4-star Ude commits to Cal
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Since he burst on the recruiting scene following his sophomore year, four-star defensive end Russell Ude from Westminster in Atlanta has talked about wanting to play on the West Coast. After announcing his commitment to California, Ude's dreams of playing in the Pac-12 are closer to becoming a reality.
"Playing out west is something I've always wanted since I was a little kid," the 6-foot-3, 264-pound Ude said. "Sometimes you grow up and realize what you think you wanted isn't what you actually want, but when I went out and visited and got on campus at Cal, I got that feeling. I knew it was the school for me."
With Cal running a defensive scheme that plays to Ude's strengths and the opportunity for him to likely see the field early, Ude decided now was the time to make the call.
"I'll be playing defensive end and I have a chance to start early," Ude said. "If not, I will at least be in the rotation early. I'm a great fit for what they do. They like their defensive ends to attack and cause havoc in the backfield and that's what I like doing."
While his fit on the football field was important, Ude and his parents both wanted to make sure things worked on the academic side as well. After visiting over the summer with his father, Ude was sold.
"My parents and I both felt really comfortable with the academics situation," he said. "Academically it's one of the top schools in the entire country, so to have that opportunity and the ability to play football at a high level is perfect."
During the past few months, Ude said he has developed a nice relationship with the Cal coaches, including his primary recruiter Fred Tate.
"The coaches have kept in touch and I like everyone I have talked to over there," Ude said. "I've had guys from the team reach out, other commitments, too. It just seems like a good fit and we're already building relationships."
When Ude shared the news of his commitment with Tate and Co., he said they were thrilled.
"They were really happy to have me on board and they just reiterated to me that I was their biggest priority on defense," Ude said. "They think I can be a program-changing player and those are big expectations but ones I hope I can live up to."
Ude was originally slated to officially visit Cal earlier this month, but has pushed his visit until after the season. He said despite his commitment, he intends to still visit Oregon, Miami and perhaps Missouri, Wisconsin or Penn State.
"The coaches at Cal know I haven't been able to visit a lot of places and I told them that I wanted to still take some visits," Ude said. "They were cool with that and I'm going to take a visit out there after the season."
With Cal sitting at 4-4 after last season's 1-11 disaster, Ude said he thinks he's hopping on board at the right time.
"The football program is headed in the right direction," Ude said. "Anyone watching can see how much they've improved compared to last year and hopefully I can be a part of something special."
Ude becomes Cal's second four-star commitment in the Class of 2015, joining four-star defensive back Malik Psalms. Ude is Cal's first commitment from the state of Georiga since 2013, when three-star Trey Cheek signed with the school.
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