Bishop Alemany's Damonic Williams made a big wave for Cal last week, becoming the first commit for the Bears in the 2022 class. The 6'1", 295 lb defensive lineman filled a big need for the Bears in the class at nose guard, while the school and defensive line coach Andrew Browning checked the boxes for him.

"I felt comfortable with how coach Browning made me feel," Williams said. "He's a very good recruiter and he's a very family-oriented guy, very easy-going, I like that about him. Cal was a school that I really, really wanted due to the academics that they have. I'm looking at it as, if I can have a Cal degree, I can do anything I want."

Williams has been a longtime target of Browning, and was offered around the same time as his once and future teammate, Alemany defensive end Myles Williams. The recruitment of the 2021 defensive end helped the younger Williams feel solid in his decision.

"(Myles) helped me to know that was what I really wanted," Williams said, "I would ask him (about the recruiting process) twice a week when we did have practice, I'd ask him how everything was going with Cal, what made him choose Cal over all the schools he had. He told me it was because of the family oriented feeling he got from Cal. I got that same feeling, one that no other school gave me, and I liked that feeling."

The timing of the decision even surprised Browning.

"In the time frame of 9:30 to 10:30 (PM on Wednesday), I facetimed coach Browning and told him 'I'm ready to commit,'" Williams said, "He was in full shock, he was very happy afterwards, very excited."

He fills a gap for the Bears, who have been looking for a consistent nose tackle over the previous few classes. They added one of the best on the west coast in Williams, who could also slide to other defensive tackle spots in the nickel.

"They like how explosive I am off the ball, they see me playing in their three-tech," Williams said, "they see me playing the nose guard, and they like how I'm good with my hands. They also like my work ethic and how well I interact with my teammates."

Now Williams is focusing on a handful of things. He's playing a club football season down in southern California, keeping his GPA up, and looking to visit Cal whenever the dead period ends (he previously visited for the 2019 USC game). Williams has noted that there's a bit of stress off his plate in making the commitment.

"It feels great to know I'm the first out of the 2022 class," Williams noted, "it feels amazing. I don't have to wake up and figure out what coach I'm texting, I already know, and everyone knows I'm a Cal commit. That's something that I really wanted to do, and it feels good that I'm going somewhere that I'm wanted."