Cal Bears Land First Big Recruit for 2016
Recruiting truly never stops in college football. The story is no different for the California Golden Bears football program, and their head coach Sonny Dykes. Just a few weeks after 2015 National Signing Day for this year’s incoming freshmen, the Bears received a commitment from a 2016 recruit.
Armani Rogers, quarterback from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California, expressed via twitter that he intends to make his new home in Berkeley.
The young man has great size, as he already stands at six feet, six inches tall. He looks more like he should be committing to play small forward for the Bears’ basketball team rather than putting on pads. He’s lanky and wiry, as he weights in around 200 pounds, but he still hasn’t filled out quite yet. Body-wise, he looks similar to Colin Kaepernick, as both are tall with long limbs, but as he continues to gain weight through muscle, he could start to look more like Cam Newton, who is much thicker in the body.
Last year, in his junior season at Hamilton, Rogers accumulated 35 total touchdowns, 28 through the air and seven on the ground, compared to just three interceptions, while leading his team to the Division Championship. For his efforts, Rogers was named the Western League Player of the Year.
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Rogers is a great athlete, and is a legitimate dual threat at quarterback. He possesses a very strong arm with great accuracy, putting hard passes pretty much wherever he wants them to go. His release is also quick, and his mechanics are quite good, especially for a player of his age who isn’t a true pocket passer.
As a runner, Rogers is fast, and he can get around corners and run away from defenders. Running isn’t his first priority, which is a huge plus, considering the style that Cal features. The ability to run away from trouble and make plays with his legs will be a big boost for the offense.
His style, being a dual threat, is different than that of Cal’s current quarterbacks. The incumbent starter, junior Jared Goff became a school record-setting passer last year, throwing for 3973 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2014. Goff is almost strictly a classic passer, very rarely breaking the pocket to make plays with his feet. His style has worked, and made the Golden Bears’ passing offense one of the most feared in the country last year, finishing sixth in the nation overall.
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2015’s recruiting class also featured a pocket passer making his commitment to the University. Ross Bowers, considered one of the top “pro style” quarterback recruits in the nation, will attend Cal for the 2015 season. Bowers’ game is much more similar to Goff’s than Rogers’.
Despite the running threat, Rogers is still a very good pocket passer. He has the tools, athleticism, and ability to succeed as a classic quarterback, rather than a new age “run first, ask questions later” QB. He can carry the Bears’ offense, and simply adds another dimension to the attack. His Hudl profile is chock-full of video evidence of how special he is.
Rogers chose Cal over some other Pac-12 rivals, as UCLA and Utah both extended offers to the junior. He has only been ranked by one recruiting system thus far, with Rivals giving him a three-star ranking. Through his senior season, that ranking is expected to rise, as his potential is through the roof.
No one really knows if Rogers will live up to that potential at Cal. His great athletic ability makes a bright future seem like a foregone conclusion, and right now, the Bears have a lot of reasons to be optimistic for the future.