Bears Roar Back

Talk about a comeback. Hot on the heels of NCAA sanctions, Cal roars back and land two outstanding linebacker prospects. Cal’s new head coach Jeff Tedford didn’t waste anytime regaining recruiting momentum that some thought was lost when Cal’s penalties came down from the NCAA.

The Bears have a solid future at the linebacker position with the pledges of Chris Purtz (6-0, 219, 4.53) from Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West and Garrett Tremblay (6-4, 230, 4.65) from Palm Desert, Calif.

It looks like Tedford took a page out of the Oregon Ducks recruiting manual. Both Purtz and Tremblay fit the mold of Oregon Duck recruits, meaning solid players with the potential to be even better on the collegiate level. Tedford was the Oregon Duck offensive coordinator before taking on the Cal job.

Purtz reminds many of Oregon Ducks linebacker Kevin Mitchell. He’s tough, smart and comes from an outstanding program.

“I have been getting recruited since my sophomore year, so this wasn’t a snap position,” Purtz said. “I want to graduate at the semester and participate in spring ball. Cal was a good fit for me academically and the chance for early playing time was also an option that Cal presented.”

Cal is putting their best foot forward along the recruiting front and it is paying off. “I am going to be a business major and Cal has one of the best business schools in the country,” Purtz said. “Cal set up a meeting with a professor when I was there and after talking with him, I felt I couldn’t wrong.”

“I talked to Perron Wiley, who also played at Clovis West, a player at Cal and he told that the program is 110% better now than it was a year ago,” Purtz said. “I have a lot of research and everything came up Cal.”

“UCLA and USC were close, but Cal had everything from academics to a football team I feel is on the rise,” said Purtz. “My goal is to play in the NFL, but if that doesn’t work out, my degree from Cal will be excellent help for my future.”

Purtz may take a trip or two, but he assured Pac10Recruiting that he’s going to Cal.

Purtz was selected all-league as a junior after registering 104 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

We weren’t able to get a hold of Tremblay but we were able to talk to his mother who was on her way to work. Mrs. Tremblay confirmed her son’s commitment to the Bears.

Garrett is the second Tremblay who will suit up for the Bears. Tremblay’s brother, Brian Tremblay will be a junior linebacker this fall for Cal.

Playing with his older brother could part of his decision to play his college football at Cal. He’s also very familiar with the school and knows several of the players on the team.

The Bears get a player in Tremblay with unlimited potential. He could grow into a defensive lineman. His physical growth potential could be 6-foot-6.

Cal wins the services of Tremblay over offers from Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

This is a great beginning for Tedford and the Cal Bears. To be able to land players the caliber of Purtz and Tremblay just days after getting hammered by the NCAA, one could only wonder how good Tedford and company are going to be.

There is something good cooking in Berkeley these days and the chief chef is Jeff Tedford.