Cal is the call for Stovall
Late into Sunday night, four-star all-purpose back Melquise Stovall was still thinking through his recruitment, still talking to coaches and family and still without a decision.
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The Lancaster (Calif.) Paraclete standout finally came to a decision -- that California would be a better fit for him both athletically and academically and on Monday, he committed to the Golden Bears over Utah and many others.
"I just felt it was the right move," Stovall said.
"I prayed and slept on it and Cal was the better decision. I chose Cal because at the end of the day, I'm not always going to have football and a degree from Cal will set me up for a lifetime."
The decision was definitely close.
Utah offered a lot of things to like and Stovall was very impressed with the situation there, but after some injuries on offense, the four-star said the offense sputtered a little bit and he wasn't thrilled about walking into an offense where he would be one of the only go-to guys.
With Cal, he found an offense that spread the ball around, used the run and pass game and could utilize him exactly how he wants -- as a slot receiver and running back who can get the ball in a variety of ways to make things happen.
Stovall, a former USC commit, also liked the coaching staff.
"Coach (Jacob) Peeler has been honest with me throughout the process, coach (Sonny) Dykes as well and I just felt comfortable about the situation," Stovall said.
"At Cal, I'm going to be a slot, running back, return man. They said I'm going to catch a lot of balls and also be in the backfield."
Stovall is rated as the third-best all-purpose back and No. 149 overall.
