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Normally, I only provide recruiting updates for prospects who choose Cal (given this is a Cal football blog and all), but I felt this was big enough of a story that readers should be in the loop.
Anyone who follows Cal recruiting, knows one of their biggest targets this year was 5 star defensive end Devon Kennard, who would have certainly made an instant impact at the DE/OLB hybrid position that was former Cal LB Zack Follett excelled in last season.
Well on Tuesday Morning, Kennard chose USC at a local press conference in Arizona. Kennard had narrowed his choices down to USC, Texas, and Cal, and to a lesser extent Arizona State.
Well, that was disappointing. While I’m pleased that Cal is at a point where they can legitimately compete for some of the nation’s top prospects, it’s still a bit of a letdown to miss out on a talent like Kennard.
The kid appears to be all class, so I wish him well. However, with him now being a Trojan, I now have to officially declare my undying hatred for him and everything associated with menstrual red and yellow.
Best of luck Kennard!
You can read a write up here or check out his press conference here.
3 comments:
You know, I kept reading in interviews how he didn't want to move to an Outside Linebacker in a 3-4 & that was the negative with Cal. Seriously, as soon as he said that, I would of told him he could of stayed at defensive end. I mean, who knows, he could of still ultimately chose USC, but if you have a chance to land a 5 star prospect, sometimes you just give them what they want. I'd rather have a talented defensive end rather than nothing at all. I feel Tedford & company may have dropped the ball here...
lame.
Nacho, while I don't know for sure, I'm fairly confident the coaching staff would have used the best judgment in trying to land Kennard. I'm sure it wasn't a "you play a hybrid role or bust" type of deal.
If anything, they probably used to try and lure Kennard, with it being a "Look at how much success Follett is having! And see how much fun he's having! You could be him!"
Also, given Kennard's size, I think that he will ultimately have to make that transition anyway, similar to what Shawn Merriman has done in the OLB/DE type of role.
Bottom line is, I don't think the position change was the major sticking point. I think Kennard, as competitive as he is, saw it as coming down to being an integral part of the most dominant college football team of the last several years.
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