Pac-12 offer surprises Pickett
Adarius Pickett attended the UCLA-Cal game this past weekend and the 2014 cornerback from El Cerrito, Calif., had a great time.
Plus, he picked up his second offer.
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"I was on the field before the game and I felt like a celebrity," Pickett said. "We met all the coaches and they knew who I was and they were talking to me and they told me to watch the game to see how they do things.
"I was with Jared Goff and Chris Hawkins and Michael Lazarus and Joe Mixon so it was good to be on the field with the players and talk to some of the redshirts about Cal, the school and how the football program really works."
The Golden Bears have struggled this season but really poured it on against UCLA in a 43-17 victory and Pickett took notice.
"We went into the stands and it was a really good game and a really good win over UCLA," Pickett said. "After the game we went back on the field and we were talking to the players and the crowd was juiced all game. It was a really good feeling being in that environment and talking to the coaches.
"We followed the team through the tunnel down to the locker room and I talked to coach (Ashley) Ambrose twice. The first time I was just asking him about (Kameron) Jackson and that he stepped up really big. He said they'll need more DBs and that he'll be coming for me."
That's when it happened. That's when Pickett, who already has an offer from Utah, landed another one from Cal.
"I was walking around talking to some more players and I saw (Ambrose) again and he asked me how I liked the atmosphere and I said I loved it up there," Pickett said. "He said they want me to be a part of the family and they offered me a scholarship right there.
"It was like putting a cherry on the sundae."
Cal definitely made a big impression on Pickett and Utah is still in the running plus many other schools are showing interest so the 2014 standout does not want to make a decision yet.
He said Oregon, Arizona State, Georgia, Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others are in the mix, too.
"I'm going to wait a little bit to see what else happens from here," Pickett said. "I wasn't expecting them to offer me right there. I was really shocked."