Three-star DL Tiumalu Afalava discusses Cal commitment
Defensive line recruiting is heating up for Cal, and the latest addition to the group again comes from Southern California.
Three-star prospect Tiumalu Afalava, from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, say he ultimately chose the Golden Bears over Washington State and Arizona State.
While the communication had been consistent with Cal, a recent conversation with the staff let him know there was a spot open if he was ready to commit and so he pounced.
"I thought it was a great move because Cal is known for being an academic and athletic institution, so I thought it would be a great place. I have a good relationship with coach [Andrew] Browning so I thought it would be the place to go and I feel like it was the best fit for me," Afalava told Golden Bear Report
The 6-foot-3 prospect is expected to come in as a defensive tackle, though he has the flexibility to move around on the line if needed.
Afalava visited Berkeley earlier in the spring leading to his offer from defensive line coach Andrew Browning and the staff at Cal. He previously camped with the program as well.
He said scheduling complications prevented him from taking an official visit this summer, but he had seen enough already to be confident in his decision and he'll take his Cal OV in the fall.
"Just the way they went about things, with their academics too and their athletics. They're really about the development -- all their guys are taken care of," Afalava said. "They know what they're doing. [Talking] with Coach Browning about football, it seems like they know what they're doing and they know what they want. And I feel they do have the ability to adapt as a defense -- it's great to have fluidity to be able to adapt to another team's offense."
That relationship with Browning was also a driving force behind Afalava's Cal decision.
"I have a great relationship with him. I think he's a great guy. He's someone I can talk to and he's going to be able to develop me as a football player and as a person in life," he said.
The 2023 prospect is now the second member of Browning's group up front in the class joining Los Angeles defensive lineman Ashton "Champ" Sanders, who gave the Bears his commitment over Wisconsin last month.
The program remains in the hunt for another Los Angeles-area defensive lineman in the class as well. Chatsworth-Sierra Canyon defensive tackle Cameron Brandt has built a strong relationship with the Bears and is focused on the program along with Stanford as he moves toward a decision.
Cal now has seven commitments in the class with six of those pledges coming within the last month.