BearTalk

Jeff Tedford commented specifically on several of the recruits at his press conference today. Here’s a sampling:

–On wide receiver Markish Jones: “It kind of went down to the wire with him. He’s a real talented guy. He’s very fast, has good hands and is a very good athlete. We’re fortunate to get him. He’s a guy, as it winds down here, who was probably the most talented guy we were looking at all along. We’re really, really happy to have him.”

–On outside linebacker/defensive end Ryan Davis: “He’s a rush guy. He’s very similar to Zack (Follett). He’s going to be a guy who comes off the edge and rushes the passer, but he’s athletic enough to play in space and cover people. But his forte is rushing the passer. We’re going to bring him off the edge quite a bit.”

–On cornerback Steve Williams: “It was just a great fit for him. There are certain guys who come and you can just tell right away they feel very comfortable. Steve was one of those guys. He came and fit in very, very well. You could tell by the end of the weekend (of his recruiting visit) that he was really liking it. I think he felt very comfortable with our coaches and our players and really appreciates academics. All that put together was the right fit for him.”

–On nose guard Keni Kaufusi, who didn’t play football last year after a misdemeanor arrest on alcohol and weapons charges: “Sometimes people make mistakes and Keni has really dedicated himself to doing some great things as far as helping coach at his high school and really being a leader and a role model for the people around there. He’s a very hard worker, very dedicated to making the move to Cal. We’ve really been impressed with what he’s done and how he’s handled himself. I know he’s very excited to be here. You watch him on tape and he’s a very hard guy to block. We’re excited to have him in our program.”

On placekicker Vince D’Amato: “There was competition for him. When we decided that we needed to go find the best kicker we can find to compete to have this job here, Vince was the guy. We felt like he had done a lot of things in high school that you want to make the transition. He didn’t kick off a tee in high school. He kicked off the ground, so that will make it a smooth transition. The transition from the tee to the ground doesn’t always go very smooth. He doesn’t have to make that transition. What you see with him kicking field goals is what you get. We were really impressed with that. We felt in order to get him here, we needed to offer him a scholarship. I feel good about it. I feel he has the ability to come in and compete. It’s going to be very competitive there next year.”

On running back Dasarte Yarnway: “Yarnway is going to be very competitive here. He’s a guy who’s physical enough to come in and compete right away. He has great balance, he’s very strong and he’s got very good speed. We feel like he’s a versatile back. He’s well-equipped to come in and compete right away. With health issues with our running backs from time to time, depth is a must. I think he’s going to come in and compete to be one of those top three guys there.”