Todd Bar

[Boom]

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?nam ... id=5753019
Todd Barr (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) has taken three official visits this year -- Washington, Florida and Cal -- and following visit No. 3 two weeks ago, the talented lineman came very close to ending the recruiting process by picking the Golden Bears.

"I was ready to do it," Barr said. "In my head, I decided I was ready to commit and be a Bear but after talking to my mom a few days after the trip and thinking things over some more, I decided I would take my last two trips.

"My mom just asked me, 'are you 100 percent sure you want to do this' and I still had a little hesitation and decided I didn't want to rush into something and look back later and have regrets. It was a great visit though and right now, Cal is very high on my list."

Cal has been at the top of Barr's list since visiting the campus back in the summer and it remains in a very good position right now.

"Cal just has so many pluses," Barr said. "I have a great relationship with the coaches and especially coach [Tosh] Lupoi, who would be my position coach and is the one recruiting me. I like their defense a lot and how they scheme. They told me to watch Cameron Jordan play and said they would use me in the same way, as a defensive end in their 3-4 scheme and I think that fits me pretty well.

"The game day atmosphere was a lot of fun and I like the fan support Cal has as well. Academically, Cal is the top public university in the country and that's another big plus. I would like to major in communications and maybe go in to broadcasting down the road. Like I said, I was close to committing but I will take my last two visits and then make my decision."

Those last two visits will be to Oregon and Miami and Barr is still finalizing the dates on both of those schools.

"I took an unofficial visit to Oregon and really liked it there," Barr said. "They have a great coaching staff that welcomed me and made me feel at home. I liked the tempo of their practices and watching them play right now, they're really a fun team to watch and you have to be impressed with just how good they have looked all season.

"Miami is one of those schools I think everyone follows as a kid. They have incredible tradition and have had some of the best players to every play in college. Coach [Randy] Shannon came to one of our practices earlier in the year and that meant a lot because Miami is on the other side of the country."

Locally, Barr said he's still considering UCLA, although it appears they have some serious ground to make up on the schools in front of them. Barr will visit Miami after the season and could trip to Oregon during the season, possibly even for the Ducks game with Washington this coming weekend.

Looks like a California lock...........but you never know if he makes it up for an official visit.

[uostudent]

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?nam ... id=5753019
Todd Barr (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) has taken three official visits this year -- Washington, Florida and Cal -- and following visit No. 3 two weeks ago, the talented lineman came very close to ending the recruiting process by picking the Golden Bears.

"I was ready to do it," Barr said. "In my head, I decided I was ready to commit and be a Bear but after talking to my mom a few days after the trip and thinking things over some more, I decided I would take my last two trips.

"My mom just asked me, 'are you 100 percent sure you want to do this' and I still had a little hesitation and decided I didn't want to rush into something and look back later and have regrets. It was a great visit though and right now, Cal is very high on my list."

Cal has been at the top of Barr's list since visiting the campus back in the summer and it remains in a very good position right now.

"Cal just has so many pluses," Barr said. "I have a great relationship with the coaches and especially coach [Tosh] Lupoi, who would be my position coach and is the one recruiting me. I like their defense a lot and how they scheme. They told me to watch Cameron Jordan play and said they would use me in the same way, as a defensive end in their 3-4 scheme and I think that fits me pretty well.

"The game day atmosphere was a lot of fun and I like the fan support Cal has as well. Academically, Cal is the top public university in the country and that's another big plus. I would like to major in communications and maybe go in to broadcasting down the road. Like I said, I was close to committing but I will take my last two visits and then make my decision."

Those last two visits will be to Oregon and Miami and Barr is still finalizing the dates on both of those schools.

"I took an unofficial visit to Oregon and really liked it there," Barr said. "They have a great coaching staff that welcomed me and made me feel at home. I liked the tempo of their practices and watching them play right now, they're really a fun team to watch and you have to be impressed with just how good they have looked all season.

"Miami is one of those schools I think everyone follows as a kid. They have incredible tradition and have had some of the best players to every play in college. Coach [Randy] Shannon came to one of our practices earlier in the year and that meant a lot because Miami is on the other side of the country."

Locally, Barr said he's still considering UCLA, although it appears they have some serious ground to make up on the schools in front of them. Barr will visit Miami after the season and could trip to Oregon during the season, possibly even for the Ducks game with Washington this coming weekend.

Looks like a California lock...........but you never know if he makes it up for an official visit.

Hopefully whichever coach is recruiting him, busts out the X-box.

Agree that he sounds like a Cal lock. Thanks for the article.

[woundedknees]

Hmmm... X Box with Coach Tosh, on one of the most unpredictable squads in the PAC, or a chance to help improve a team which already has a legit shot at the NC?

As Eve said when she met Adam, "Wow, that's a hard one!"

[gofightingducks]

Tedford is probably not going to be around much longer which may mean Tosh won't be either. Oregon has some good recruiting coaches but they have a lot to sell, I don't know what Tosh is selling but could you imagine if we had him or someone like him on staff? Maybe Nike should get into the video game system business and the Oregon coaches could sell the Nike XPSWii-3000 to the recruits!

[ducksrock]

Hmmm... X Box with Coach Tosh, on one of the most unpredictable squads in the PAC, or a chance to help improve a team which already has a legit shot at the NC?

As Eve said when she met Adam, "Wow, that's a hard one!"

Is that what Eve said? I thot it was more like...Sticks and stones may break my bones, but that looks like it would hurt me...

[Bigducker]

Putting a woopin on Cal couldn't hurt.

[Tray Dub]

Guys, I know a couple players who have been recruited by Lupoi, and there's a lot more to what he's selling than playing Xbox. He's a likable guy that kids establish good rapports with. Believe it or not, that actually does matter a lot to most recruits.

[greenyellow]

If Oregon can get to the BCS NCG, then they'll have a whole lot more to sell to recruits than Cal.

[chapelhillduck]

Yeah...recruits matter at some level, but.....

I would take coach Azz over Tosh in a heartbeat (plus Azz isn't too shabby a recruiter either)

[PDXShogun]

Guys, I know a couple players who have been recruited by Lupoi, and there's a lot more to what he's selling than playing Xbox. He's a likable guy that kids establish good rapports with. Believe it or not, that actually does matter a lot to most recruits.

Agree completely. I think people are selling these kids a little short when they say they like him just because he's good at video games. Obviously he is doing something else very right. They've recruited some outstanding DL talent over the last couple of years.

With that said, there is still no proof he can actually coach. Cal has been the most unmotivated, underachieving team in the conference for about 4 years now. The fans there are starting to get a little restless. Make no mistake, Cal wasn't picked 7th in the pac10 this year because of their talent, it's because the media has lost all faith that they can play to their ability; and nothing we've seen this year has done anything to prove them wrong.

[dthomas=ddixon]

Guys, I know a couple players who have been recruited by Lupoi, and there's a lot more to what he's selling than playing Xbox. He's a likable guy that kids establish good rapports with. Believe it or not, that actually does matter a lot to most recruits.

Agree completely. I think people are selling these kids a little short when they say they like him just because he's good at video games. Obviously he is doing something else very right. They've recruited some outstanding DL talent over the last couple of years.

With that said, there is still no proof he can actually coach. Cal has been the most unmotivated, underachieving team in the conference for about 4 years now. The fans there are starting to get a little restless. Make no mistake, Cal wasn't picked 7th in the pac10 this year because of their talent, it's because the media has lost all faith that they can play to their ability; and nothing we've seen this year has done anything to prove them wrong.

I think thats the point. Fans can't stand him because he pulls in all these great Dline recruits because he's "cool" & relates well to the players. Not because he's a proven coach that will further their careers. If he was on our staff we'd love him. He's Cal's version of Scott Frost.

[uostudent]

Guys, I know a couple players who have been recruited by Lupoi, and there's a lot more to what he's selling than playing Xbox. He's a likable guy that kids establish good rapports with. Believe it or not, that actually does matter a lot to most recruits.

I think those mentioning "playing X-box with Tosh" are being a bit facetious. Obviously he connects with recruits and is looked at as a pretty cool guy. The real underlying message though is that he hasn't proven that he can coach kids "up" and send them to the NFL, something that a lot of veteran coordinators around the conference have.

[duckydoug]

he's a solid coach. Tyson Alualu was taken 10th last year and is having a decent rookie season and ive seen Cameron Jordan in several mock drafts going in the 1st round. problem with Cal is Tedford because for some reason they dont show up on the road while looking the complete opposite at home.

[maxduck]

he's a solid coach. Tyson Alualu was taken 10th last year and is having a decent rookie season and ive seen Cameron Jordan in several mock drafts going in the 1st round. problem with Cal is Tedford because for some reason they dont show up on the road while looking the complete opposite at home.

Remember the OC is Andy Ludwig. While at Oregon, after 11-1 in 2001 with Tedford as OC the Ducks went 7-6, 8-5, 5-6 with Dudwig calling the plays. Blaming Tedford for hiring him is legitimate but the performance of the Bears offense is painfully familiar.

[PDXShogun]

he's a solid coach. Tyson Alualu was taken 10th last year and is having a decent rookie season and ive seen Cameron Jordan in several mock drafts going in the 1st round. problem with Cal is Tedford because for some reason they dont show up on the road while looking the complete opposite at home.

Remember the OC is Andy Ludwig. While at Oregon, after 11-1 in 2001 with Tedford as OC the Ducks went 7-6, 8-5, 5-6 with Dudwig calling the plays. Blaming Tedford for hiring him is legitimate but the performance of the Bears offense is painfully familiar.

Problem goes beyond just Ludwig. Cal hasn't had even an above average QB since Aaron Rodgers left in 04. Ludwig hasn't been there that long.