Cal Football Countdown: 58 Days, A Good What If, Part 4
Welcome back to the countdown to kickoff series, where we're taking a look at a good what if scenario for the 4th of July.
Justin Wilcox's stated goals for the Cal football program are simple. Win the North, win the conference, win a title. Let's be frank here, those haven't happened yet. That said, the Cal defense projects to be one of the best ever seen in Berkeley. Theoretically, with an offense that is merely average, Cal could accomplish one of those goals.
How do they get there though? That leads to the what if of the day:
What if Cal's wide receiver core takes a leap?
(Note: this will be about players for sure coming into the program/already in the program. There may be more additions before fall camp starts)
Returning Production from 2018:
Jordan Duncan: 20 receptions for 267 yards, 4 TDs (in 8 games played)
Jeremiah Hawkins: 16 receptions for 177 yards, 1 TD
Nikko Remigio: 11 receptions for 62 yards
Ricky Walker III: 1 reception for 8 yards
There isn't too much in the way of returning production, as Cal's leader in receptions from 2018 was Pat Laird (with 51 receptions) and in receiving yards was Vic Wharton (502 yards). Those numbers shouldn't be the hardest to surpass.
One area that deserves attention is if Jordan Duncan can stay healthy. A hand injury against Arizona took him off the field until the Stanford game, but while healthy, he was a steady piece for the Bears. He tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions, didn't drop a pass, and had 13 of his 20 receptions go for 1st downs. He gave QBs a 120.4 Passer Rating when targeted (7th in the conference among WRs with 30+ targets). Consistency will be key for Duncan, who did get hurt early in spring ball and didn't go in full pads for the rest of the session.
Reasons for Optimism from Spring Ball
1. Jeremiah Hawkins took a leap, showing some of his explosive potential and more importantly, holding on to the ball.
2. Monroe Young also made a leap, as his footwork and route running took a jump up.
3. Year two of Chase Garbers, year one of McCallan Castles pulling in more defensive attention from the tight end spot
4. A lot of faith placed in Nikko Remigio, who continued to improve his route running and agility
5. Makai Polk looked better than anticipated early, making contested catches against Cal's DBs. He was out for portions of spring ball though, so that's inconclusive at the moment.
Incoming
Cal brings in a couple junior college guys who should make an impact in Trevon Clark and Kekoa Crawford. Crawford comes by way of Michigan, where he caught 21 passes for 290 yards and 2 scores over his two years in Ann Arbor. Crawford is a former Rivals 150 wideout from the class of 2016. The former Santa Margarita Catholic star had issues with drops at Michigan, but his speed (timed at 4.45 in high school) is something the Bears need on the outside.
Then it comes to Clark, a piece that Cal WR coach Burl Toler is very high on. This is Toler on Clark from February:
"When I first watched Trevon’s film, I didn’t know he played for Geoff at first, I just watched his film and thought ‘hey, this guy’s a baller,’ then we found out later that Geoff was his coach. Geoff knows what it takes to be a Golden Bear, he knows what it takes to excel at this level, he knows what it takes to be successful not only in football, but in life. First time I talked to (Geoff about Trevon), he said ‘he’s one of us,’ he said ‘if he’d played with us, he’d have been one of us,’ and that referring to Geoff McArthur, Chase Lyman, Jonathan Makonnen, Vinnie Strang, all those guys in that receiver core that we had at the time.
"When he said that, I took it to heart, say no more, let’s go. The big thing about Trevon, you can hear all you want from coaches and see all you want, but the deciding factor is when you come here. He came on his visit, got together with myself, coach Edwards and the rest of the coaching staff and a lot the players. There’s no bigger determining factor or tell-tale sign than the current player on the team about where a program’s going. He fell in love with the atmosphere and we’re extremely happy to have him on board, he’s going to contribute in tremendous ways to this team."
Clark, at 6'4", is a big wideout with run after the catch potential, another trait the Bears will need going forward.