Montgomery recruitment takes surprise twist

Just a week ago, we talked with Rancho Cordova (Calif.) Cordova running back James Montgomery who told us he was going to make a decision that would shock everyone. While most felt this was a battle between Washington and Cal, Montgomery told us his top choice was actually Oregon and he had already told the Duck coaches he was coming. A lot can change in a week.

Montgomery, 5-10, 185 pounds gave a soft commitment to Washington back in the summer but decided to take a few more trips to be sure of his decision. He visited Oregon and Cal and told us several times that it was too close to call between the UW and the Bears. Last week, the athlete told us something different.

"I'm going to Oregon," Montgomery said. "Washington is cool but I'm just not really feeling them as much. Cal is cool too but I wasn't as comfortable on my trip as the other places and I feel like I'm being pushed them too hard. I've already told the Oregon coaches I'm coming but I'm not ready to do anything public yet. I'll commit there in a few weeks but that's where I'm going."

Things took a dramatic turn over the weekend and now Montgomery has decided to stay close to home and will play for the hometown Bears.

"I thought about it some more and decided on Cal last Friday," Montgomery said. "Then I told the coaches at Cal last night. This is really what my family wanted and it means a lot to me to make them happy. Don't get me wrong, Cal is a great school and I'm happy to be going there. You can't go wrong with Cal, especially academically, but more than anything, I just wanted to make my family happy and they all really wanted me to go to Cal so that's what I'm doing.

"I may not have had that special feeling on my visit to Cal that I had at the other places but when I broke everything down and used my head, not just my heart, Cal made the most sense. They have a great team and they love to run the football. They have great coaches, it's close to home, they have a great academic situation there and I like the direction of the program. So it's not just about making my family happy. Trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't content with the decision but it was definitely a big bonus to be able to stay close to home and play in front of my family and friends."

The commitment from Montgomery gives the Bears their second big time running back commitment in the last week. On Friday, Clovis East' Tracy Slocum chose Cal over UCLA at a school assembly.