WR MARVIN JONES
Etiwanda, CA
Etiwanda High

Arguably the marquee get of the 2008 recruiting class, Marvin Jones has some big shoes to fill at wideout following the departures of you-know-whos. But if there's one sure thing about Jones, it's his size.

At 6-foot-2, the Etiwanda product joins a crop of receivers that boasts length for the first time in quite a while. Jones, a consensus four-star recruit according to both rivals and scout.com, did enough during his prep career to wow coaches all across the country, amassing 2,349 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in his last two years.

But surely, college ball will pose its own separate challenges.

"It's pretty thick," Jones said of the Bears' offensive playbook. "It's a lot of concepts, but I've been studying (for classes) right now. They told me not to really trip about it. When camp starts, we'll get an in-depth view."

Fall camp starts today, but a playbook wasn't the first thing Jones found thick until now. Senioritis previously had Jones impressed by the depth of high school texts.

"Coming into school, I kind of had (receivers coach Kevin Daft) real worried about me," Jones laughed. "He knew all my assignments and what I needed to do, so he really pushed me to do better and finish out my senior year. I gave him a couple gray hairs, but I'll give 'em back to him."

After what Daft lost to the NFL, Jones may have to return more than a few gray hairs to his new coach.

RB COVAUGHN DEBOSKIE
Chandler, AZ
Hamilton High

In Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, Cal has more than enough speed in the backfield. Freshman Covaughn DeBoskie, then, could bring some much-needed power.

Coupled with another strong runner in sophomore Tracy Slocum, DeBoskie could eventually provide further grit to the Bears' running attack. The 5-foot-11 recruit left high school weighing approximately 185 pounds, and according to running backs coach Ron Gould, DeBoskie currently sports a 207-pound frame.

"He's a physical back and has great hands as well," Gould said. "Covaughn is going to be 220 pounds as his body matures and so forth. His body build is structured to carry that kind of weight."

Still, DeBoskie's unofficial 40-times range between 4.4 and 4.5.

Heavily recruited by both Stanford and Alabama, the Arizona product ended his prep career early and decided to attend Cal this past spring. DeBoskie said the deciding factors were Gould and Berkeley academics -- namely, the Haas School of Business.

Today, DeBoskie awaits the redshirt or lack thereof, and in the latter case, he will likely join the playing roster as its fourth runner. Otherwise, the scout team certainly has plenty of spots open.

"It's just a big battle zone right now, but we're just here to win, so whoever gets the starting job, you know we're all happy for him because we're all young," DeBoskie said. "I'm just getting ready. If I redshirt, then I redshirt, but I just want to help the team out in any way."

Dt Trevor GUYTON
Woodinville, WA
Redmond High

Under every great 3-4 defense lies a stout nose tackle, and with recruits like Kendrick Payne and Trevor Guyton, the Bears add critical depth to a demanding position where a rotation could prove valuable down the road.

However, unlike Payne, who enrolled a semester early and has earned his share of respect from the coaching staff during spring ball, Guyton's stock remains a four-starred constellation.

Considering Cal's depth at tackle -- highlighted by Mika Kane and Derrick Hill, would-be starters for the 4-3 formation -- fall camp may be an uphill battle for Guyton, and ironically, whoever wins out should have an even steeper challenge come Saturdays in anchoring the defense.

Still, the 6-foot-3, 296-pound lineman seemed relieved enough just to be in Berkeley, where he said he was impressed by one, the honesty of the coaching staff and two, the pleasant Bay Area weather.

"Coming from Seattle, I couldn't wait until I got out of there," Guyton said. "The weather's pretty moderate around here, but Seattle's just gloomy and ugly. It's definitely something I can get used to around here."

Throughout the summer, the coaches aren't allowed to join the players in workouts. But the returning veterans are and certainly seem to have done so in Guyton's case.

"I've already gotten pushed a few times," Guyton said. "I mean, I'm just coming in here, so I don't exactly know what I'm doing yet. But they're definitely trying to help me out.

Tags: MEET THE RECRUITS