Three Student-Athletes To Join Cal Football In 2015

Article by Cal athletics 
BERKELEY – Cal head coach Sonny Dykes announced Wednesday that junior college transfers safety Derron Williams-Brown (Mesa Community College) and defensive end DeVante Wilson (Riverside Community College) have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Cal football program in January of 2015. Wilson will be a junior for the 2015 season, while Williams-Brown comes in as a sophomore.
The duo joins high school quarterback Ross Bowers, who signed a financial aid agreement at Cal in September and will begin his collegiate career as a true freshman in January.
“They are all very high character kids that fit well into our program,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “We’re excited about their potential to improve our football team but most importantly to be good student-athletes, get their Cal degrees and be successful when they graduate.”
Williams-Brown has been ranked as high as No. 3 among junior college safeties in 2014 according to Scout. He was a second-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference selection in his lone campaign at Mesa Community College as a true freshman in 2014, recording 48 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss. Williams-Brown was also an All-Arizona selection as a prep in his 2012 junior season at Betty H. Fairfax High School before missing his entire 2013 senior campaign due to injury.
Wilson was a Prepstar All-American as a 2010 senior and a four-star recruit in the 2011 class from Corona High School after a prep career that included 192 tackles and 11.5 sacks over three campaigns (2008-10). Wilson missed the 2011 season and spent the 2012 campaign at USC but injuries kept him on the sidelines both years and necessitated a transfer to Riverside Community College for the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. Wilson returned to form as a 2014 sophomore when he recorded 36 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss (-41 yards) and 3.0 sacks (-18 yards) to earn first-team All-Southern California Football Association National Central League honors for a 10-2 team that reached the Southern California Regional final.
“We had some obvious needs to address defensively,” Dykes said. “It all begins with the pass rush and I feel like DeVante gives us an athletic, long and explosive pass rusher who is going to make us instantly better. We also needed to address our needs in the defensive backfield and picked up a player in Derron that is a physical player, good open-field and tackler, and gives us both size and length in that area.”
Bowers is a four-star ESPN recruit that has led his team to its first Washington state title and also a KingCo crown as well as a current 14-0 record as a 2014 senior. The Cougars will play their final game of the season against Miami’s Central High School in the first annual Burger King State Champions Bowl Series on December 27 in Boca Raton, Fla. Bowers has completed 208-of-294 passes (70.7%) for 3228 yards with 37 touchdowns and six interceptions to earn first-team All-KingCo honors. He also produced one of the most viewed football plays ever in the state championship game when he landed on his feet in the end zone after a full flip over a defender to cap off a four-yard touchdown run. The play has been viewed by millions worldwide and is under consideration for Play of the Year after picking up multiple Play of the Week mentions.
“We are excited to have Ross join the Cal football program,” Dykes said. “He’s exactly what we are looking for in a quarterback. He has shown great leadership and does all the things we want a quarterback to do. We’re excited about his future and what he will bring to our program. We’re also excited that he will join our team in January and be able to start learning the offense and get into the mix at the quarterback position.”
The National Letter of Intent midyear junior college transfer signing period for prospective student-athletes enrolling for the 2015 spring semester that began Wednesday continues through January 15, 2015. The regular signing period kicks off with 2015 National Signing Day on February 4 and runs through April 1.