Cal Football Countdown: 44 Days, Zeandae Johnson Spotlight

Today, the Cal football countdown hits 44 days remaining, and with that, we're taking a closer look at Cal's number 44, Zeandae Johnson.

Johnson, who was listed yesterday as a player who could be pivotal for Cal making a jump in 2019, is the likely starter at defensive end, opposite Luc Bequette. Johnson, a redshirt senior, manned the spot throughout spring ball.

As a Recruit

Listed at 6'4", 240 lbs, TE from Central HS in Fresno

Two offers (Cal and Idaho)

Three-star prospect

Now:

Listed at 6'4" and 275 lbs in Cal's spring roster

Career Stats: 24 games played, 22 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

16 total QB pressures in 2018 (12 hurries, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits)

Took 363 reps on the defensive line a year ago, second most among defensive linemen behind Luc Bequette.

Rushed the passer on 194 of those reps, brought in for pass rushing packages on certain occasions. (Percentage of pass rush to run defense in the highest among regular starters)

Johnson, who suffered a knee injury before the 2017 season, played in every game of 2018, garnering two starts (against Washington State and Stanford). His rep counts ranged from a high of 49 in a game against Washington State, to a season low of 8, against Washington. Johnson manned both the right end role and one of the interior line spots when Cal into their 2-4-5 nickel.

Role for Johnson in 2019

Johnson's pass rushing skill has been a piece of his game that put him in that role a year ago. Now, Justin Wilcox is looking for more consistency from the redshirt senior.

"Zeandae is probably the most gifted," Wilcox said in the aftermath of spring football, "he came back off a significant injury last year, and we would expect him to be a guy that makes some significant plays for us, just consistency, that’s the thing. He make a real good play and you’ll go ‘holy smokes,’ he’s capable of doing that quite a bit, that’s where his next step is"

With that, Johnson is going to likely become a three-down player. He looked the part during spring football, adding size in becoming a more productive run stopper. He also has the option of applying for a sixth year of eligibility if he chooses.

Johnson is now another year removed from that significant knee injury, and if he can return to his spring 2017 form (where he was arguably the most impressive defensive player), then he can add another dimension to a strong Cal defense.