CAL GETS HIGH-PROFILE DT RECRUIT... FOR NOW

Jeff Tedford lured in a critical recruit to his Cal Bears this weekend with the commitment of defensive tackle Cassius Marsh. Marsh has offers from much of the Pac-10, including his hometown Trojans and Bruins, but gave his commitment to Cal on Easter Sunday.Marsh attends the high-profile private school Oaks Christian in Westlake Village after transferring from another high-profile private California school St. Bonaventure. From reports on Scout, Rivals, and ESPN he looks to be a top-flight recruit who was very close to committing to USC a few months ago. Yet his second visit to Cal locked him into the Bears... for now."Cal told me I don’t have any restrictions and they actually are encouraging me to take my visits. They said they want me to look around because they’re confident Cal is the best place for me and I’m sure I’ll do that but it’s going to take a lot for anyone to beat out Cal."This isn’t an attack on Marsh, but a “commitment” like this is a waste of time for coaches and recruits and really is only good for building momentum for the player committing or with other recruits. Early and open commits like this are what happens when a multi-million dollar industry like the recruiting game puts a premium on players like Marsh and also puts indirect pressure on high school kids to make an important life decision before you start your senior year of high school. Anytime a player is already talking about taking and being encouraged to go on other visits, it’s clear they aren’t committed to going to a school.Bravo to Tedford for being open with the situation and understanding today’s recruiting climate, but I’d really like to see more coaches only accept commitments when players are ready to stop visiting other schools.