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Cal tried to keep Shaq Thompson committed, but the highly-touted safety has flipped to Washington.
Shaq Thompson, the top safety recruit in the country, has dropped the Cal Bears and committed to the Washington Huskies, per California Golden Blogs. Thompson had been committed to Cal for about a month, and his brother also played for the hometown Golden Bears. But the departure of Tosh Lupoi to Washington, combined with the Huskies luring defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox from Tennessee. The connection with coach Peter Sirmon didn't hurt, either. The tweets tell the tale.
Cal's recruiting class is falling apart, according to SB Nation Bay Area:
This is a tough blow for Cal, who have already lost Ellis McCarthy to UCLA and Arik Armstead to Oregon. Once looking like the best recruiting class in the Pac-12 in 2012, the Cal defensive class is starting to look very vulnerable and a lot of other programs in the conference are benefiting.
Just committed to the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON #HUSKYNATION
— Shaq Thompson(Grant) (@ItsShaqThompson) January 31, 2012
It's official: Shaq tells us the reasons for Washington are: "It's where my heart is; second highest graduation rate in the Pac-12..."
— Joe Davidson (@sb_joedavidson) January 31, 2012
Just heard from Shaq;Wash was a close 2nd to Cal earlier;really likes Tosh Lupoi,academics;best friend James Sample is there. It's done.
— Joe Davidson (@sb_joedavidson) January 31, 2012
Cannot underestimate Tosh Lupoi impact here;had Lupoi next left Cal,Shaq would be a Bear & so likely would have Armstead;domino affect HUGE
— Joe Davidson (@sb_joedavidson) January 31, 2012
Baseball was another big factor for UW, Sark was willing to allow him to miss some spring ball, family appreciated the flexibility
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 31, 2012
@bclose32 Not UW baseball, family is hopeful of getting drafted and doing minor league baseball in the spring, football in the fall
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 31, 2012
For more on Cal recruiting, head to California Golden Blogs.
Shaq Thompson, one of the nation's most-coveted safeties in the class of 2012, has committed to Washington, he announced on Twitter. Thompson's move comes after having been a Cal commit for most of the month of January.
Thompson committed to Cal on January 7 during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but the defection of defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi from Cal to Washington left Thompson with second thoughts, and he had also flirted with Oregon in recent days. Thompson told the Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson that his ties with Lupoi factored into his decision.
Thompson is regarded as a prototypical safety prospect in the mold of physical hitters like USC's Taylor Mays and Troy Polamalu, and Florida State's Karlos Williams, and could have an impact from his first game with the Huskies. This news likely pleased Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian, known for announcing commitments slyly on Twitter; he tweeted some unintelligible gibberish and his customary "WOOOOOOOF!" moments after Thompson announced his commitment.
For more on Thompson and his impact on college football recruiting, visit Washington blog UW Dawg Pound and Cal blog California Golden Blogs.
Highly-touted safety Shaq Thompson continues to mull his options as signing day approaches, but will not further complicate his decision with an official visit this coming weekend. Thompson, who has hosted numerous Pac-12 coaches for in-home visits this week, has decided not to visit UCLA on the final weekend before signing day. Thompson committed to Cal, but has been rethinking his commitment following the departure of Tosh Lupoi.
The news comes from Justin Hopkins.
Following #Oregon in-home visit, Shaq Thompson elects not to visit #UCLA
For now, it would seem Thompson is down to Cal, his original choice, Washington, where Lupoi now coaches, and perhaps Oregon, a school that's been coming on strong as of late. All three schools reportedly visited Thompson this past week, with Oregon getting the last word in.
Then again, it's anyone's guess what's going on in his mind at the moment, and Thompson's decision seems to be as up in the air as anyone's.
Shaq Thompson is one of the best recruits in the country. The 6'1", 210-pound safety prospect out of California is currently committed to the Cal Golden Bears. But the Cal commitment took the recent departure of Cal's defensive line coach to Washington very hard. And many wonder if Thompson will stick with his commitment to Cal.
One thing is for sure, Thompson is not unwilling to listen to pitches from other schools. In fact, he reached out to former Oregon running back LaMicheal James last night on Twitter. Thompson asked him questions about academics, future career choices, the area in general and Chip Kelly. Here are James' responses to him, courtesy of Oregon live.
@ItsShaqThompson I was academic all conference and never had under a 2.9 gpa the jaqua is a really nice place for athletes trust me
— LaMichael James (@LaMikeJames_) January 23, 2012
@ItsShaqThompson honestly great! Ima buy a house there ASAP!!!It's a place that will always be family and I think you'll have a huge impact
— LaMichael James (@LaMikeJames_) January 23, 2012
"he's" by far the best/smartest coach I have ever been around I can't think of 1 person that's a close 2nd #Ducks
— LaMichael James (@LaMikeJames_) January 23, 2012
Thompson has since deleted some of his tweets from last night, but James' responses remain.
Thompson has a top three of Cal, Oregon and Washington. Washington is an attractive choice for the five-star safety because of his relationship with coaches Tosh Lupoi and Justin Wilcox.
To discuss Shaq potentially going to Cal, head to the California Golden Blogs. To talk about the prospect of Shaq and Oregon, check out Addicted to Quack. To discuss Shaq and Washington, head to UW Dawg Pound. And for more on Pac-12 recruiting, head to Pacific Takes.
Shaq Thompson is the top safety recruit in the country and a recent Cal commitment. And the Cal commitment is taking the news pretty hard that Cal's top recruiter, Tosh Lupoi, just bolted for Washington. "I have A lot of thinking to do," and "It's a business.. My family told me and have to do what's best for me," tweeted Thompson.
West Coast reporters have reached out to Thompson, and it's safe to say he is anything but solid in his commitment to Cal. Here are some of the reactions from the five-star safety recruit.
Thompson told Tara Turnure of Fox Sports:
Just got off the phone with 5-star S Shaq Thompson, who says he is now torn,"I am 50-50 between #Cal and #Washington."
And this from Greg Biggins of ESPN:
Interesting talk with Shaq T, he's very close with Tosh but said he's even closer with Wilcox, that's who recruited his brother Syd to Cal. ... Shaq also said he talked with Tosh last night and at that time, he still hadn't decided to take the job yet, made the decision this morning.
Wilcox, of course, being Washington's new defensive coordinator.
Thompson is not an early enrollee and could stretch his decision out until National Signing Day (February 1st) or later.
Shaq Thompson, the top safety prospect in the country has committed to the Cal Bears. From Grant Union High School in Corona, California, Thompson held offers from most of the top schools in the country, including California, USC, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Michigan and Notre Dame.
Thompson will likely be an instant-impact player in the PAC 12 from the moment he steps on the field for the Bears. At 6'1" and 210 pounds, he already possesses prototypical size for the safety position. And with that size, Thompson combines tremendous speed and great instincts. At this stage, he is more of a hitter than a pass defender, and will need to learn the ins and outs of playing the pass in college. His combination of size and speed compares to safety prospects from previous classes, including Laron Landry, Taylor Mays, and Karlos Williams. Thompson can also be expected to contribute immediately on special teams as a freshman.
For more on Cal recruiting, check out California Golden Blogs.
Shaq Thompson Explains His Lack Of Interest In LSU
by Jason Kirk
Monday night, safety Shaq Thompson, one of the nation's top 10 recruits, flipped on the California Golden Bears and announced he'll instead play for the Washington Huskies. Typo humor is the worst humor, but this is a good one:
Jan 31 1:08p