The California defense will need impact players and one of those could very well be Cecil Whiteside at linebacker. Tabbed an up-and-comer in a Rivals.com piece, Whiteside seems to have all the intangibles to make an impact immediately.
Whiteside certainly opened eyes this spring, making plays sideline-to-sideline. He was a big-time recruit before missing all of 2010, so the potential may be growing into production.