Initially, Bemoll made an early commitment to Ohio State. As the year wore on, he began to have doubts about that decision, as well as concerns about the direction of the program at Ohio State.
In the meantime, Cal stayed in touch with him and let Bemoll know that their interest in
him continued to be high. A sense of loyalty that developed between Bemoll and Coaches Jeff Tedford and OL Coach Bill Michalczik played a
big role when he opened up his recruitment,
primarily considering Cal and Oregon.
When Bemoll visited the Cal campus in early January, many of the players and students were on vacation, but he had a chance to hang
out with offensive linemen Andrew Cameron and Ryan O’Callaghan.
"I felt real comfortable with the guys and fit in real well. They’re
a lot like me in a lot of ways," said Bemoll.
"Besides my comfort
level with the coaches and team, I just really like the Bay Area and the school
a lot and felt it was the best place for me. It doesn’t hurt that it’s
pretty close to home (Mission Viejo), which is important to me, too.
"I didn’t follow the team real closely through a lot of the season,
but I know they had a real good team, despite the last game," continued
Bemoll. "I
don’t really know what happened there. I know Tech had a very different
offense with the spread line and all. I expect the team to be very strong next
year, though."
When asked to evaluate his own strengths and weakness, Bemoll made the
following assessment: "I’m a solid run blocker and have sound
technique. My pass blocking skills could get a little sharper when facing rush
ends at
tackle. I expect to start out at guard though, where my pass blocking is very
solid. Gradually I might work in at tackle after I have a chance to learn the
system."
Bemoll is one of the highest rated offensive linemen to sign with Cal in
recent history; the Bears are happy to be the beneficiary
of Bemoll’s
change of heart.
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