Cal Football Countdown: 40 Days, A Look at the Class of 2016
The Cal Football Countdown is at the 40 days left mark, and we're looking at the impact of Sonny Dykes' final class at Cal.
The class of 2016 at Cal had a handful of fireworks. A top class of receivers, headlined by then 5-star Demetris Robertson, possibly overshadowed a DB group that has developed into one of the top units in the country. This group, a 27 man class, had a number of current contributors in it, but also a ton of attrition with the coaching change.
So let's start from the beginning.
OL Daniel Juarez
Juarez was a three-star offensive lineman from SoCal powerhouse Corona Centennial, coming in with Cam Bynum. Juarez medically retired from football due to back issues, and is currently in the process of finishing up his degree at Cal
QB Max Gilliam
The former four-star recruit from Thousand Oaks came in, redshirted in 2016 behind Davis Webb, then transferred after spring ball 2017 to UNLV, where he's currently in competition for the starting QB role
RB Derrick Clark
Clark enrolled early at Cal in 2016 (a former three-star recruit), recovering from a knee issue that stymied his high school career. He played sparingly at Cal in the Wilcox era, garnering his first start at running back in 2017 against Washington State. Clark, who struggled with holding onto the ball (most notably against BYU in 2018, when he had a fumble returned for a touchdown), announced his intent to grad transfer in December, and finished up his degree in three and a half years.
RT Jake Curhan
Another early enrollee from the class of 2016, Curhan, another former three-star recruit, has been one of the most successful members of the class. After a redshirt year, Curhan has started every game since at right tackle, a role he looks to hold onto.
Expected role in 2019: Starting Right Tackle
CB Traveon Beck
Beck played as a true freshman, a former three star DB from St. John Bosco, and took a bit of time before he got back on the field as a sophomore. Beck shined as a junior, allowing the lowest passer rating among slot defenders in the Pac-12, and was one of the main reasons Cal ended their 14-year losing streak to USC
Role in 2019: Nickel corner
CB Josh Drayden
Drayden, a former three-star recruit, also played as a true freshman. He played a nickel role in 2017, intercepting top 10 pick Sam Darnold, before alternating with Elijah Hicks at one of the corner spots, with his pick-six closing out the Oregon State game. Drayden's an underrated piece as a part of the DB group.
Role in 2019: Backup corner/nickel
WR Logan Gamble
Gamble came in as a three-star recruit, and transferred before the start of the 2017 season. Gamble, per his twitter account, is at Palomar JC looking to find a new place to jumpstart his football career.
WR Drew Kobayashi
Another former three-star from Hawaii, and Cal's last Hawaiian recruit before Stanley McKenzie and Muelu Iosefa in the 2020 class, Kobayashi transferred out of Cal before the 2017 season, and is now at Washington State.
WR Matt Laris
Laris redshirted coming out of Eastside Catholic as a three-star recruit, moved to tight end in 2017, and left the team before the start of the 2018 season, after getting hurt during spring ball last year.
DL Rusty Becker
Becker, a three-star junior college transfer, finished his eligibility in 2018. He finished his three year Cal career with 24 tackles, 1 TFL, .5 sacks and a fumble recovery, and had a big leadership role as a senior.
CB Cam Bynum
Bynum redshirted as a three-star true freshman out of Corona Centennial, and has made a massive impact since Justin Wilcox and Gerald Alexander came into the fold. Bynum has started every game over the past two years, with a fanatical work ethic in staying after practices to work with teammates on technique. Bynum's a potential draft pick after the 2019 season
Role in 2019: Starting cornerback
DL Chris Yaghi
Yaghi burned his redshirt as a true freshman in 2016 as Cal had a need for defensive tackles. The former three-star got injured and left the football team after the 2016 season.
OLB Tevin Paul
Paul, a two-star recruit, came in as a defensive lineman, mainly at the 4-3 defensive end spot. He redshirted in 2016, getting his first real playing time in 2017 (notably having two tackles for loss against Washington in an otherwise unmemorable game). Paul made a jump to outside linebacker during week two of 2018 and had some success, co-leading the team in tackles for loss.
Role in 2019: Starting Outside Linebacker
OLB Cam Goode
Like his fellow Texan Tevin Paul, Goode was a two-star recruit. Also like Paul, he's expected to start at an outside linebacker spot. Goode impressed early in 2017, with pick-six to close out the Ole Miss game. He came out of fall camp 2018 looking dominant, as shown with a pick-six against UNC, but injured his foot, which took him out for the year.
Role in 2019: Starting Outside Linebacker
OL Gentle Williams
Another two-star recruit, Williams didn't play much for the Bears until late in 2018, where he started the final three games at left guard. That's where he looks likely to start in 2019, as his mobility in run blocking has been praised by multiple defensive lineman on the Cal roster.
Role in 2019: Starting left guard
ILB Evan Weaver
Weaver, a former three-star recruit, came to Cal as a defensive lineman, making a name for himself early by sacking then-Texas QB Shane Buechele. He then moved to outside linebacker in the spring of 2017, then inside linebacker that summer, where he's excelled ever since. Weaver is now on multiple award watchlists and is the returning leader in tackles in the NCAA.
Role in 2019: Starting inside linebacker
WR Jordan Duncan
Duncan's the only four-star or higher player in this class to still be at Cal. The Hattiesburg, MS native played as a true freshman, catching his first touchdown in the season finale against UCLA. Duncan co-led Cal in TD receptions a year ago, despite an injury that took him out for five games in 2018.
Role in 2019: Starting wide receiver
OLB Chinedu Udeogu
Another guy who benefited from a position change, Udeogu, a former two-star recruit, moved to outside linebacker along with Paul during the 2018 season, and saw a bit more playing time because of it. Udeogu will be backing up Paul this year as he continues to adjust to the position.
Role in 2019: Backup OLB
DB Marloshawn Franklin
Franklin used up his eligibility with Cal over the 2016-17 seasons, and is now looking to crack the roster of the BC Lions of the CFL.
OL Dwayne Wallace
The JC offensive lineman played at Cal in 2016, left the team, then got picked up by Kansas last year, where he saw action in every game for the Jayhawks.
QB Vic Viramontes
Viramontes, a former three-star, left Cal after the spring of 2017, bouncing to Riverside CC, then to Minnesota, back to Riverside, and now to UNLV as a linebacker.
RB Zion Echols
Echols, another former three-star recruit, played sparingly for Cal in 2017 after redshirting in 2016. He transferred from the program after the 2017 season, and has landed at Fresno State.
WR Jordan Veasy
Veasy, a two-star JC recruit, caught the first touchdown of the Justin Wilcox era at North Carolina. He used his two years of eligibility at Cal, and is currently on a futures/reserve contract with the Indianapolis Colts
WR Melquise Stovall
Stovall had a solid true freshman year in 2016, before a 2017 that saw him play sparingly and have a season-ending injury. Stovall transferred to Arizona Western College, then to Hawaii.
CB Nygel Edmonds
Another former four star, Edmonds ended up taking a medical retirement from Cal after a redshirt freshman year plagued by injury.
WR Demetris Robertson
The crown jewel of the class when it was all said and done, the five star Robertson announced his Cal commitment May 1st of 2016, then set a handful of Cal freshman receiving records as a true freshman. Robertson got injured early in 2017, then announced a transfer to Georgia after fall camp of 2018.
ILB Jordan Kunaszyk
A two-star junior college transfer from American River College in Sacramento, Kunaszyk became a team leader in 2018, winning 1st team all-Pac 12 honors at his position. Kunaszyk signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers.
The Final Count:
Current starters: 8 (counting Beck as a starter)
Backups: 2
Players who finished their eligibility: 4
Medical Retirements: 2
Transfers Out/Left the Team: 11
This is one of the effects of a coaching change, attrition. But the final class of the Sonny Dykes era did produce some gems on defense, as every single two star recruit from this group ended up playing some sort of role in Berkeley.