Cal Football: Bears Lose Four-Star DB Prospect; Is Conference Uncertainty Costing Cal?
Cal’s football recruiting class took another hit on Thursday, and it seems clear that uncertainty about the future of the Pac-12 Conference has become an obstacle for the Bears.
Four-star safety R.J. Jones of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco High announced he has de-committed from Cal, more than six months after he chose Berkeley.
Jones was Cal's highest-rated recruit, according to Rivals.com and 247Sports, and leaves the Bears with just seven committed prospects for 2023.
R.J. Jones
In an interview with recruiting expert Greg Biggins of 247Sports, Jones suggested he is uncomfortable with the conference landscape after the announcement late last month that USC and UCLA plan to join the Big Ten in 2024.
“There’s just a lot going on with teams changing conferences and I don’t know where Cal is going to be in a couple of years,” Jones told Biggins.
No one knows where conference movement will go next. If the Big Ten opts to pursue Oregon, Stanford or Washington, there are questions about where Cal could wind up.
Jones called this “a really tough decision,” and talked about his relationship with Cal’s coaches who were recruiting him.
“I love those guys but I felt it was in my best interest to take a step back and really re-evaluate everyone equally and the only way you can really do that is an an un-committed player,” he said, adding that he remains interested in Cal and hopes the Bears will continue recruiting him.
Jones is the second prospect this week to de-commit from Cal’s class of 2023, on the heels of defensive tackle Ashton “Champ” Summers announcing his change of heart on Monday.
Jones indicated a final decision may not come quickly.
“You hear different things but this is something I’ve been thinking about for the last few months,” he said. “I have more schools reaching out as well so this gives me a chance to slow things down, play out the season and then re-evaluate what I want to do later in the year.”
Jones said he visited UCLA recently and also continues to hear from Oregon State, Washington and Louisville. He added he wants to concentrate on his high school season and may wait until February to pick a school.
Cover photo of safety R.J. Jones courtesy of Twitter
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
