Three-star safety Dion Bland (6-1, 191, 4.5) from Merced (Calif.) said he favors California slightly over Washington, Fresno State, Oregon, USC and Utah.
He says California, Washington and most recently out-of-the-blue - Utah - have offered.
Washington was the first to offer and he is planning an official visit to Seattle in December. Bland has had a long-term relationship with Washington coach J.D. Williams (defensive backs) who used to coach Bland at the California camp when Williams was an assistant with the Bears.
"Coach Williams talks to me often and wants to make sure I am still interested in Washington. He's recruiting me pretty hard and says I could play my freshman year because his defense backs aren't cutting it. He likes the way I play and says I can be a more physical player at Washington.
Bland now favors California over Washington. "After speaking to my parents I realized that they would like me closer to home. After attending the California camp, I've realized that I know a lot of the players and coaches and feel comfortable with their environment. When it comes down to it though, the decision of whether to go to California or Washington will come when I look at their academic program and take a good look at their football coaching," Bland said.
"I haven't heard from any of the other schools (except for Washington and Cal) for a while and when Utah called on Sunday night, they asked if I'd visit in December. They wanted to know if I had made any decisions and said that if I wanted to attend Utah the offer was there for me to take."
Bland realizes that he needs a strong SAT score to qualify. He currently has a 2.0 core GPA and is scheduled to take his SAT in December.