WR Nyziah Hunter discusses his Cal commitment decision
Speedy three-star wide receiver Nyziah Hunter took two more official visits after his weekend at Cal, but those trips to Colorado State and Oregon State couldn't sway him off the connection he felt to the Golden Bears during that weekend in Berkeley.
Hunter, who projects as a dynamic slot weapon for the Bears, announced his Cal commitment on Thursday afternoon and talked to Golden Bear Report about his decision.
"The reason I picked Cal is because once I got there it felt like home. I just caught the vibe with the players and coaches, my family loved it and it was a good time there. Out of all the visits, I think Cal is the one that stood out to me," Hunter said Thursday.
He was not yet rated by Rivals when Cal offered him. Hunter told us previously that his Salinas HS team doesn't get a ton of exposure from recruiters so he flew under the radar, but that changed this spring as offers started mounting. He tallied eight overall and narrowed his focus to Cal, Colorado State and Oregon State.
Those other visits impressed him as well, but there was a major difference that ultimately further reinforced Cal as his choice.
"Talking to the other coaches, I was like on and off -- it was kind of hard to pick -- but I came to the final conclusion it was Cal," Hunter said. "... They told me how they had a gameplan for me and how I can evolve around the offense. From the other schools I was being recruited [as a DB], but I don't want to play DB. Cal is offering me to play wide receiver and that's my position. That's why I'm pretty excited about it. Honestly, I think it shows they want to see success in me and know that I can play receiver instead of DB."
Cal has narrowed its own focus to a couple wide receivers at the top of its recruiting board at this point in the process -- Hunter and Texas four-star WR Mikal Harrison-Pilot.
Hunter is the first WR commit for the Bears in this 2023 recruiting class and the fifth commit overall, joining four-star safety RJ Jones (Bellflower, Calif.), three-star LB Cade Uluave (Herriman, Utah), three-star CB Sai Vadrawale (Rohnert Park, Calif.) and three-star DT Ashton Sanders (Pasadena, Calif.).
"I told them Monday. I called coach [Justin] Wilcox and coach BT [Burl Toler]. The reaction was like happiness, they were just excited and glad," Hunter said.
"I'm just blessed that I'm in this position now because back then I wasn't getting looked at, and now I'm here committing to a school that I want to [play for]. Just excited about committing. Now I don't have to worry about anything else -- I can just go on to my senior season."