Take Two: Cal's QB legacy, Mullen's future, official visit change

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

Storyline: Jared Goff will probably be the first pick taken in next week’s NFL Draft and that has to be a big boon to Cal recruiting.

The former Cal quarterback and four-star recruit had a tremendous career in Berkeley, coach Sonny Dykes’ system is friendly to quarterbacks and there is another interesting historical fact that could play a major role in all this.

According to Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network, since 1960 Cal has had more first-round quarterbacks drafted (5) than any other school. Not only in the Pac-12, but in the country. Goff will join Aaron Rodgers in 2005 and Kyle Boller in 2003 as the three most recent.

Let’s not jump the gun and say Cal is now Quarterback U., but that number is impressive. And Goff is impressive. Plus, Farrell thinks one of the top committed quarterbacks could wind up in Berkeley, which would be huge for the Golden Bears’ recruiting class.

First take: “Jared Goff being selected high in the NFL Draft will certainly be impactful for Cal's recruiting efforts, even if it's more from a perception standpoint. Despite the change in control of the offense passing from Tony Franklin to Jake Spavital, Cal will continue running a similar brand of the up-tempo spread attack that saw Goff break numerous school and conference records.

"For Cal's recruiting efforts, a No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick, accompanied to Chicago by coach Sonny Dykes, is all about high visibility on the national stage. A lot of prospects watching next Thursday will see the possible top pick giving a hug to the Cal head man before walking on stage. Cal will be on the tip of every draft analyst’s tongue. That's the best kind of PR the program can get. Now, will every QB prospect that looks at Cal or come to Cal be Jared Goff? Of course not. But, 'We see the same potential in you that we saw in him' is a compelling pitch.” – Marc Tausend, GoldenBearReport.com

Second take: “With Aaron Rodgers being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, if Goff goes No. 1 it’s certainly going to help. It’s a very friendly offense for quarterbacks. It could be a landing spot for Tate Martell. I know he’s taking visits and they hired Jake Spavital from Texas A&M. They had a really good relationship. It’s certainly going to help them recruit quarterbacks whenever you have one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL and the No. 1 overall pick. Even if Goff goes No. 2 Cal is going to be able to sell that a lot.” - Farrell

Storyline: Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen raised $40,000 for charity by racing in the Boston Marathon this week, an impressive feat that was well-documented on his Twitter page @CoachDanMullen.

His bib number read: Daniel Mullen, male, age 43, birthday April 27, 1972, Starkville, MI. That would be Michigan in postal code, as pointed out by ESPN in a story earlier this week.

It seems no matter what you do on the field, it is hard to make a name for yourself at Mississippi State. Mullen faces an incredible battle every single season to not only be competitive in the SEC West, but also relevant. Staying in the news is a battle unto itself.

Mullen is a fabulous offensive mind and a great coach – he had the Bulldogs rise to No. 14 in 2014 – but how consistent can Mullen be in a division loaded with super heavyweights?

With his star quarterback Dak Prescott gone, can he remake the magic at Mississippi State and mold the Bulldogs into a perennial SEC power. Or, like his run in Boston where he crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 28 minutes, will his time be spent finishing and finishing proudly but ending up somewhere toward the back of the pack?

First take: “The 2014 season for Mississippi State proved that they can compete for national titles as they had a stint as the No. 1 team in the nation, but the departure of Dak Prescott will have the Bulldogs' offense rebuilding. Dan Mullen is a hot name every year for powerhouse programs across the country, most recently Miami, but he continues to stay committed to Mississippi State to build a national championship team.

“The competition in the SEC West will make it difficult for Mullen's crew to accomplish that, as well as losing big in-state recruiting battles to fellow SEC West programs like Ole Miss and Alabama, but they continue to find diamond-in-the-rough recruits, sprinkled in with big-time prospects. Mullen has proven to be a mastermind offensive coach that can lead his program to become a national contender.” – Mike Singer, BulldogBlitz.com

Second take: “The window might be closed. There were opportunities when Mississippi State was really good a couple years ago and then you had Dak Prescott, who’s been the biggest impact player they’ve had in a long time. He’s gone now. Did Dan Mullen make Dak Prescott? Did Dak Prescott make Mississippi State? You’re going to find out a lot of things like that. Mullen is a very good coach. I still think he’s coveted but for those big home run jobs, the Georgia job, Florida a few years ago, that window is closing, so it will be interesting to see what’s available if he wants to leave. He seems very happy there. He could have left by now easily. He likes it there but Starkville is a tough sell and Mississippi State doesn’t have that springboard recruiting class like Ole Miss did in 2013.” - Farrell

Storyline: Proposal 2015-52 sounds like another humdrum NCAA rule but it could be a game-changer in recruiting.

That rule goes into effect on Aug. 1 and it states schools can pay for up to two parents or guardians on an official visit. For programs with elite academics located in smaller destinations (like Notre Dame) this could be huge.

Notre Dame and to some extent others like Tennessee and Oklahoma rely on a national recruiting landscape to sign top players. Prospects no longer have to take their trips and then report back to parents how it went and why they loved it.

Parents or guardians can now take an expenses-paid trip with their son to see things for themselves, ask tougher questions, get a true feel for the coaching staff. It’s a challenge for many financially-strapped parents to do that now.

It will no longer be and it could be a huge recruiting roadblock out of the way.

First take: “I had a chance to talk with Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Mike Elston last week about the NCAA’s decision to allow schools to pay for two parents on official visits, and the general consensus in South Bend is that it will be a game-changer for the Irish. Oftentimes, Notre Dame is asking prospects from across the country to make the decision to spend four or five years away from home — and that’s not an easy decision to make without some parental guidance. Take this past cycle for example when five-star athlete Demetris Robertson visited. Notre Dame was hoping that the Savannah product would be able to bring a parent or guardian with him, but costs prevented that from happening. That wasn’t the case when he eventually visited Georgia. His entire family was able to make the short drive to Athens, which in my opinion, put the Irish at a huge disadvantage in the decision-making process. I had one recruit’s father once tell me that once the parents see Notre Dame and the academic presentation they would be foolish not to send their kids there. I think that speaks volumes as to how big this ruling was for the Irish.” – Andrew Ivins, BlueandGold.com

Second take: “It helps Notre Dame and programs that really rely on a tremendous academic pitch and might not be easily accessible for visits. I think of how it will help remote programs like that which recruit on a national level and bring in kids from all over, that recruit parents as much as kids. Instead of a kid going on a trip for fun he can bring along his parents or a guardian and it makes it less restrictive for kids to take official visits. You’ll see more kids taking five. Overall, it’s a good rule because parents should be able to travel for official visits. They should be a part of this process.” - Farrell