Four-star picks Cal
Khalfani Muhammad knows Cal doesn't have a head coach at this time.
It was always running backs coach Ron Gould who had the best relationship with Muhammad, a four-star running back from Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame, and that's why he decided to make his commitment Tuesday night.
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"I thought it was the perfect fit for me," Muhammad said. "Right now they still have the running backs coach, Ron Gould, who's still in place. I don't know, I'm not 100 percent sure he'll still be there when the new head coach comes but hopefully he will be on the staff.
"It was a great fit for me. I was born in California, I was raised in California, I want to play football in California and to be coached by one of the best coaches in California in Ron Gould, who's coached a lot of backs and put them in the NFL and to play for the Cal Bears is a big thing."
The 5-foot-8, 174-pound prospect who is also a track star had other offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Duke, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Purdue, San Diego State, UCLA, Utah and Washington but Cal seemed like the perfect spot.
The football program played a major factor but Muhammad also liked the academics and the setting in Berkeley and the overall feel was right for him.
"That was a big factor," Muhammad said. "The actual school outside of sports and to get a degree from there is big. That was also why I chose the school."
The next step for Muhammad is to see who Cal hires, see if Gould is retained and then move forward from there.
"Once the new head coach comes in and there is a new coaching staff I'm going to go over, meet them personally and see the things we like," Muhammad said. "I don't plan on looking anywhere else and hopefully I don't have to."
In his senior season, Muhammad finished with 1,420 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 215 carries.