit of 2010 players, it felt as if one could finally ease up and enjoy footage of the 2009 signees. On the surface, the 2009 class is one of the most impressive that Tedford and the rest of his coaching staff has assembled since his time at Cal. Though this class does not have a "name" like DeSean Jackson or Jahvid Best, the Bears showed their versatility, landing prospects from seven different states and signing an Elite 11 quarterback for the fourth time in five years.

"I think we did a really nice job of addressing our needs," Tedford said. "I feel like we got some size on the offensive line and pretty much hit every position. We are really, really excited the way it turned out. We think they are great fits for our program here."

Bridgford on Board

Quarterbacks have always seemed to thrive under Tedford, and with Allan Bridgford's skill set, Cal fans should expect nothing less than another stellar signal caller. The Mission Viejo (Calif.) native is rated the 10th overall passer, the 5th most accurate in the 2009 class and was a U.S. Army All-American. After an impressive performance at the Elite 11 in July and a stellar senior season, Bridgford solidified himself as one of the best that this class offers.

"He is very sound fundamentally and has a great mind for the game," Tedford said. "He's about training, about the mindset of the game, he is a student of the game, we are really excited to getting him here and getting him into the mix. He can throw any ball on the field and has a nice escape dimension."

The Big D-Linemen

Cal received a letter of intent from another All-American, the top-rated player in Washington in Deandre Coleman. Coleman's film speaks for itself, as he gets off of the ball with incredible quickness for somebody of his size, much like another 2009 signee in Keni Kaufusi. "Biggie" as Tedford describes Coleman, is one of the most heralded recruits of the class.

Tedford discussed the legal issues that Kaufusi has had in the past, and while they are naturally disconcerting, Kaufusi is a player that appears to have used his commitment to Cal as a reason to "do the right thing."

"Keni has really dedicated himself to doing great things at his high school," Tedford said. "He's been a leader and a role model with people around him. We've really been impressed with what he has done and how he has handled himself. If you watch him on tape he is a very hard guy to block."

O-Line Flavor

Though the Bears received a blow when touted Kapolei (HI) offensive lineman Stanley Hasiak signed with UCLA after verbally committing to Cal around three weeks ago, that did not keep the Bears from reeling in perhaps their best offensive line class in the Tedford era.

What many forget is the coaching staff's ability to hold onto four highly regarded prospects in lieu of offensive line coach Jim Michalczik's departure. Cal introduces Under Armour All-American Mark Brazinski (Sommerville, NJ), Charles Siddoway (Eugene, OR), Charles Ragland (Denver, CO) and Brian Schwenke (Oceanside, CA).

"We've had good offensive line classes and this one is no different," Tedford said.

Tedford indicated that he always looks for speed and athleticism in his recruits, but he was noticeably excited in his descriptions of big men Ragland and Siddoway.

"Ragland is 6'8, Siddoway is right there at 6'6 and a half," Tedford said. "They're big guys. Brazinski is really strong at the center position and Schwenke is really athletic, he can play center or guard."

Secondary School

While the offensive line class is impressive, this year's crop of defensive backs are players that will almost certainly be key contributors once they see the field at Memorial Stadium. The Bears ended up with three DB signees, Under-Armour All-American Steve Williams (Dallas, TX), Alex Logan (Denver, CO) and Vachel Samuels (Lynwood, CA).

Logan is another player that Tedford sees competing for some early time on the field.

"(Logan) is a young safety that I think can come in and compete for a job very early," Tedford said. "He's very physical and he's fast. He's got the ability."

Williams was perhaps the biggest steal of Cal's 2009 class, as Tedford and coaches Kenwick Thompson and Al Simmons were able to lure Williams away from his previous verbal commitment to Oklahoma. As BearTerritory chronicled in Williams plays big in All-Star game, Williams was also one of the top cornerbacks in the Under Armour All-American game.

"It was a great fit for him," Tedford said. "There are certain guys that come right away and feel very comfortable. Steve is one of those guys. You could tell by the end of the weekend that he was really liking it. He felt comfortable with our coaches and players and really appreciates academics."

The LB's

Coach Thompson really showed his ability to recruit his home state of Texas, as Williams was not the only lone-star state native that found a new home in Berkeley. Blinn (JC) linebacker Jarred Price headlines a more veteran linebacker class that features two other junior college players (Ryan Davis and Jerome Meadows) and only one high school linebacker (Steven Fanua).

Tedford clarified that the three junior college backers could see the field next year and that they are excited about Fanua's speed and physical play.

"He really has great speed, watch him close on the ball and see how quick he is," Tedford said about Fanua. "Jerome, on the other hand is a bigger linebacker, he can play inside or out."

Last second decision

Much like Hasiak kept the Cal coaches on pins and needles heading into today, Davis was a similar situation, however this one worked in Cal's favor.

"Last night he gave me a really good indication," Tedford said. "It wasn't really 100 percent until this morning."

Now that Cal definitely has Davis signed, Tedford believes that Davis can be to the future Cal teams what Zack Follett was during his time at Cal.

"He's similar to Zack," Tedford said. "Zack led the country in tackles for loss last year and he (Davis) is going to be very similar to that. He's going to be a guy that comes off of the edge and rush the passer. We're going to bring him off of the edge quite a bit."

Excited about Isi

Jones is the only true wide receiver that Cal signed in this class, but one signing where Tedford was noticeably excited was that of Salt Lake City (Cottonwood HS) athlete Isi Sofele. Tedford was radiant in his description of the excitement that Sofele will bring. Sofele is perhaps the most versatile recruit of Cal's 2009 class, as he can line up in the backfield, in the slot and can return both kicks and punts.

"He's an athlete, he's going to play everywhere," Tedford said. "He's a very exciting player. He can come out of the backfield, he can line up in the slot, he catches the ball well, but as a kick returner he is very exciting. He will compete to be our punt returner."

Another twist

Another bizarre recruitment that worked in the Bears' favor was that of Compton C.C. and former Clemson signee Markish Jones. Originally from South Carolina, Jones was the center of a famous story that he allegedly faxed two letters of intent (to Clemson and Florida State). Contrary to some claims however, Jones has only faxed one letter of intent this time, and with some work in the classroom should join Cal this coming fall.

"It really went down to the wire with him," Tedford said. "He's a really talented guy, he's very fast and has very good hands. He was a great track runner in high school. He's a guy that as it winds down here, He's the guy that is probably the most talented of the guys we were looking at all along. We are really, really happy to have him."

Kicking Competition

Despite the pleasantly surprising play of Giorgio Tavecchio, kickoffs were a persistent problem for Cal in the 2008 season. After seeing Lake Forest, CA (El Toro HS) native Vince D'Amato's film, it looks as if kickoffs should not be as big of a problem for the Bears come the future seasons. D'Amato did not kick off of a tee in high school, something Tedford emphasized when asked about why he decided to award a scholarship to a kicker.

"He has the ability to come in and compete right away," Tedford said.

And finally ?

Though it is easy to say that any team has the "best" recruiting class, Tedford was evidently happy in his description of this class. Though it will not be announced until the end of the day, Cal should check in with the fifth-best 2009 class according to the Rivals rankings (behind USC, UCLA, Stanford and Oregon).

If Tedford's attitude was any indication of what he thinks, there is reason to be excited about the 2009 class.

● AUDIO: Jeff Tedford Signing Day Q&A

Gabriel Baumgaertner is a staff writer for BearTerritory. He details numerous recruiting features on future Division-I football athletes across the country, including some of the highest sought after prospects on the West Coast. Baumgaertner also covers Cal football and men's basketball, and will continue to handle various assignments throughout the 2009 athletic season.