JUCO edge rusher Tidiane Jalloh commits to Cal for 2023
In 2023, there are plenty of different paths to college football and Tidiane Jalloh has one of the more unique ones. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound showed up at Independence Community College in Kansas quite unfamiliar with the game, but in a short amount of time his raw ability has generated plenty of interest from around the country.
His recruitment picked up in the winter and by the spring he had continued to make a push forward with options around the country including Iowa State, South Florida, Toledo and several others.
Jalloh eventually took visits to Kansas State, Iowa State and South Florida before visiting Cal and coming to the decision to commit to the Bears on Tuesday.
The versatile defensive prospect played in six games as a freshman and recorded eight tackles to go along with half a tackle for loss. He is expected to join the Bears as an outside linebacker giving him an opportunity to play for Vic So'oto as an edge rusher.
While many schools have opted to overlook junior college prospects in favor of finding players via the transfer portal or through traditional high school recruiting, Cal has leaned on that level to close out its 2023 recruiting class.
The last four commitments for the Bears in the class all come from junior colleges including defensive back Matthew Littlejohn who arrived on campus early and shined in the secondary during spring ball.
Receiver Marquis Montgomery and offensive lineman Martin Tine will be joining the team this summer as two of the other junior college prospect on the roster.
The Bears now have a 13-man recruiting class for 2023 and continue to add transfers through the portal as well. Tuesday, Cal added a commitment from Texas A&M transfer offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff, who is the fourth player to join the team via the portal this spring.