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GO BEARS: CE King's AJ Sanders locked in with Cal
"When I went out there I didn't have my mind set on committing but once I got there I saw how beautiful it was and the coaches showed me how much they were bought in to me," Sanders said on why he committed. "I also got to talk to the players who had nothing but great things to say and after seeing how amazing the campus and hearing about the school and the resources I was just bought in."
Bradley Collier
Sanders III also had the opportunity to talk to Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi for an extensive amount of time and what Lupoi had to say about Cal outside of football really helped make his decision.
"I got to talk with the head coach for 40 minutes to an hour talking about football a little bit but mainly talked about the school and how Cal changed his life," he said. "It's bigger than just football with the resources, the business program and the people that have come out of the school like Levi's, Pixar and Google. There's a lot of people that have come out of Cal."
The Texas native will be taking his talents to the other side of the country which is something he's always dreamed about doing.
"I've been telling everybody that I wanted to go far and see the world," Sanders said. "I didn't want to stay in Houston and when I went to Cal it just felt like home and felt right."
Sanders with his commitment out of the way will now turn his attention back to preparing for his senior year with one goal in mind... making it back to Jerry's World but this time winning state.
"I just want to go out and ball with me being committed now," he said. "The expectations are already state making it to state last year but we came up short. This year I only got one thing on my mind and that's winning it all."
Watch out for Sanders and CE King next fall as they prepare for another state run in 2026.
STAYING HOME: Cy Ranch QB Braden Baker commits to Houston
The Mustangs star quarterback’s decision to commit came down to the relationships that the Houston staff built with him.
“Houston felt like home because of my relationships with the whole staff,” Baker said on committing to Houston. “The moment I told coach Shawn Bell i was committing was a dream come true and we were both pumped about it.”
Baker will get to play Power Four football close to home which also means a great deal to the local gunslinger.
“It is such a blessing that i get to compete at the power four level,” he said. “I get to play in big time football games while being less than an hour from home which is amazing.”
Baker is coming off a big junior seasons earning District 17-6A MVP after throwing for 2,806 yards with 32 passing touchdowns and also rushed 71 times for 235 yards with three rushing touchdowns.
With his commitment now out of the way, he’s looking forward to a big senior season and leading the Mustangs to another deer playoff run.
“Having my commitment out of the way means a lot, it has taken a lot of stress off my shoulders and feels good to finally have a decision,” he said. “My goals for my senior season are to make a state run with my team and to earn that district MVP.”
Watch out for Baker and the Mustangs next fall as they look to make a deep playoff run to Jerry's World.