Cal Football: Top 10 Recruits in Justin Wilcox Era, According to 247Sports
Tight end Jermaine Terry of Richmond, Calif., who announced on Monday that he is committed to Cal for 2021, apparently is the highest rated recruit that Cal has landed since Justin Wilcox became head coach prior to the 2017 season.
What is as significant is that another 2021 Cal commit, Mavin Anderson, ranks No. 2 among Wilcox-era recruits, according to 247Sports.
Terry and Anderson have only provided verbal commitments to Cal, and they will not be bound to Cal until they sign letters of intent next December. Nonetheless those commitments are a significant step in Cal recruiting.
That apparently got 247Sports thinking about the highest-rated recruits Wilcox has landed during his time at Cal.
The 247Sports site ranked the top 10 recruits of the Justin Wilcox era based on 247Sports’ point system. Some of these players are already at Cal and some plan to be in Berkeley soon. We pass those rankings along to you.
The class of the recruit and his 247Sports numerical rating are provided after each name.
No. 1 Tight End Jermaine Terry (2021)
Four-Star .9372
Cal's most recent commitment looks like the best one since Wilcox became head coach.
The schools that offered him a scholarship included Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Oregon, Washington and many others.
Assuming he signs with Cal, Terry would give Cal two key players from the Bay Area, joining wide receiver Makai Polk of El Cerrito
No. 2 Wide Receiver Mavin Anderson (2021)
Four-Star, .9071
Anderson committed to Cal in early February after holding offers from Auburn, Arizona State, Nebraska, Oregon and Washington State.
Anderson is considered an explosive athlete, just the kind of player Cal needs to provide more big-play potential under new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.
No. 3 Offensive lineman Will Craig (2018)
Four-Star, .9016
Craig played in nine games as a true freshman in 2018, and was a starting offensive tackle when the 2019 season began. He made his first start in the opener against UC Davis, but missed the rest of the season with a lower-body injury.
Craig is expected to regain his starting spot as a redshirt sophomore in 2020.
No. 4 Tight End D.J. Rogers (2020)
Four-Star, .8971
Rogers is considered the top prize of the class Cal signed in December 2019. He has a good chance to play as a true freshman.
“DJ is the type of player who could have an early impact in the conference. He has size, athleticism, and football intelligence to excel as a pass catcher,” Wilcox said when he was signed.
Alabama and Ohio State were among the schools that were after Rogers.
No. 5 Wide Receiver Nikko Remigio (2018)
Four-Star, .8971
Remigio played in 10 games, included two starts, as a true freshman, when had 11 receptions for 62.
As a sophomore in 2019, Remigio was Cal’s leading receiver, with 33 catches for 513 yards and three touchdowns. Eighteen of his catches and two of his touchdowns came in the final three games.
No. 6 Quarterback Chase Garbers (2017)
Four-Star
Garbers actually committed to Cal while Sonny Dykes was still the Bears’ head coach, but he did not officially sign until after Wilcox was hired.
Garbers was Cal’s starting quarterback for much of the 2018 season when he was a redshirt freshman, and he was the unchallenged starter in 2019.
Injuries were the biggest problem for Garbers, but Cal went 7-0 in 2019 in games in which Garbers played more than one half.
No. 7 Linebacker Kuony Deng (2019)
Four-Star, .8925
Photo by Justin Ford - USA TODAY Sports
Deng is the only junior college player on this list, and he became an immediate starter as junior in 2019 at inside linebacker beside Evan Weaver.
The 6-foot-6 Deng had 111 tackles this past season, and his 9.2 tackles per games ranked fourth in the Pac-12. Even more will be expected of Deng in 2020.
No. 8 Tight End McCallan Castles (2018)
Three-Star, .8884
Castles is no longer at Cal.
He played in three games in 2018 and was the starting tight end in 2019 opener. But he left the Cal program in September and is now at UC Davis, an FCS program.
No. 9 Defensive Tackle Brett Johnson (2019)
Three-Star, .8878
Partly because of an unexpected void at the nose guard spot, Johnson got a lot of playing time this past season as a true freshman.
He played in all 13 games and recorded 26 tackles while doing a good job of clogging up the middle.
No. 10 Quarterback Jaden Casey (2020)
Three-Star, .8784
Casey has already enrolled at Cal and will participate in spring practice. He could be the successor to Chase Garbers.
