Sting Factor: Ashton Sanders backs off pledge to Cal
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
When Ashton Sanders committed to Cal in late June, it was a major victory for the Golden Bears since the three-star defensive tackle picked them over Wisconsin.
The Los Angeles Cathedral standout visited both of his top teams earlier in June, weighed both programs and even called the trip to Madison “eye-opening.” But after lots of consideration, Cal won out for his services.
But in recent days, Sanders backed off his commitment to the Golden Bears that lasted not even two months and is now back on the market.
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LOCAL REACTION
"Position-wise, this is not the biggest setback. Cal is pretty well-stocked on the defensive line at the moment and has two other commits, including Tiu Afalava, who is projected to come in at defensive tackle.
"The bigger problem here is that Sanders was one of the more high-profile commits in a thin class for the Golden Bears and one of the few spotlight recruiting battles they had won this cycle. Cal needs some positive momentum in recruiting and this isn't going to help in that regard." - Ryan Young, GoldenBearReport.com
Sting Factor: 7
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NATIONAL REACTION
"Cal is currently No. 87 nationally in the team recruiting rankings and No. 11 in the Pac-12 rankings. It is one of only three teams in the conference – along with UCLA and Arizona State – to not have double-digit commitments. Sanders’ pledge was also important for the Golden Bears because they beat out Wisconsin at the time for his services and that was definitely a major recruiting victory.
"Guys such as Sanders and interior offensive lineman Amos Talalele would have been significant reinforcement in the trenches. The Golden Bears have talent on the defensive line, so Sanders was not an absolute must in the class, but Cal needs something to spark a recruiting run, and to keep players who have already committed to the program." - Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
Sting Factor: 6