As prospects around the country put pen to paper and inked National Letters of Intent to play for various college football programs a month ago, there was a recruit on Cal’s commitment list who ultimately decided to hold off on doing the same.

Offensive lineman Jackson Brown has been committed to the Bears since late August. It’s the hometown school and the program with which he has the most familiarity. Yet, when the time came to make his pledge with Cal official he didn’t feel quite right about finalizing such an important decision.

Schools continued to recruit Brown even after his commitment to play for Justin Wilcox and the Bears. He visited Cincinnati just before the start of the early signing period. Kentucky entered the picture with an offer around that same time.

There was a lot on Brown’s mind all while the clock on the three-day early signing period continued to tick away. So, the offensive lineman from San Ramon Valley made a decision, but it was by no means an easy one.

“You had until 12 that night in the early signing period and Cal was pushing really hard,” Brown said as recounted how he ultimately came to the decision to hold off on signing with the Bears in December. “I was scared and was like, ‘Should I do it?’ I didn’t want to second guess myself. So, I just went with my heart, whatever I felt was right.

“You always gotta stick with what you believe, but that was definitely anxious stuff.”

Brown hasn’t completely hit the reset button. He remains committed to Cal but also feels he owes it to himself to explore all his options before signing. He is going to sign in with a school in February. That much he knows.

Right now, however, he is still figuring out exactly whether or not that program will be Cal.