Cal Football: Bears Add 4-Star Running Back Jaydn Ott to the Class of 2022
Cal landed what appears to be a big-time running back prospect on Friday when Jaydn Ott, a consensus four-star player from powerhouse Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, committed to the Bears.
Ott, a 5-foot-11, 195-pounder with good speed, becomes Cal’s ninth verbal commitment to the class of 2022, its second running back.
Originally committed to Oregon two years ago, Ott chose the Bears over offers from seven other Pac-12 schools, including Arizona State, Colorado and UCLA. Other schools who had offered Ott included Georgia and Nebraska.
The recruiting website 247Sports composite rankings has Ott as the No. 285 overall prospect in the country, the No. 27 running back and the seventh-best player in the state of Nevada.
Rivals gives Ott even higher ratings: No. 226 overall in the country, the No. 18 running back and the No. 5 prospect in Nevada.
In an interview with 247Sports after his June 23 campus visit to Cal but before committing, Ott said, "I really like the facilities and the campus in general. It's super nice there ... I like them a lot and have a good relationship with the coaching staff.
"Coach AT (Aristotle Thompson) is my lead recruiter … they have a great staff and I like the direction the program is going right now.”
Ott is the Bears’ second consensus four-star commit, along with quarterback Justyn Martin of Inglewood High. He joins three-star Kaleb Johnson of Hamilton High in Ohio, giving Cal two running backs in this class after they did not sign any a year ago.
Ott played his freshman season at Norco High in southern California, where he rushed for 1,096 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. He has played the past two seasons at Gorman, the best program in Nevada.
Blair Angulo, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, wrote this evaluation of Ott:
“Short stature, narrow build and high-upside frame with room to add mass. Long striding tailback with big-play potential. Excellent speed to separate from defenders. Quick to change directions and make would-be tacklers miss. Agility to burst through lanes.
“Chance to make impact on special teams as returning threat. Could continue to improve overall vision and patients to allow blocks to develop. Potential multi-year starter at Power Five level and NFL Draft Day 3 selection.”
Cal's 2022 recruiting class now is rated No. 34 nationally by 247Sports and No. 36 by Rivals.
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
