Cal Beats Out LSU, Oklahoma for Texas WR Recruit J. Michael Sturdivant
Cal picked up a major commitment on Saturday as four-star wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant of Flower Mound, Texas, announced on social media that he has committed to Cal for 2021.
Sturdivant chose Cal over his other three finalists, LSU, Oklahoma and UCLA. He also had offers from Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Baylor and many others.
Sturdivant ended his twitter announcement by saying "I will be committing to the University of California, Berkeley!! Go Golden Bears!!"
Sturdivant is ranked as the 184th-best recruit overall, by 247Sports.com composite rankings, and the 34th-best wide receiver prospect in the class of 2021.
Rivals.com ranks him as the 59th-best wide receiver in the class
He is the highest ranked recruit of the nine commitments Cal has received for 2021.
Cal wide receivers coach Burl Toler was listed as the primary recruiter for Sturdivant.
The 6-foot-3, 182-pound Sturdivant had 87 receptions for 1,125 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior at Marcus High School.
Sturdivant is a tall, thin receiver in the mold of Makai Polk, who made great strides as a freshman Cal receiver in 2019. Sturdivant reportedly has the speed to make big plays.
Click here for video highlights of Sturdivant
Click here for a video explaining Sturdivant's choice
Sturdivant (pronounced STIR-da-vant) is the first Cal commitment since Fatuvalu Iosefa commited in mid-June.
Earlier this week, Sturdivant told Texas Rivals' Analyst Sam Spiegelman the following regarding his thoughts on Cal:
"The coaching staff and the love they show is real. After (releasing the final four schools), almost every person on their staff reached out and they were excited. Early last season, everyone on the team wrote me a letter about wanting me to be there and I feel the Cal family a lot. It's definitely weighing on me. As a kid growing up, my family made sure I traveled a lot and saw different parts of the country and the world. There's so much out there to make connections and be in new places and being in California -- I never lived there -- but I was there a kid. The weather is great and there's a lot of connections that can last a lifetime, so it's important to spread your connections."
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