4-star linebacker D.J. Holt commits

D.J. Holt, a 4-star prep out of Encino (CA), has committed to Cal. He’s listed as both a defensive end and linebacker but is slated to play middle linebacker; Rivals ranks him the #19 defensive end while Scout rates him the #13 strong-side linebacker in the country. Holt picked Cal over several other offers including Arizona State, Washington, and Fresno State, and he looks to be an excellent addition to the defense for this class.

Recruiting update

Cal has two new commits in the 2007 recruiting class, a punter and a defensive back.

Bryan Anger, a punter out of Camarillo (CA), is the #2-ranked kicker in the nation rated by Rivals and #5 by Scout. He’s a big athlete at 6’4″ with a lot of potential, and he’s already averaging 42-yard punts and getting more than 5 second hang-time on some kicks. He’s also an excellent student with a 3.9 GPA. The team has benefited greatly from JUCO transfer Andrew Larson but he will only have one more season, so this is a great get for the Bears.

DJ Campbell, a defensive back out of Las Vegas (NV), is another solid add to the class. He’s a talented recruit rated 3 stars by Rivals.

WR Mike Calvin commits to Cal

Local wideout Mike Calvin from San Lorenzo High School has committed to the 2007 recruiting class. He is a big, athletic receiver at 6’3″, 199 lb with a 41 inch vertical and a 4.48 forty. He’s listed as a 3-star prospect on both Scout.com and Rivals, and looks to be a solid addition to the class. As signing day approaches, we will hopefully hear more good news about this year’s class. A win on Saturday against USC will make many blue chip recruits to look to the Bears.

4-star OT DeMartinis commits to Cal

6’6″/270lb Sam DeMartinis, the #7-ranked 4-star offensive tackle by Scout.com, has committed to Cal after making an official visit during the win over UCLA. DeMartinis, from Notre Dame High School in UCLA’s backyard, is an excellent lineman and student who makes a great addition to the 2007 recruiting class.

In other recruiting news, highly touted QB commit Brock Mansion over in Dallas, TX has led his high school to its first division title. Thanks to Sam G for this bit of news.

OL/DL Justin Cheadle commits to Cal

Four-star lineman Justin Cheadle out of Bakersfield has committed to Cal. He’s a 6’4″, 260+ lb player who can play both offensive and defensive line, but will likely play the former at Cal. Check out his player profile at Scout and Rivals. From his mouth:

“I always [was] thinking about committing to Cal, but something told me when I was there, just go ahead and commit to Cal. I like the coaches. I like the players. I love the area. I’ll get a top education. It’s a top program. I really think they’ll compete for the Pac 10 championship. Every thing’s just really good about them. I’m just really impressed with the whole program,” concluded Cheadle.

Cheadle is a basketball star for Bakersfield as well and also sports a 3.8 GPA.

RB Brandon Jackson commits to Cal

Brandon Jackson, a three-star running back out of Marist High School in Eugene (Oregon), has committed to Cal’s 2007 recruiting class. He’s a 5’11”, 195 lbprospect who runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds. He’s considered a real pass-run threat, a nice addition to the class.

Jackson picked Cal over Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Boise State, and Boston College. Take a look at his Scout and Rivals profiles. The Oregonian also has a short article on his commitment.

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.

Mansion “most improved” at Elite 11 QB camp

Reports from the Elite 11 quarterback camp list 2007 commit Brock Mansion as the recipient of the “most improved” honors. Here’s an additional comment on his performance from an administrator of the camp:

Brian Stumpf says: Brock is a guy that benefited a ton from being out at the Elite 11 the past four days, even telling his dad that he learned more the first day there than he had previously known about playing the position. Was he one of the top four or five overall at the camp, probably not just due to consistency but Brock has a tremendous upside and showed improvement each day. His physical tools and upside are there and it’s just a matter now of applying the new things he learned and continuing to work hard and make himself as good as he can be – which could be scary.

Recruiting update

Last week, safety Chris Conte out of Loyola High School in Los Angeles committed to Cal’s 2007 recruiting class. He’s a 6’3″ defensive back with solid numbers. Here’s his profile.

Joe Robles, a kicker recruited to walk-on (unofficial) out of Tesoro High School in southern California, was injured in the Orange County North-South Prep All-Star Football Game. Apparently, a fight broke out near the end of the game and he ended up on a stretcher with a knee injury. It’s too bad… hopefully it was not too serious and he’ll have a speedy recovery.

Nationally ranked QB out of Texas commits to Cal

Cal has landed quarterback Brock Mansion out of Episcopal School of Dallas for the 2007 recruiting class. He’s a four-star QB, 6’5″/225 who looks to have some great playmaking ability. See an article about his commitment here, his profile here, and a highlight video here.

It’s great to see Cal’s recruiting clout extending out of California and into America’s heartland. Coach Jeff Tedford is really building a program here in Berkeley.