NorCal secret no more
A week ago, Oroville (Calif.) Butte Junior College tight end Skylar Curran announced that he had officially given Cal a verbal commitment during his official to visit to Berkeley. Though Curran went completed unnoticed during most of the recruiting process, BearTerritory is ready to rip the cover off the NorCal secret.
Blessed with 4.67 forty speed and a 36-inch vertical leap, Curran, who stands 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, somehow managed to evade recruiting attention – both from the media and colleges – for quite sometime. Part of that had to do with being from Woodland (Calif.), a smaller community resting north of the Sacramento area that competes at the Div. III level. Still, talent is talent, and recruiters often mine out hidden gems all the time, despite location.
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While he was one of the better two-way players for the Wolves throughout his career, what really kept Curran in the shadows was an ankle injury suffered in an all-star game at the conclusion of his Woodland playing career.
"I broke my left ankle at the Optimist game," Curran said, reflecting on the injury. "That pretty much set me back and why I wasn't able to play the following year."
"In fact, that's one thing that needs to be corrected," Curran added. "I used my redshirt my freshman year at Butte. So I don't have 4 years to play 3. It's 3 to play 3."
"But that's a good thing, in my opinion anyway, and the coaches feel that way too," Curran continued. "I worked hard academically so I can be ready at the mid-year point, to come in now. I want to make an impact, and by getting there early, I know I'll have a chance to get on the field next season. I already missed a year of playing football. I don't want to do it again."
With former Cal tight end Garrett Cross also an anonymous NorCal prep who went on to Butte JC before starring at Cal, Curran understands the comparisons.
"I know how to use my size, and I like to block, but I also have speed at my position," Curran said. "So I understand the comparisons to Garrett. His name continues to come up, even when I visited Cal. Coach Alamar and Coach Foster mentioned it during the time that they recruited me. But at the same time, I hope to make my own name."
"My parents are stoked about everything," Curran said, stating that Eastern Washington was really the only school after him beyond Cal. "3 years of free school? To Cal? You know, they couldn't be happier."
To view Curran's recent "Calography" photo segment entitled "Skylar Curran in Color", please follow the link below;
Look for another Curran segment in the near future.
A.W Prince is the senior writer and publisher of BearTerritory.net. He pens numerous recruiting features, including "The Weekly Spin", on some of the most talented and highly sought after student-athletes in the country. Along with his recruiting work, Prince has made radio appearances with Rivals Radio and Bay Area college basketball pre-game, halftime, and post-game in-season shows.