Prediction: California Golden Bears to land one of state's top defensive linemen

The California Golden Bears have three early commitments in their 2023 recruiting class, but appear poised to up that number by one this week.

Cathedral High School (California) defensive lineman Ashton Sanders is down to California and Wisconsin and is set to announce his commitment Tuesday.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman also holds offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Notre Dame, Utah, Washington and others.

In other words, he'd be a big "get" for Cal, particularly given the scarcity of talented big-bodied interior defensive lineman in the West region.

As a junior, Sanders accumulated 36 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and 16 quarterback hits in eight games.

Prediction: Ashton Sanders to Cal

Sanders had high praise for his visit over the weekend and immediately set a commitment date.

"Cal is amazing - amazing environment, amazing coaches," Sanders said. "The vibe is a California vibe. I just loved hanging with the players at Cal. There's a lot of excitement. The coaches are very into it. You have relationships with every coach, doesn't matter if they are on the opposite side of the ball. Football-wise, it's the same as Wisconsin for me."

An added bonus for the in-state product is his long-standing relationship with Cal defensive back coach Terrence Brown.

“He’s been recruiting me almost my whole high school career," Sanders said.

Need more evidence? Check out how happy Sanders was "going Marshawn Lynch" by driving the cart during his trip:

LET ME DRIVE @CalFootball 🐻🔵🟡 pic.twitter.com/0FW6V9Ok0Y
— Ashton “Champ” Sanders (@c55mp) June 12, 2022

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