LSU safety Ryan Yaites becomes Cal's biggest offseason addition
Now more than ever, a strong relationship can be meaningful in ways college coaches didn't think possible even a few years ago. Losing out on a recruitment with a high school prospect might only be part of the story.
Cal's staff found that out first hand Monday.
Ryan Yaites committed to LSU as a high school recruit and signed with the Tigers, but before he did so he visited Berkeley as the Bears continued to prioritize the safety prospect from Denton, Texas.
Monday, he announced his transfer commitment in favor of Cal becoming the program's biggest offseason addition so far.
Yaites played in 13 games during his freshman season at LSU and ended the year with 16 tackles. He entered the portal earlier this month, and the Bears jumped into the mix building on their connection with the 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety.
The four-star is currently ranked No. 64 in the Rivals portal rankings making him the highest-rated pickup for the Bears through both the winter and spring transfer windows.
Justin Wilcox and his staff have been working to upgrade different parts of the roster but a playmaking safety has been high on the list. Yaites fits the need as a former four-star prospect and someone who was able to get on the field early at an SEC program last year.
He is now the fifth transfer addition for the Bears since the spring window opened April 16 and the second defensive back among that group alongside Oklahoma cornerback transfer Jasiah Wagoner, who gave Cal his commitment over the weekend.
Cal's coaching staff left a strong impression on Yaites when he visited Berkeley two summers ago, and had him thinking about the possibility of ending up with the Bears even then.
"They welcomed me into the family without me even being a part of the family," he told Golden Bear Report at the time. "That's something that stood out to me. I was like, wow, if I go up here I just know I'm going to be with some players that, of course we're competing against each other, but at the same time we're still going to be family regardless of what's going on."
Yaites will have three seasons of remaining eligibility with the Bears, who recently saw defensive backs Kaylin Moore and Collin Gamble enter the transfer portal.