Price Is Right For Cal

When the Bears got word last weekend that Blinn College defensive end Jarred Price had committed to Cal, it marked the second Blinn defensive standout to verbal to the Bears in a week.

If the Blinn College name rings a bell with Bear fans, it’s no mistake, as former Blinn defensive end Alex Cook committed to Cal in 2007 but was unable to qualify and appears to be headed towards continuing his career at Valdosta State in '08.

The recruitment process was a whirlwind for Price and his offer from the Bears came quickly –as did his decision to take his game out west in ’09.

“Coach Thompson came out and saw me practice and saw my film,” said Price. “He’s a real cool guy and real easy to talk to.

“I knew Cal offered (Blinn DB Bryant) Nnabuife and that he committed to Cal. Then I got some recruiting letters that went to my defensive coach and we almost threw a couple out thinking it was junk mail. But then the one from Cal turned out to be a written offer. That would’ve been crazy if that got thrown away,” laughed Price.

Even though his offer came quickly after his excellent frosh season and an outstanding spring camp at Blinn that began to draw heavy recruiting attention, Price still knew the offer from Cal was one worth accepting, regardless of who offered in the future.

“I just thought about it and know what a great school Cal is and they have a strong program with great coaches so I decided being a Bear was the right thing to do,” said Price.

“Every coach who comes in here loves Jarred on film," said Blinn defensive line coach Keith Browing. "Their main question is his size, but he’s a difference-maker and Cal’s getting a heck of a player. He’s getting a lot of attention now but Jarred didn’t waste any time when he got the offer from Coach Tedford and Coach Thompson. Cal landed another good one from the Bucs.

“This kid is one of the best pass rushers in America,” continued Browning. “He plays weakside defensive end for us and drops into coverage sometimes or we line him up at linebacker on occasion, too. He has the quickest first step and ball get-off I have ever seen. He had 12 sacks last season when he rotated with Clint Leal who signed with University of Houston.

"Jarred is a great athlete with tremendous strength and quickness. He benches 375lbs, squats 550, has close to a 40 inch vertical and is very explosive. He understands the game and can get to the QB.”

Besides the lure of playing ball out in California, the chance to play with teammate Nnabuife was another element that attracted Price –not to mention the chance to fill former teammate Alex Cook’s slot that he was never able to see come to fruition in '07.

“First off, I can describe Bryant in one word: Outstanding,” said Price. "The guy’s big, fast, strong –he’ll hit you, lock you down, outrun you. He can do it all.

“Alex was another guy I really respect as a player. He would’ve made a big impact at Cal. In a way, I kind of pattern my game after him, being a good rusher off the edge and real aggressive to the ball and the quarterback.

“I talked to him the other day. It looks like he’s set to play at Valdosta State and I know he’ll do good there."

Price is like many at Blinn; with loads of natural talent but didn’t find his way until later in his career.

A self-admitted underachiever early in high school, Price noted that he found his share of trouble during his prep career at Dallas Madison before buckling down his senior year, accumulating an impressive 24 sacks in his final campaign.

Unfortunately for Price, 5-10/185 late-blooming defensive ends don’t tend to draw a great deal of recruiting attention –especially in a state where they grow them large like Texas, so the talented Price found a home like so many others with similar stories at Blinn where the now 215 lb future weakside lb thrived in ’07.

And if two Blinn Buccaneers aren’t enough for the Bears, a talented third Buc may well make Berkeley his home soon as well in All-League wide receiver Justin Jordan. The speedy Jordan rooms with Bear commit Nnabuife and is strongly considering the Bears as well. Jordan is also drawing strong recent recruiting attention, receiving an offer from Oklahoma in the last few days.

Expect an early summer decision from Jordan as well.

As for Price, after redshirting in 2006 and playing in '07, he'll come to Cal in '09 with 2 years to play 2. Although a December arrival is still a possibility, a summer '09 arrival is most likely for Price.

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