Daily Breakfast Links: 05.23.2011

*There has been discussions in Pullman about creating a signature entrance song/ceremony for Washington State.  Im not quite sure how this is going to help the on field product, but hey, pre-game traditions is what college football is all about.  [WSU Football Blog]

*Jeff Tedford chatted in a rare off-season interview about the state of California Golden Bears football.  While there is still a great deal of uncertainly for next season, Tedford does a great job subduing the situation. [Bay Area SB Nation]

*USC added running back Jahleel Pinner to its 2012 recruiting class.  Thanks to his size (6’0”, 225lbs), the recruit from Mission Viejo HS is projected to be a full back for the Trojans. [OC Varsity]  

*Stanford and Notre Dame continue their long-lived tradition for another eight years.  I gotta say, this is one of my favorite rivalries in college football.  It needs to continue for the next century  [San Jose Mercury]

*Colorado’s head coach Jon Embree attended his first meeting of Pac-12 Coaches early this month. He described how it feels being the new kid on the block and the different roles played by the coaches.  But, Dennis Erickson as the Godfather...Come on! [Daily Camera]

Daily Breakfast Links: 05.16.2011

*According to a poll run by ESPN, Utah was picked by an overwhelming majority to surprise the Pac-12 this season.  However, with the othe Pac-12 teams provided in the five-team poll, it wasn’t hard to pick the Utes.  [ESPN]

*After an impressive spring, Jeff Tedford finally selected Zach Maynard to be California’s starting quarterback on opening day against Fresno State.   Armed with an accurate cannon and speedy wheels, fans are definitely leaning on Maynard to turnaround the Bears’ offensive woes. [San Francisco Chronicle]

*Palo Alto hosted The Elite 11 regional camp this weekend where committed QBs like Travis Wilson (Utah) and Zach Kline (Cal) continued to impress, and undecided QB Jake Rodrigues drew even more interest from Pac-12 suitors.  [Rivals]  

*Oregon State defensive tackle Castro Masaniai was arrested on a slew of charges last Saturday after an altercation with his girlfriend.  I guess it isn’t a college football offseason without at least TWO arrest from the Beaver state. [Oregonian]

*Do you remember last season USC/California game?  Ya, me neither. It might not have landed as the most interesting game of the season for most Pac-12 fans, but Avinash (in the hopes of selling a few pdfs) does a very interesting job breaking the plays of this wishy-washy game.  [California Golden Blogs] 

California Bears Hire New Quarterback Coach, Increases Hope For A Quick Turn Around

It’s not every day that you know someone that gets a coaching job in the college football ranks.  And although I do not personally know newly appointed California quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, one of my good friends is friends with the coach, stemming back to their Colfax High School days.  His happiness towards this recent hire has certainly trickled down to the rest of his network of friend.

Arroyo is one of many recent hires by California Head Coach Jeff Tedford in the hopes to bring back the spark in an offense that should meager abilities the past season.

The Golden Bears suffered their first losing season under Tedford and this is definitely not a trend that Cal fans would like to see continue.

The addition of Arroyo as the quarterback coach brings a sense of stability to a rather rickety position for Cal the past several seasons.

Arroyo was a quarterback at San Jose State during his collegiate days and has coached college ball over the past eight seasons.

He began his coaching career working with the Spartans quarterbacks, eventually turning Adam Tafralis into one of the league’s elite passers.  He later moved onto Wyoming, where in 2009 he was crucial in developing Austyn Carta-Samuels into the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.

With the somewhat inexperienced Brock Mansion looking to take over the quarterback job full time and the recent addition of three star recruit Kyle Boehm and other potential slingers waiting in the wings, seeing how these new quarterbacks develop under Arroyo should be rather interesting.

The success of an offense often leans on the productivity of quarterback, and Cal’s fate over the next few seasons could depend on whether or not Arroyo can continue his success as a coach.