Cal adds CSM linebacker Jake Kearney
A month after telling GoldenBearReport he was on the verge of signing, College of San Mateo linebacker Jake Kearney finally put his name on the dotted line Tuesday night, becoming the fourth LB to join Cal's 2014 class along with Aisea Tongilava, Hamilton Anoa'i, and Devante Downs.
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Kearney picked up a Cal offer near the end of May, weeks after the official football signing period, and a year before he planned to earnestly start looking at recruiting interest.
"I was expecting to have another year at CSM so all of this is crazy for me," Kearney told GoldenBearReport after picking up the offer. "For me it's a no-brainer."
Credit Cal defensive coordinator Art Kaufman and linebackers coach Garret Chachere with the get -- Kaufman found Kearney during CSM's Spring ball, Chachere coaxed a visit out of him, and Sonny Dykes helped seal the deal when he arrived at Memorial.
Kearney played both fullback and linebacker at Granada High, finishing his senior season with 836 rushing yards, 6 TDs, and just one fumble in 136 carries, plus 88 tackles and two sacks in nine games.
The signing reunites Kearney with three former teammates: Trevor Kelly, Sione Sina, and, somewhat surprisingly, Damariay Drew, who Kearney played Pop Warner with.
"I'm really familiar with Cal because one of my best friends goes there, Damariay Drew. We grew up together, I played Pop Warner with him," Kearney said. "Of course I've talked to the CSM guys too. I talked to TK when I did my trip, he was behind me all the way, excited for me, it's gonna be sweet to all play with each other again."
Kearney was a first-year greyshirt at CSM thanks to a current Golden Bear.
"Sina was ahead of me, and he's a monster, so I greyshirted, did well as a greyshirt with the practice squad and went into last year as the starting outside linebacker. I had some of the best coaches, and I really listened to them, worked my butt off, went into the season, had a good season, made a few big plays, made a name for myself out there. That was by far one of the best teams I've played for, 10-1, it was a really exciting year."
Not only did Kearney work his butt off as a greyshirt, but he also grew.
Coming out of high school he was 6'1", 185 pounds. By his greyshirt freshman year, he was 6'3, 225.
"That was one of my biggest strides, my size."
Kearney will be fully eligible this Fall and available for the 2014 season -- a potentially huge add for a defense that will come out of the summer thinner at linebacker than it came in after losing 4-star St. John Bosco LB Chandler Leniu, an academic casualty who was forced to sign with Washington State after not being admitted.
"What they've told me is there is a lot of inexperience, a lot of converted players outside, not really a true OLB there," Kearney said. "What they're telling me is it's open for competition."
Which may not be good news for Cal's other OLBs. Kearney had 49 tackles (including 10.5 tackles for loss) for one of the best junior college defenses in the country last season, plus 1.5 sacks, five pass breakups, an INT, and two fumble recoveries in 10 games. He runs around a 4.6 40 too.
"I think I read very well, I'm quick to the ball, had lot of tackles in backfield, and I've been progressing in the coverage game too."
Kearney will have four years to play three.