Any Cal fan knows that the "Big Game" is, well, a big deal, no matter how poor the teams involved are in any given year.
But sometimes lost in the hype, pageantry, bonfires, and endless replays of an hysterical Joe Starkey is the recruiting aspect of the Big Game. Beating Stanford in itself isn't going to get any school blue-chippers, but, as an example, here is a list of players who visited Cal on or around Big Game Week in 2005:
- DeSean Jackson
- Joe Ayoob (he was big at the time, remember?)
- Desmond Bishop
- Zack Follett
- Syd Thompson
- Mickey Pimentel
- Tyson Alualu
This year, there will be quite a few potentially great players in the stands:
| DE | 1 |  |
Devon Kennard (Desert Vista HS) Phoenix, AZ |
 |
6-3/255/4.82 | Med | Yes | 11/22/2008 | California |
| MLB | 8 | |
Boseko Lokombo (W J Mouat Secondary) Abbotsford, BC |
|
6-3/215/4.60 | Med | Yes | 11/22/2008 | California |
| WR | 9 | |
Randall Carroll (Cathedral HS) Los Angeles, CA |
|
5-10.5/185 | Low | Yes | 11/22/2008 | California |
| OT | 17 | |
Stan Hasiak (Kapolei HS) Kapolei, HI |
|
6-6/315/5.60 | None | Yes | 11/22/2008 | California |
| WR | 25 | |
Adam Hall (Palo Verde High Magnet School) Tucson, AZ |
|
6-3/200/4.50 | Med | Yes | 11/22/2008 | California |
| WR | JC | |
Justin Jordan (Blinn College) Brenham, TX |
5-11/195/4.45 | Med | Yes | 11/21/2008 | California | |
| SLB | JC | |
Jarred Price (Blinn College) Brenham, TX |
5-10/215/4.53 | High | Yes | 11/21/2008 | California | |
| DE | JC | |
Tevita Finau (Phoenix) Phoenix, AZ |
6-5/275 | None | No | 11/22/2008 | California |
(From Scout.com)
Of these recruits, some are soft verbals to other schools (Carroll to USC), while Hasiak is a solid commit to UCLA.
Lokombo seems to like Cal, but, as always, USC is in the mix. With Hall, Alabama is a factor, as well as the ubiquitous Trojans.
Kennard, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year, has Texas in his top five, but as of now has only scheduled officials to Cal and USC. Even with the injury, he is a future star.
Jordan is a bit of an enigma, having committed to UAB, despite an offer from Oklahoma. However, he could be a steal, since his Blinn College teammate, Jarred Price, is likely to commit to the Bears.
Will Kennard be the next DeSean Jackson? It's unlikely, but Tedford sometimes pulls a fast one and grabs a good player once every few years. Last year, it was almost Sam McGuffie, who wavered before finally settling on Michigan.
Cal's recruiting class has thus far been small, and the Big Game is usually about when the commits start flowing in.
Already, the 2009 class has some nice pieces, including a top-20 quarterback in Allen Bridgeford, a tough running back in Dasarte Yarnway, and most recently, Steve Williams—a blazing four-star corner who was a target of Oklahoma. But although Terrell Williams—a top-100 receiver—has already committed, another highly regarded wideout would be a boost to the suddenly sagging Cal passing game.
As Cal fans root on the Bears to wrest the Axe back, there will also be a battle for the LOI's of several big-time talents.
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