August 5, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

It's quite a luxury to have one of the most explosive offensive players in the country on your team. It's just as much a luxury to have athletes behind him on the depth chart that can pick up the pace if he goes down. When it comes to the Cal backfield this season, there's simply not much to complain about.

So will Jahvid Best's production change at all this year now that everyone in the country - outside of Jim Harbaugh - knows who he is? Probably not. But it is important to realize that the Bears are going to see an even wider variety of 8 and 9 man fronts designed to slow down the dynamic athlete from Vallejo.

As much national praise as Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson received in the months preceding their final seasons at Cal, it doesn't even come close to the attention Best is currently receiving. Virtually every national pundit, in one way or another, has mentioned the 5-foot-10, 195 pound running back in some fashion as a top player so far this pre-season.

In fact, it's safe to say that Best might be the most nationally hyped player in Cal history up to this point of his career.

The reasons are obvious.

Best can score at any time when the ball is in his hands and unlike former Cal ball-carrier J.J. Arrington for example, who publically and rightfully complained about feeling slighted for not being in the Heisman race after his monster 261-yard performance against Southern Mississippi in the season finale of '04, Best possesses a highlight reel quality about him that Arrington never could match.

"He's a guy that's worth the price of admission and one of the most talented players in the country," head coach Jeff Tedford said of Best. "Jahvid also provides a lot of leadership capabilities besides the big-play capabilities. For all that he does for us on the football field, he does even more off the football field."

Projected RB starter: Jahvid Best

Looking at all of his tremendous stats last season, the one that tends to get overlooked about Best's sophomore year was the number of carries he received throughout the season.

Outside of the season-opener against Michigan State, Best didn't carry the ball over 20 times again the rest of the season. There were obviously various reasons for that - from Best's own injuries to the confidence the staff had in Shane Vereen - but overall it speaks to the notion that if there is something that Best can improve on, it's his durability.

"Over the summer, I put on a lot more pounds, so I'm going into the season a lot bigger," Best said. "But it's just about playing smart because sometimes you have no control over yourself."

Even if he doesn't carry the ball 30 times a game this season though, the Bears will be just fine handing the ball off to Vereen or one of the other backups. Vereen rushed for 715 yards and four touchdowns last season in spot duty backing up Best and for the most part became a consistent second option for the Cal offense.

While his 5.0 yards per carry didn't match previous backup outputs over the years (Lynch 8.8 ypc in 2004, Forsett 7.6 ypc in 2005, Forsett 5.3 ypc in 2006, Best 7.6 in 2007), the staff had a lot of confidence in the redshirt freshman. That should certainly carry over to this season as well, giving the Cal offense a very solid 1-2 punch.

More than likely, the third option out of the backfield will be redshirt freshman Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson. The former Army All-American saw some carries in practice last season and was able to break off a long run here and there. Like virtually all of Cal's running backs in the Tedford era, DeBoskie possesses tremendous speed and has the ability to break big runs if he can get to the edge.

If DeBoskie falters in camp however, or if someone gets hurt, then don't be surprised if walk-ons Kevin Lewis or Langston Jackson grab the third spot. Both players received their fair share of carries in Spring Ball.

The most intriguing name though has to be true freshman Dasarte Yarnway. From a physical standpoint, no 'back that has entered the Cal program has been more physically ready to play with the exception of maybe Lynch. While he'll likely redshirt like the majority of true freshmen, Yarnway's strength between the tackles might be too hard to pass up.

Projected FB starter: Brian Holley

Five years ago, an relatively unknown player named Will Ta'ufo'ou walked-on to the Cal program from nearby Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis High. Fans of the tough WCAL saw first hand how rugged and talented Ta'ufo'ou was in high school and eventually, college fans learned that as well.

Now, a handful of walk-ons begin their quest to take over the big void left by Ta'ufo'ou. Holley has been around the program for a long time and he finally receives his shot to earn a starting gig. Holley told BearTerritory this off-season that he's in the best shape of his life and that should show up right away when Fall Camp breaks later this week.

Holley has seen some spot duty throughout his career but he'll get every opportunity to play this season.

Also in the mix is sophomore John Tyndall, probably the strongest of the bunch as well as sophomore walk-on Peter Geurts, who always records a highlight run or two in practice. Tyndall is a 6-foot-3, 236 pound bruiser who earned a scholarship right out of high school from Tedford while Geurts is one of the tougher players on the team according to teammates and coaches.

Eric Stevens, the younger brother of former Cal tight end Craig Stevens, is in the mix as well.

The darkhorse to watch in the race however is sophomore walk-on Will Kapp. From time to time, Tedford will specifically mention a player that he feels has really stuck out to him when he talks to the media. Since Spring Ball began, Tedford has mentioned Kapp's performance as a high point on at least four separate occasions, including earlier this week at the Bay Area media luncheon.

"I think Will Kapp has a real strong chance to compete for that spot," Tedford said. "He's really competitive and has a great feel for the game, and he's really athletic. He can run, he can catch, he's tough and he has a great feel for the game. He's just a really good football player."

** Note: This is a BearTerritory.net feature and is not necessarily reflective of Cal coaching staff opinion.

FALL CAMP OUTLOOK - RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS PROJECTED STARTERS PROJECTED BACKUPS RB: JAHVID BEST 5-10, 195 pounds, Jr. Best is probably Cal's best shot ever at a player from the school winning the Heisman Trophy. From the way he acts though, you wouldn't know it. Best is as humble and gracious as they come. RB: SHANE VEREEN 5-10, 198 pounds, R-Soph. Considering the amount of snaps he receives both coming out of the backfield and lined up wide, it's not 100 percent accurate to define Vereen as a "backup" but rather a utility athlete. FB: BRIAN HOLLEY 5-9, 235 pounds, R-Sr. Holley finally receives his chance to earn a starting role after Will Ta'ufo'ou having the position locked up for the last three seasons. FB: JOHN TYNDALL 6-3, 236 pounds, R-Soph. If Holley isn't the guy blocking for Best and company then more than likely it'll be Tyndall, who is strong as an ox. RB: COVAUGHN DEBOSKIE-JOHNSON 5-11, 205 pounds, R-Fr. The former prep Army All-American has always been a speedster but how well has his running between-the-tackles skills improved? Fans will see very soon. FB: PETER GEURTS 6-1, 215 pounds, R-Soph. Tedford said on many occasions that Will Ta'ufo'ou was the toughest SOB on the team. With Tofu now on to the NFL, the rugged Geurts probably takes that honor. RB: KEVIN LEWIS 5-9, 180 pounds, R-Fr. Lewis began his career as a DB but after a couple of practices as the scout team running back his skills with the ball in his hands were quickly noticed. RB: LANGSTON JACKSON 6-1, 227 pounds, R-Fr. Jackson is one of the more compelling running backs on the roster because of his size and strength running between the tackles. Could Jackson be the short-yardage 'back Cal is searching for? FB: WILL KAPP 5-10, 216 pounds, R-So. If Kapp was naturally 25 pounds heavier he'll be the next starting fullback for Cal. Because he doesn't weigh 240 pounds though, Kapp will have to battle hard for a starting spot. FB: ERIC STEVENS 6-0, 229 pounds, R-Fr. Keep an eye out for Stevens, the younger brother of former tight end Craig Stevens. The younger Stevens has terrific hands coming out of the backfield and looks like a player. RB: DASARTE YARNWAY 6-0, 222 pounds, Fr. There's no doubt Yarnway is in the future plans of the Cal program. Where he fits into the scheme this season however remains to be seen. Like a lot of other issues, Fall Camp will resolve Yarnway's redshirt status.