The state of Washington has given Cal a few prospects over the past couple of years, with Matt Cindric, Orin Patu, Justin Baker, and Dylan Jemtegaard coming down from the Evergreen State. The latter two, Baker and Jemtegaard, trained at Ford Sports Performance (run by Tracy Ford), a 7 on 7 program and training center for high schoolers, NFL players, and players preparing for the NFL combine. Former Cal running back Patrick Laird trained for the combine at FSP, while Trey Paster played for their 7 on 7 team.
FSP isn't alone in working with high school athletes in the area, as Heir Football (run by Reggie Jones) has produced a handful of Cal targets over the past few years, with OL Dave Iuli being a massive target for the Bears in the 2022 class. This Sunday, FSP and Heir will play an 11 on 11 game for recruiting exposure and bragging rights.
Cal has another connection to the FSP program, and that's through DB coach Tre Watson. Prior to taking a GA spot at Oregon, Watson worked at FSP, working with some of the pros and future pros in the Seattle area.
"I mostly did the NFL off-season training as well as the combine prep," Watson recalled, "some guys that I played with I ended up training. My skillset was always my work ethic to push and encourage guys, along with my technique and footwork, doing a lot of work with them was my specific area. "
Being a standout player for Kennedy HS in Seattle before the current level of exposure, Watson has seen the effect that having a greater platform has.
"That program has grown a lot, with Tracy Ford doing an amazing job up there. With me being from Seattle," Watson said, "I’m excited to see a platform created where guys could be seen. Something like that wasn’t available when I was coming up, it’s more prevalent in the south, at the Texas schools, in California, in other areas. It’s really good to see those guys doing such a great job, along with Reggie (Jones) over there at Heir Sports, they’re pushing a platform for these young men to have an opportunity."
With a handful Cal targets in the class of 2022 and 2023 playing for these programs (Iuli, 2023 DB Jasiah Wagoner, and DE Andrew Savaiinaea among others), there will continue to be a focus from the Cal side on the Seattle area. For Watson, the success both FSP and Heir have had in helping to produce talent is vindication of the talent level of the Seattle area.
"There has always been talent," Watson said, "it’s never been recognized on that platform. You think about all the players that play basketball that are in the NBA that come out of Seattle. Every year there’s a guy that goes out of Seattle into the NBA. It’s one of those areas where it’s not as populated, because it’s not as big, but there’s a lot of talent that’s getting an opportunity to show (it) in football and other sports. Those guys are creating avenues where guys can train or get some good teaching and fundamentals, along with a stage that they can go out, travel, and display themselves."
With Cal's coaching staff having a strong background in the Pacific Northwest, expect the Bears to continue recruiting the area hard moving forward.
