The University of California's recruiting momentum continued to build steam this week with the commitment of 6-4/315 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) offensive lineman Geoff Gibson to the Bears.
A standout at Cal's team camp last summer, Gibson earned an early offer from Cal -one that a miscomunication almost derailed.
"A couple months ago, I got a letter from Coach Marshall that said that they'd love for me to be a Cal Bear so when we talked later, I asked about and he said they'd be offering soon," said Gibson.
"I was waiting on Cal because they were the best choice for me. They're one of the best schools in the nation and maybe the best for combining athletics and academics. My mom's always told me to only strive for the best so that's what I was looking for.
"But after a couple months passed, I was ready to move on and commit to Arizona because I really want to be able to focus on school and my team coming up this year. I decided to give Coach Marshall one last call to check on the offer and it turns out they sent one all the way back on March 2, but it went to the address I lived at before my mom went back to Chicago to care for my grandmother.
"It was the best call I ever made and it didn't take long to commit to Cal."
Gibson's main recruiter has been Cal offensive line coach Steve Marshall and the new Bear coach has made a great impression so far.
"He's a great guy," said Gibson. "I love him. We get along real good. He's easy to talk to. Some of the coaches out there are kind of hard to talk to but he's real down-to-earth and real straightforward. That's what I like about him. I'm not looking for anyone to give me a handout or baby me. I'm used to going and getting things. That's the way it's always been for me.
Gibson's road hasn't been the easiest one. After moving from South Chicago to Las Vegas to improve his academic and athletic opportunities, Gibson's mother was forced to return to Chicago to care for her ailing mother, who'd suffered a heart attack and stroke, right before Christmas.
"Things got real bad and the family called my mom back. It didn't look like she was going to make it so she moved back with my little sister and has been there since, helping my grandma recover.
"I went to live with an uncle but it was real crowded there and I ended up moving in with the family I'm with now, but they've got more family moving in so I'll be moving to another house soon. But I'll just keep hanging in there, staying positive and focused on school and my football and family."
Gibson camped at Cal with new USC-commit Xavier Grimble and Grimble's cousin, Jalen.
"Watch out for Jalen," said Gibson. "He's going to be awesome, by the way. Remember his name. He's the next best thing coming out of Bishop Gorman."
The few days Gibson spent in Berkeley made a big impression on the big lineman and he's never been able to get Cal off his mind.
"Oh man, I loved it out there," said Gibson. "I wish we would've stayed two or three more days just to chill and check things out after camp but we didn't have a lot of time to take it in.
"I like the campus a lot. It's real big and it's nice. I didn't want a little small school. I wanted the university feel. I loved it. I couldn't stop talking about it. I'd call my mom in the middle of the night just to tell her how great it was.
Gibson's looking into coming back to California for the Stanford Nike combine next month and would like to visit campus again on his trip. But if not, the Bears can expect to see their newest lineman during the season.
"I'm coming back for my official visit for sure," said Gibson. "And I'll be checking out Zachary's, too. Being from Chicago, deep dish is where it's at."
With Cal strongly in the running with several top offensive linemen who may decide early, the Bears are well on their way to building another strong offensive line class for 2010.
