Four-Star Defensive End Derek Wilkins Commits to Cal
Cal received another boost on Saturday when Derek Wilkins, a four-star defensive end from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., announced on social media Saturday that he has committed to Cal for 2021.
Wilkins, who attends Santa Margarita Catholic High School, becomes the 17th player in the class of 2021 to commit to Cal. (Rancho Santa Margarita is located between Los Angeles and San Diego.)
He was named a candidate to Sports Illustrated's All-American team, and SI provided the video highlights of Wilkins that are presented above this story and the player evaluation presented below.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Wilkins chose Cal from among his 18 scholarship offers, including offers from Michigan, Oregon, USC, Washington, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Stanford, Boston College, Arizona State, Virginia, Northwestern, Boston College and UCLA.
Cal, UCLA, Stanford, Boston College Nebraska and Washington were his six finalists, and his final choice apparently came down to three schools -- Stanford, Washington and Cal.
Cal defensive line coach Andrew Browning was the Bears' primary recruiter for Wilkins, a long, athletic player with a non-stop motor and good instincts. He has room to grow once he hits a college weight room.
Wilkins is rated the 243rd-best recruit overall in the class of 2021 by 247Sports, which makes him Cal's fifth-highest-rated 2021 commit on that list. The 247Sports Composite rankings place him 345th overall and the 25th-best strong side defensive end.
Rivals.com ranks Wilkins as the 30th-best strongside defensive end prospect and the 35th-best prospect overall in the state of California. ESPN.com does not include Wilkins among its top 300 prospects in the 2021 class.
Sports Illustrated projects that Wilkins will play defensive tackle at the college level, although that probably translates to a defensive end spot in Cal's 3-4 defensive alignment.
The Sports Illustrated Evaluation
Prospect: Derek Wilkins
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 250 pounds
Position: Defensive End
School: Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita High School
Schools of Interest: Cal, Stanford, Washington, UCLA, USC, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon State, Boston College, Northwestern, Virginia
Projected Position: Defensive Tackle
Frame: Long and well-proportioned muscle mass all around. He should explode once he enters an advanced weight training regimen.
Athleticism: He brings defensive end-caliber footwork with him wherever he lines up. Whether he ends up in college between or outside the tackles or a little bit of both, he should have the athletic advantage. Bendy to a degree atypical of his peers of the same size.
Instincts: He’s got the nonstop motor coveted by college defensive end coaches. He understands angles and leverage from outside and inside of the tackle box. Consistently fights for inside hand positioning and extension.
Polish: Wilkins is very good at the fundamentals of what all defensive lineman should be - strong, quick, and relentless. He rushes the passer with a plan of attack, and a changeup to work off a failed initial move. Mature beyond his years.
Bottom Line: The single quip I could identify is how a smarter offensive lineman might use Wilkins’ penetrating style of play against him. Fortunately, his lighting fast get-off to which I’m referring is a very desirable and plastic trait to bring with you into college. Wilkins is a premiere talent with star potential.
The 16 players who had previously committed to Cal for 2021 are defensive back Lu-Magia Hearns, outside linebacker Patrick Hisatake, defensive end Myles Williams, offensive tackle Ryan Lange, tight end Jermaine Terry, wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, outside linebacker Moses Oladejo, quarterback Kai Millner, wide receiver Mavin Anderson, offensive tackle Bastian Swinney, cornerback Kaleb Higgins, defensive end Akili Calhoun, safety Hunter Barth, offensive tackle Will Reed, offensive tackle Dylan Jemtegaard and safety Fatuvalu Iosefa.
Click here for more highlights of Wilkins.
Cover photo of Justin Wilcox by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports
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