Cal Football Countdown: 98 Days, Looking at the Redshirts from 2018
Our 100 day countdown continues on Day 98, looking at the group that redshirted in 2018. With the new four game redshirt rule, Cal got to experiment with using various players during the season, giving players a taste of what they'll face in 2019. It allowed for some extra depth on special teams, opportunities late in blowouts to play, and for guys to develop without wasting a year of eligibility.
Who Redshirted in 2018
QB: Robby Rowell
RB: Marcel Dancy
WR: Monroe Young, Ben Skinner, Ryan Regan
TE: McCallan Castles, Gavin Reinwald
OL: Matt Cindric, Brandon Mello, Jasper Friis, Miles Owens
DL: JH Tevis, Erick Nisich
OLB: Nick Alftin, Parker Bosche
ILB: Louie Bickett, Evan Tattersall, Zach Angelillo, Sam Walker, Nick Henderson, Tommy Vanis
CB: Chigozie Anusiem
S: Steve McIntosh
K: Dario Longhetto
LS: Slater Zellers
Who Among That Group Played in 2018
Dancy: 14 carries for 81 yards, 1 TD in 4 games played (36 total reps on offense)
Young: 6 reps
Skinner: 16 reps in two games
Castles: 1 reception for 15 yards, 15 reps over four games
Reinwald: 3 reps
Nisich: 9 reps
Alftin: 20 reps over 3 games, 1 tackle
Tattersall: 15 defensive reps over two games, 6 tackles
Vanis: 1 rep
Anusiem: 15 special teams reps in two games played
Five Players from the group who will contribute the most in 2019:
Dancy
The Laney College product will likely be a part of the starting rotation at running back this fall after a strong spring. Dancy showed an ability to avoid tackles in limited time in 2018. Per PFF, he avoided 10 tackles in just 14 carries a year ago, and has some of the best lateral agility of anyone on the team.
Dancy took a majority of the first team reps over the final week of spring practice after Chris Brown got injured during the spring game. He'll compete with Brown for the starting running back job.
Castles
Castles has repeatedly been held in high esteem for his potential at the tight end spot. Aside from a short period of the spring where he was injured, Castles was the 1st team tight end, playing in a variety of roles.
At 6'5" and 235 lbs, Castles can fill a variety of spots on offense, whether it's in-line or spilt out. He showed some ability as a run after catch guy during the spring game, and throughout the spring, he provided a receiving threat over the middle that Chase Garbers took advantage of.
Cindric
Cindric didn't play in 2018, as he looked to bulk up a bit during his redshirt year. He's currently listed at 290 lbs, and played mostly with the first team during spring ball.
He may not remain with the first unit, just because both Mike Saffell and Valentino Daltoso return to play the center and guard position that he occupied in the spring, but he'll likely be the first one off the bench to play with the offensive line unit.
Alftin
Alftin's still one of the most intriguing members of the team just because of his size and athleticism. Alftin adds a bigger framed pass rusher to the outside, someone who can potentially fill a bigger role for the outside linebacker spot in the nickel spot.
Alftin played with the second team for a good portion of the spring, but garnered praise from Justin Wilcox and Tim DeRuyter for his play.
Tattersall
Tattersall could've gotten more run in 2018 if Jordan Kunaszyk and Evan Weaver weren't incredibly durable. Now, Kunaszyk is off to the NFL and Weaver needs a new running mate. Kuony Deng appears to be the most likely to fill the other starting spot, but Tattersall showed his athleticism through the spring.
The Granite Bay product should see time on special teams in addition to on defense, as he's probably the fastest among the inside linebacker group when it comes to straight line speed.