Cal hosts USC, top recruits

Updated: October 2, 2009, 2:36 PM ET

Bears have opportunity to impress

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By Jim McGill
BearInsider.com

The recent trend of the Bears hosting recruits late in the season during bowl preparation took a turn towards the aggressive this year as the Bears have gone all in in their big matchup with the Trojans, with at least 14 top players in for official visits this weekend. Here's a rundown on who to expect in Berkeley on official visits this weekend:

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• Tevin Carter - Santee High School- 6-3/190 receiver -The speedy (10.61 100) commit from LA will take his official visit to Cal this weekend. Carter brings a potent combination of size and speed that the Bears could use on today's roster. The returning league MVP is off to a fast start for the 2-1 Falcons, with 78 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries along with 10 receptions for 278 yards and another td this year so far.

• Nick Forbes - Governor Thomas Johnson High School- 6-1/224- The 4 star, hard-nosed linebacker from Maryland is a tough tackling machine who chose the Bears from amongst an impressive list of suitors. This will be Forbes' third cross country trip to the Bay Area this year.

• Austin Hinder - Steamboat Springs High School- 6-4/185 Quarterback- The Elite 11 slinger from Colorado made the call for Cal after his trip to Berkeley to visit the Bears and compete at the Stanford Nike Combine. Hinder has led the Sailors to a 3-0 record so far, completing 63.5% of his passes for eight td's and 625 yards, with two interceptions. An excellent runner, Hinder has also rushed for an additional 130 yards and three td's as well.

• Jordon James - Corona High School- 5-10/180 Running Back- The 4 star running back from Corona rushed for 1135 yards and 5 td's last year before going down with an injury. James is also on the shelf after rushing for 120 yards early this season but is one of the most sought-after rushers in the country.

• Anthony Jefferson - Cathedral High School- 6-2/190 Wide Receiver -The big receiver from LA teamed with UCLA frosh Randall Carroll to form one of the top receiving tandems in the nation last year, excelling on both sides of the ball. Jefferson has started strong for the 4-0 Phantoms, averaging a whopping 28 ypc on his 12 catches for 339 yards and six td's.

• Gabe King - South Eugene High School- 6-5/260 Defensive End -One of the most sought-after players in the nation, King's odyssey has taken him from North Carolina to Eugene in search of an opportunity to play his senior season. A rare combination of size, speed and agility, the Bears are recruiting King as a hybrid defensive end/rush backer.

• Cassius Marsh - Oaks Christian High School- 6-4/264 Defensive End -The All-CIF defensive lineman verbally committed to the Bears earlier this year but has reopened his recruitment until taking some visits this season. The Bears are battling USC, Oklahoma and Tennessee for the big DL's commitment.

• Owa Odighizuwa - Douglas High School -6-4/230 Defensive End -One of the top recruiting targets for the Bears in '09, the Portland star put up huge stats in '08, with 22 tackles for loss along with 96 tackles and eight sacks for the Scots.

• Sean Parker - Narbonne High School -6-0/180 Safety -The 1st team all-state safety led the Gauchos in '08 with 68 tackles and six interceptions on the year and has offers from USC, Notre Dame and a host of others to date.

• Ronald Powell - Rancho Verde High School -6-4/245 Defensive End -The 5 star Powell is an impressive combination of speed and power. The all-state Powell compiled 75 tackles and 13 tackles on the year in 2008 for the Mustangs.

• Lache Seastrunk -Temple High School -5-10/185 Running Back -One of the top running backs in the nation, Seastrunk visited Cal in February and will return from Texas on an official visit this weekend. Seastrunk has run for over 3100 yards and 33 td's in the past two seasons.

• Chris Ward -Mater Dei High School- 6-4/285 Offensive Tackle -The All CIF lineman from Santa Ana has narrowed his choices down to Cal and UCLA after visiting both schools in August.

• Cecil Whiteside -Newport Harbor High School- 6-3/220 Outside Linebacker -The talented and versatile Whiteside excels on both sides of the ball, adding 24 tackles and three sacks in the first three games of the year for the Sailors along with 12 catches for 168 yards and two td's at tight end. Whiteside is also one of the top discus throwers in the nation, as well.

• David Wilkerson -Monte Vista High School- 6-2/225 Inside Linebacker- One of the top overall prospects in Northern California, Wilkerson also excels on both sides of the ball, compiling 95 tackles, one sack and one interception at linebacker and six yards per carry and eight td's at running back for the Mustangs.

There will be several recruits on unofficial visits, too, including:

• Chris Adcock -Dallas Christian High School- 6-3/301 Offensive Guard/Center- The small school All-State lineman from Texas made an early commitment to Cal and will take his official visit later but the Bears big matchup vs. the Bears was one he couldn't miss.

• Garrett Adcock -Dallas Christian High School- 6-2/265- Offensive Guard- The sophomore "little" brother of Cal commit Chris Adcock will also make his second trip West to check out the Bears on Saturday.

• Mario Brown -Bishop O'Dowd High School- 5-9/160 Running Back- One of the top players in the East Bay, Brown's off to a strong start for the Falcons, with 267 yards and two touchdowns for 0-2-1 O'Dowd.

• Alex Crosthwaite -Cathedral High School- 6-4.5/305 Offensive Tackle- The massive tackle led the state-champion Dons to an undefeated season in '08 and an an impressive 4-0 start so far this season.

• Davon Dunn -Lincoln High School- 6-0/180 Wide Receiver -The versatile Dunn is off to a strong start in '09, excelling on defense at cornerback as well as running back (240 yards and three td's) and receiver (165 yards and 18 ypc) for the 3-0-1 Hornets. Dunn will make the unofficial visit with close friend Kenny Stills, who also visited Cal unofficially last summer with Dunn.

• Josh Harper -St. Mary's High School- 6-1/180 Wide Receiver -One of the top athletes in NorCal, Harper led the Rams to the state championship game last year. Harper already has 5 td's for the 3-0 Rams, who have steamrolled over their first three opponents to the tune of 121-20.

• Kenny Stills -La Costa Canyon High School -6-2/180 Wide Receiver -One of the top receivers in the state, Stills has led the Mavericks to a 4-0 record to start the season. The speedy (10.5 100) Stills is a 2-time all-state receiver and led his La Costa Canyon squad to a CIF championship last season.

• Fred Thompson Oakland Tech High School -6-4/290 Defensive Tackle- The Oakland Athletic League defensive mvp has high interest in Cal and has camped with the Bears as well.

A look around at some of the best ESPN affiliate team sites have to offer today. Some of the following links may require a premium subscription to the ESPN affiliate site.

Alabama Crimson Tide (www.crimsonconfidential.com)

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Major WR prospect takes a second look at Bama

Auburn Tigers (www.auburnundercover.com/index.php)

Punter commits to Auburn

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Florida Gators (www.gatorcountry.com)

Junior defensive lineman Giovani Francois is a name to watch

The Haden family just keeps on producing football players

Florida State Seminoles (www.noleinsider.com)

Will Matt Elam visit Florida State?

Kansas Jayhawks (www.theshiver.com)