Cal Checks All the Boxes for Croteau
Braxten Croteau had a checklist going into his Cal visit, and the Bears ended up filling all the boxes for the Liberty (Peoria, AZ) DE
"I went up there, I had a checklist in mind," Croteau noted, "I believe Cal fits what I need academically. I believe it'll make me better athletically and give me a chance to play football at a higher level, and I loved the family atmosphere and the coaches up there. I loved the weather up there, I loved the town, I just loved the whole atmosphere up there. "
Charlie Ragle was one of the driving forces behind Croteau's recruitment to Cal, bringing him and teammate Ryan Puskas up to watch practice Friday and Saturday, and sitting down to individually talk with Croteau.
"It was great," Croteau said, "we sat down and talked a lot while we were up there, showed me all the opportunities, and I really appreciated it. I think we have a great relationship, and I look forward to making it grow even more."
Along with that, Croteau spent time around Tony Tuioti, his future position coach, both in meetings and during practice.
"I sat down in the meeting room with Tuioti and he showed me his coaching philosophy," Croteau said, "He's a big family guy and I love that about him. I'm excited for him to be my coach. He showed me where I was at, more of a left end, defensive end type."
With that, Croteau got to sit down with Justin Wilcox as well.
"Coach Wilcox is an awesome guy," Croteau said, "I loved the way he coaches and how he talked about Cal with me. I think there's a lot of great opportunities that fit me up there. "
Some of those opportunities include working towards a major in business, as the Cal staff made sure to take him through the Haas School of Business near the football facility. At the end of the day though, Croteau's happy to be somewhat finished with the recruiting process.
"I'm kinda glad that it's over," Croteau said, "I think I found the right school for me and I think I can just focus on what I do and having a great season this year."