The first OV weekend of the 2020 cycle is turning out to be a good one for Cal, as Chaparral (AZ) WR Tommy Christakos is in the fold for the Bears. Christakos, who the Bears offered in February, becomes the sixth commit of the 2020 class, joining fellow wideouts Casey Filkins and Jeremiah Hunter, along with Andy Alfieri, Isaiah Young, and Everett Johnson in the class.
Christakos, one of four recruits on an official visit this weekend, called the Bears his dream school in the announcement, and was recruited by WR coach Burl Toler and ST Coordinator Charlie Ragle.
This was Christakos second official visit, having previously taken one to Princeton in April. The Chaparral WR/K/P (he was offered solely as a wideout by Cal) has had a long spanning relationship with Ragle, as the Cal ST coordinator had him on a visit not long after getting hired by the Bears. That familiarity, along with the fact that Ragle coached at Chaparral for a number of years, helped them forge a relationship.
"It makes it a lot easier in a sense, because I can have a more comfortable relationship with him," Christakos told GoldenBearReport in February, "not so much as a coach to recruit, but more like a player to coach. It almost is like he's my coach, because he has so much relation and history with Chap(arral), I think he won three or two state titles and he loves coming back, so it makes it a lot easier, it's made the process a lot better."
Christakos, listed as a three-star wideout, caught 54 passes for 1221 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018. At 6'4", Christakos is someone who can go up and make the 50/50 balls closer to 80/20, while having the speed to create separation from defenders.
What this Commitment Means
1. After six commits from the state of Arizona in 2019, Cal now has one in 2020, with more targets interested in the Bears from Ragle's home state
2. 2020 is appearing to be the reload year for young wideouts, as with Christakos, Filkins, and Hunter, the Bears have a base to build on at the position going forward
3. Christakos fills a role that the Bears need, a big wideout with some speed on the outside. Trevon Clark should fill that in the interim, but Christakos should be able to build a big role there going forward.
4. This also proves the value of summer official visits, as the Bears have landed prospects for the second consecutive year off of them (Spencer Brasch, McKade Mettauer, and Brayden Rohme in 2019)
