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football Edit

Golden Bears land three-star tackle

Aaron Cochran has been verbally committed to California since Sunday morning. So why, more than 24 hours later, is his pledge first becoming public? Well, the waiting period was by design. Cochran was the architect. And the move certainly had its purpose.
The 320-pound tackle wanted to inform every other coach recruiting him of his decision before it leaked to the media. Cal coaches understood, so mum was the word for a time. Cochran made roughly five phone calls on Monday afternoon to break the news.
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"None of them were happy, I would say, but they all thanked me for calling them first and letting them know," Cochran said. "They thanked me for not avoiding them like a lot of other players do."
Cochran says Oklahoma served as his "back-up school" and was his second choice in the process. But now, more than 30 hours after making his verbal commitment, second place matters not. These days, Cochran is all about the Golden Bears.
He dwells only on his future team. According to Cochran, his decision was actually made a few weeks ago. He wanted to see things first-hand one more time before making things official, though. So while he was in Berkeley over the weekend, he pulled the trigger. The visit was a bit of a formality.
"I just wanted to get there and meet all of the coaches before I said anything," Cochran said. "I just needed a little confirmation. It wasn't just because my brother is there. It was all the education. It was the degree and the prestige of that. It was more than football."
The three-star prospect received an overview of football-related issues, too. On that front, things are surprisingly simple. With new head coach Sonny Dykes comes a new offense, and the program's newest lineman likes what he's heard about it so far.
"The offense is quick and the linemen have a very, very simple and easy job," Cochran said. "That allows them to play faster. He (Dykes) really doesn't want to complicate it. He wants us to go full-speed everywhere."
The No. 52 offensive tackle in the country, Cochran lists 14 scholarship offers. As a senior, he helped lead Atwater (Calif.) Buhach to a 10-3 overall record.
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