Cal Lands Talented OL

Often times, we'll talk to a player who will say he's adamant about taking all of his trips before making a decision. Often times, that player will take one trip and then pull the trigger. That's exactly what happened with Pacifica (Calif.) offensive lineman Mike Tepper who committed to Cal this past weekend.

Just last week, Tepper was telling us there was no way he would commit early and even said he wanted to wait until Signing Day.

"I know I said all that but I just can't imagine a better place for me than Cal," Tepper said. "I think a lot of times, players can kind of over analyze things too much. I just went with my gut and it was telling me Cal was the place for me. It was basically a perfect trip. Andrew Cameron was my host and I got along so well with the other lineman on the team that I felt like I had known them my whole life.

"It's just one big family at Cal and that's what I was looking for. We toured the school and the campus and when we came in to the locker room, I turned the corner and saw a #79 jersey with my name on it. I tried it on and it fit perfectly and it just looked like I was meant to wear those colors. I'm going to let the other coaches know about my decision and will not be taking any other visits."

Tepper recently scored a 920 on the SAT which is when his recruiting stock began to soar.

"I still have to finish strong in the classroom but I know I can do it," Tepper said. "That was really the only question my dad and I had. Cal is such a great academic school and my GPA is a little low. I didn't want it to be one of those situations where I get there and then only last about six months. The coaches assured me that the only players who don't last at Cal are those who just flat out don't go to class and don't want to learn. That's not me, I want to get a great education and they said they'll me and if I just commit myself, I'll be fine so I'm really excited."