Bad news for the Bears

Looks like some bad news for the Bears.  Michael Calvin, a WR, had his knee give way during practice and seems like he may be out for awhile.  Though Calvin has not produced much this season, he was expected to become the top receiver on the team.  David Seawright, our kicker, has a pulled groin and is unlikely to play this Saturday as well.  Furthermore, Tyson Alualu, a starting DE and arguably our best rusher, has a leg infection and a fever that has him walking around on a crutch.  His status for Saturday is unknown.  Credit to Jonathan Okanes for the news.

Update: Looks like Calvin is out for the year with a torn ACL.  Tedford also announced Nate Longshore as the starting quarterback for the Arizona game.

RB of the future?

Cal has gone a long time without picking up a commitment from a new player.  That changed today with Dasarte Yarnway, a 6’0″ 210 lbs running back committing to the Bears.  Yarnway is rated as the 23rd best running back in the nation, and a 4 star recruit by Scout.com.  He looks to be both a bigger back and a fast back as well with a 40 time of 4.5 seconds.

The trees come down

In a ruling released today, the injunction request by the people in the oak trees has been denied.  As a result, Cal may begin cutting the trees immediately.

Cameron Jordan suspended

DE Cameron Jordan has been suspended for the first game of the season.  He was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend.

This lessens the Bears depth along the DL, with Cameron one of four primary players in rotation at the DE position.  Even though he is not listed as a starter, this will still greatly impact the Bears.  The starters at the DE position are Rulon Davis and Tyson Alualu with Jordan listed as the primary backup.

Riley named starter

Kevin Riley has been named the starter over Nate Longshore for the Michigan State game.  This comes at the end of the fall practices as the Bears begin to prepare for their first game.  Coach Tedford stresses that Longshore will definitely get a chance to play and that there will be a continual competition.  Both quarterbacks played extremely well throughout camp.

A CB and a transfer

Vachel Samuels, a CB out of Lynwood, CA has committed to the Bears. Samuels is a 3-star recruit who is listed at 6’1″ 190 lbs with a 4.4 40. It is nice to see that more Southern California players are signing away from UCLA and USC with the Bears.

Donovan Edwards, a JC transfer from Diablo Valley has decommitted from UCLA to join the Bears in the 2008 class (taking the open scholarship from the release of DE Scott Smith to transfer). He is a 6’4″ 270 lbs OL who also runs a 4.7 40. Edwards is a 2008 recruit and will have 4 years to play 3, and will be eligible immediately. Again, it is good to see that Cal can steal prospects, even this late into the 2008 recruiting season.

Recruiting updates

Cal recently signed OL Brian Schwenke out of Oceanside High School. He is a 6’3″ 265 lbs lineman who has played both ways in high school, but will probably focus on offense in college. Besides for being rated a 3-star recruit by Scout.com, Schwenke is also academically focused with a near-4.0 GPA. He chose Cal in part because of Cal’s academic reputation.

Allan Bridgford, a Cal commit, was named to the Elite 11 and is currently participating in the QB camp. He was named the most accurate passer on Day 1 of the camp.

Stadium saga over?

Edit: The City of Berkeley has decided not to appeal the ruling.  This puts Cal one step closer to being able to build with no further problems.  The other plaintiffs say they will still file an appeal, but they have yet to actually file.

The stadium saga is possibly over with Judge Barbara Miller’s ruling today. In her ruling, she declared UC Berkeley the prevailing party in the stadium lawsuit, and will lift the injunction on building in a week. If the plaintiffs decide not to file an appeal, the lawsuit will be over and Cal will be free to build. If the plaintiffs do file an appeal, they would have to reapply for an injunction which may or may not be granted. See a full news article here.

Speaking of Blinn College…

Scout.com reports that Jarred Price, a 5’10” 215 lbs weakside LB has signed with Cal out of Blinn College.  Price currently plays DE for Blinn, but projects to be a LB at the Division I level.  He becomes the second Blinn player to sign with Cal in the past week.

It seems as if Price might be in the hunt to replace Zach Follett after Follett graduates after this season.  Price will probably play the same blitzing linebacker position that Follett currently occupies.  He has two years to play two seasons after using a redshirt season at Blinn.

Late 2007-08 Recruit

Scout.com reports that defensive back Bryant Nnabuife out of Blinn College in Texas has signed with the Golden Bears. Nnabuife is a 6’2″ 200 lbs player who also runs a 4.38 40. He has played both safety and cornerback in the past and could project to play either position for the Bears. Nnabuife himself prefers to play CB, but is open to playing anything. Eligibility-wise, Nnabuife has 4 years to play 3.

If you will recall, Cal signed Alex Cook out of Blinn College a few years ago. Other than Cook, Blinn has stood out as a JC team as they have placed over a dozen players at Division I colleges as transfers.