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SI Reports Recruits Interested in Coaches' Response to Racial Issues

Cal coaches and players have made their opinions on the issue known via Twitter
Jake Curtis|
SI Reports Recruits Interested in Coaches' Response to Racial Issues
SI Reports Recruits Interested in Coaches' Response to Racial Issues

Young Black high school football prospects are listening to what college coaches are saying about America’s racial situation, and it has an effect on those recruits, according to a Sports Illustrated story posted Monday.

A college coach's public stance could affect which football programs high school standouts choose to join. What do recruits see at Cal in this regard?

Acording to the story, IMG Academy football coach Bobby Acosta called 16-year-old Tyler Booker, the top-rated offensive lineman in his class, on how to talk to players about systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement after the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

Booker told Acosta to be honest and talk about it even if it is uncomfortable for some.

Here is an excerpt from that report, regarding the significance of the approach college coaches take on the issue:

“I want to have these discussions to show people and educate them on the oppression of people of color in this country … and then learn how we can collectively make a change so my kids don’t have to have that talk with their own football team,” says Booker. “I don’t want it to go away for now and have everyone forget about it; I want it to go away forever, so everyone can be seen as equals.”
Acosta asked Booker (who, before even taking a snap in his junior season, has scholarship offers from Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC, among others) whether he thought any college coaches were taking a similar approach with their own teams, or with recruits like him.
Based on his experiences, Booker said it was mixed. Some of the coaches he spoke to were honest with him, acknowledging what’s happening in America right now—the protests against decades of systemic racism—while others seemed to avoid the topic. But Booker also said he was tracking the way coaches engaged and responded more publicly, on Twitter, in the form of personal statements. Since he’s not able to visit prospective campuses because of the coronavirus, many of his early impressions of coaches and their programs have come from social media—namely, the way they responded to George Floyd’s death.
“I noticed which coaches came out and said something [early on]. … I made a mental note of that,” Booker told his coach. “I also made a mental note of the coaches who were late and seemed like their hand was forced to post something.”
Acosta asked whether the timing of those responses had changed his recruitment at all, and Booker didn’t say no.
He remembers saying: “I’m not just an athlete. I'm a person. … I want to know that the [coach] I'm putting my trust in actually cares about me as a person.”
For Booker to trust a coach, he says he needs someone who’ll accept him as a young Black man who sees what’s happening to other Black men in America. He wants from a college coach the same thing he wants from Acosta. Talk about it. Be honest about what’s happening. Don’t ignore this, even if it’s uncomfortable for some.

Click here to read the entire SI report.

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Below are some examples of Cal coaches and players Twitter messages on the issue.

Justin Wilcox issued a statement soon after the George Floyd incident:

Cal football players made a point of having their voices heard:

Running backs coach Aristotle Thompson has Tweeted on the subject:

And so has wide receivers coach Burl Toler III:

Women's basketball coach Charmin Smith has been out front on the subject:

Co-defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter noted discussions he has had with players:

Men's basketball coach Mark Fox showed his support for a minority leadership initiative:

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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