Shane Vereen (4-star RB) commits

Out of Valencia down in SoCal, Shane Vereen has committed to Cal’s 2007 recruiting class, turning down offers from USC, Oregeon, UCLA, Stanford and others. Vereen is listed as a 4-star recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com at 5’10”, 180 pounds, and 4.4 forty. Rivals also ranks him #2 of all-purpose backs, #20 of prospects of California, and he also makes the cut in their Rivals250 list (nation’s overall top recruits).

Vereen is a star running back and cornerback at Valencia High School, and is deadly both on the ground and in the passing game. He also has a 3.8 GPA and is very successful in track.

EDIT 8/12: Here’s an article about Vereen in the LA Daily News outlining some of his accomplishments. Another one from the Santa Clarita Valley Signal also talks about his commit. A great quote from the article highlighting the draw of Cal’s academics:

Vereen said it was tough to turn down every offer and treated them equally, whether it was USC or the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, from which he received a late offer.

“I take it more as an honor that they offered me a scholarship,” Vereen said. “But it’s a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision.”

Vereen said academics played a big part in making up his mind.

Rivals names 10 Cal players on All-Pac 10 Team

Rivals.com has named its pre-season all-conference team for the Pac-10. While USC has 6 selections on the first-team, Cal has the most overall with 10 players.

On the first-team offense is Marshawn Lynch (RB), while the first-team defense includes Brandon Mebane (DT), Desmond Bishop (LB), and Daymeion Hughes (CB). DeSean Jackson (WR) is a second-team offense selection while Nu’u Tafisi (DE), Matt Malele (DT), Anthony Felder (LB), and Tim Mixon (CB) rounded out the defense. Mixon was also selected as the second-team punt-returner.

That’s seven defensive players on the list, some of whom are not guaranteed to start, giving you an idea how dominating the defense should be.

ESPN: Cal “could surprise” in 2006

ESPN‘s Mark Schlabach has written an article called “Flying under the radar” describing seven underappreciated teams that “could make some noise”. He writes:

California Golden Bears
The Bears’ spotty play at quarterback last season was an aberration. It won’t happen again under coach Jeff Tedford, one of the best teachers of the passing game in the country. Quarterback Nate Longshore takes over after missing nearly all of 2005 with a broken ankle. Tailback Marshawn Lynch could explode if he stays healthy — he ran for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005 despite being plagued by a hand injury. Cal goes to Tennessee for its Sept. 2 opener and could crush the Vols’ rebound hopes. Cal gets Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA at home, but goes to Southern California on Nov. 18.

The article is linked here.

Cal named “title contender” by SI

SI.com‘s Stewart Mandel has put up an article, “Anybody’s ball game: With no clear-cut favorites, title race is wide open”, analyzing 16 teams with hopes for the national title. Mandel lists Cal as one of his selections, calling the Bears “dangerous” if Coach Jeff Tedford develops a quarterback. He also suggests that Cal “may have the best offense and defense in the Pac-10″, but emphasizes that the quarterback and offensive line must live up to their potential. Take a look at his analysis here.

Monday practice reports

The Bear Insider has a nice report of yesterday/Monday’s first practice of fall camp. The article mentions a positive atmosphere and talks about who made big plays, including the walk-ons and incoming freshman. It also lists those returning from injury, new scholarship players, and new walk-ons. Take a look here.

The Contra Costa Times also has a report of the practice and the post-practice barbeque. It talks about academics, the offensive line, and quarterbacks. It also notes that freshman quarterback Kevin Riley (expected to red-shirt this season) has grown an inch while adding 25 pounds, looking “very sharp” throwing the ball.

Bears “smelling roses” – Oakland Tribune

The Oakland Tribune has put Marshawn Lynch on the front page of today’s sports section, giving high praise and hype for the team this season. The article describes this season as a “golden opportunity” to get back to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 48 years, the best chance since Chuck Muncie and the 1975 team. The article also goes over a few question marks, including the quarterback situation, hybrid offense, Lynch, pass rush, and shutdown corners. Take a look.

Fall camp begins

The Bears report for fall training camp today, and practice officially begins tomorrow afternoon (Monday). Here’s the release from Cal with a lot of facts and statistics.

Challenges, potential of infusing spread

The San Jose Mercury News has put up an article about how many will be watching Cal’s unveiling of the “Ted-Spread” offense at Tennessee. Coach Jeff Tedford again makes the reminder that the spread is only an “added dimension”, not a major change of philosophy.

However, he says the “No. 1 concern” of this is the shotgun snap: in a spread play, the quarterback stands in the shotgun position, requiring a long snap from the center (offensive line). Sophomore Alex Mack, taking over with the departure of Marvin Philip to the NFL, only has one year of experience with this type of snap. The article has a few quotes from fellow Pac-10 coaches praising Tedford’s previous system, but also expressing some concern over the introduction of this added element.

With these risks come a lot of potential. We’ll have to wait for September 2 to see the “Ted-Spread” action.

Cal #12 in BCS preseason coaches’ poll

USA Today released its Top 25 preseason poll this morning. This poll represents 1/3 of the BCS equation. Cal comes in at #12, a little lower than I expected. The ranks and (first place votes):

USA Today Coaches’ Poll: 1. Ohio State (28) 2. Texas (11) 3. (tie) Notre Dame (9) 3. (tie) USC (1) 5. Oklahoma (13) 6. Auburn (1) 7. West Virginia 8. Florida 9. LSU 10. Florida State 11. Miami 12. California

13. Louisville 14. Georgia 15. Michigan 16. Virginia Tech 17. Iowa 18. Clemson 19. Penn State 20. Oregon 21. TCU 22. Nebraska 23. Tennessee 24. Alabama 25. Texas Tech

As you can see, USC is still highly ranked despite losing all that talent last season. It’s also good to see Tennessee ranked, making the September 2 opener real big. Note that while Oklahoma is #5, they will most likely drop significantly due to their starting QB being kicked off the team.

Tedford and player quotes from Bay Area media day

Cal has put up a short article with quotes from Coach Jeff Tedford and seniors Daymeion Hughes, Erik Robertson, and Desmond Bishop. These are from yesterday’s annual Bay Area Media Day in San Francisco.