Bequette Potentially Back, What it Means for Cal

Prior to the 2020 season and prior to the pandemic, Cal got a massive boost with the announcement of both Luc Bequette and Zeandae Johnson coming back for sixth years of eligibility. With Brett Johnson excelling as a true freshman, Cal had experience on the defensive line, but a pandemic and a conference flip-flop on the season happening saw Bequette transfer to Boston College in order to play a fuller fall season.

With Zeandae Johnson gone in 2021 (signed by the Minnesota Vikings) and Brett Johnson out with a fractured hip (due to an automobile accident), Cal was likely going to rely on inexperience on the defensive line, with JH Tevis and Aaron Maldonado being the most tenured lineman, but the extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic has worked in Cal's favor, as Bequette has been all but officially announced as back for the 2021 season.

During his availability with media a week ago, Justin Wilcox noted that any decision about Bequette was 'in the NCAA's hands' with a transfer back from Boston College (Bequette re-entered the transfer portal on May 1st), and the defensive lineman, in an unprecedented seventh year of eligibility, has been back on Cal's campus for workouts, and took part in a photoshoot for the Bears' media day Wednesday.

With Bequette ostensibly back in the fold, here's the number the Bears would be getting back:

- 2365 reps taken over 5 seasons, 49 starts, 148 tackles, 15.5 TFLs, 11 sacks, and six forced fumbles

Compare that with what they're

- JH Tevis: 242 reps taken over 2 seasons, 3 starts, 23 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks

- Aaron Maldonado: 202 reps taken over 2 seasons, missed 2020 season, 13 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks

- Erick Nisich: 29 reps taken over 3 seasons, four tackles

- Ethan Saunders and Gunnar Rask: 20 reps taken combined in 2020, one tackle

For those who don't want to do the math, Bequette has played nearly five times the reps of every defensive lineman on Cal's roster combined. The experience factor is massive for the Bears, who will be relying on youth at the nose guard position, in Stanley McKenzie and Ricky Correia. Having a guy next to those two, with size and proven ability at the spot, is a massive boon for their development while helping the Bears with his performance in the absence of Brett Johnson. Cal has plenty of young players, namely the seven defensive linemen from the class of 2020 and 2021 combined, that can learn from Bequette.

Over his first two years at Cal, Andrew Browning has kept the defensive line rotation relatively tight, partially due to numbers. Now, with another big piece back in the fold, he'll have more people to work with, and can keep more defensive linemen fresh, after really only having four in 2020 due to injury and Covid protocols. It's a welcome change, as the defensive line may determine the ceiling of this Cal team, as they look to finish the job in 2021