Cal Football Countdown: 52 Days, Redshirt Freshmen Who Will Play

Cal's class of 2018 was the first full class that Justin Wilcox and company had to work with, and a handful of people in the group got a chance to play last year, due to the four game redshirt rule now in effect.

While five true freshmen went over that four game threshold in 2018 (Chris Brown, Nikko Remigio, Aaron Maldonado, Joseph Ogunbanjo and Will Craig), even more saw time. Out of the 18 (not counting Chris Fatilua) high school signees from the class of 2018, 10 saw some game action.

Some guys did get to use that redshirt year to learn new positions while getting game action, so with the Cal Football countdown hitting 52 here's a handful of guys expected to have more of a role in 2019.

OLB Nick Alftin

Alftin, a 250 lb outside linebacker, has some position flexibility between OLB and as a down lineman as he continues to fill out at the college level. Alftin's been learning from Tevin Paul, as he could play a similar role for the Bears as a kind of 'Buck' (a term used for a bigger outside linebacker/DE hybrid) linebacker.

Alftin saw the field for a handful of reps last season, including a couple against USC. Expect Alftin to take a few more reps, potentially in 3rd down pass rush packages.

OL Matthew Cindric

Cindric also has some position flexibility between both guard spots and center. Cindric may not start, but Steve Greatwood and Justin Wilcox have both been enthusiastic about Cindric's development. Adding size without sacrificing mobility is a priority for him, but he's likely to serve in some sort of backup role behind Valentino Daltoso, Mike Saffell, and Gentle Williams.

WR Monroe Young

The wideout from New Mexico had one of the most productive spring football sessions of anyone on the roster. Young improved his releases and his footwork from last fall, showing no signs of an injury that took him out for a good chunk of fall camp as a true freshman.

Young, wearing number 14 this year, should see more time due to a need at wide receiver, and his improvement. He'll do well if Beau Baldwin decides to lean more heavily on the RPO game, as Young is strong in getting off the line despite press coverage.

TE McCallan Castles

The expected starter at tight end, Castles started to show a little of his massive potential throughout spring ball. At 6'5" and 235 lbs, Castles is a big target over the middle, a safety blanket for Chase Garbers, and someone who can make plays after the catch.

Castles, who caught his first career pass in the Cheez-It Bowl, is getting better as a blocker as well, as he made strides in sealing off defenders in the run game. He's an important piece to improve Cal's passing game moving forward.

ILB Evan Tattersall

Tattersall, who saw a bit of game action in 2018, should see more in 2019 as he competes for the spot vacated by Jordan Kunaszyk. Either way, he should earn reps, in a backup role or otherwise.

Tattersall, at a listed 6'2" and 235 lbs., can be a wrecking ball at the inside linebacker position. He has some of the best straight line speed at the position and will be in on just about every tackle while in the game.

Bonus: LS Slater Zellers

Zellers isn't going to get talked about as much as the other guys, but chances are that he has as many reps as anyone on this list. Zellers takes over the snapper job from Alonso Vera, after redshirting for a year. Zellers was considered the top long snapper in the 2018 class, and Justin Wilcox and Charlie Ragle felt highly enough of him to give him a scholarship out of high school. He'll be the primary snapper for punts, field goals, and PATs in 2019.