In the wake of Cal's 7-6 season in 2018, we're taking a look at every position group, looking at how they're stocked for the future, how they performed for the season, and the expectation level for each group. Today, we're running through the wide receiver and tight end groups.

The receiver group had its fair share of issues throughout the year, starting with transfers from Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall, and struggled with injury for portions of the year. Both Jordan Duncan and Kanawai Noa missed multiple games. Vic Wharton ended up missing the bowl game, as he left the team after the Stanford game, and he struggled to replicate a strong. The combination of a lack of depth, a rotating quarterback situation, injuries, and a general lack of productivity led to a tough year for the wideouts. Per PFF College, the receiving game was graded the fourth worst in FBS (the passing game graded 16th worst).

That said, while the group did struggle as a whole, there were guys who produced in some shape or fashion. Jordan Duncan tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions despite missing half the season. Moe Ways outdid his three year production at Michigan. Nikko Remigio saw the field as a true freshman, and Jeremiah Hawkins, who did have issues with drops, improved his speed from the year prior.

The receiving core was the only group that didn't have an 'above-average' grade all year per PFF (defined as a grade of 65 or over, highest was a 62.2 against Oregon).

The tight end group had its own share of ups and downs. Ray Hudson, back for his sixth year, didn't have the kind of success that the staff hoped for when he returned for his final year. Ian Bunting finished the year with the lead among tight ends, with 18 receptions for 195 yards, while Malik McMorris had two receiving touchdowns. The group wasn't the most productive, but they came through blocking-wise when needed. In particular, McMorris blocked on the go-ahead touchdown against USC, and he and Kyle Wells helped open a hole for Patrick Laird to win the USC game.

It was a senior laden group, with six scholarship players set to leave from the group. McCallan Castles got to show a bit as he redshirted, and Gavin Reinwald redshirted during the year.

Who's Leaving:

WR: Moe Ways, Vic Wharton, Brandon Singleton, Greyson Bankhead, Matt Rockett, Kanawai Noa

Ways and Wharton were in the lineup every game of the year, and Cal would not have won at USC without Wharton drawing a pass interference penalty against Olaijah Griffin, then burning him three plays later. Ways caught his first TD pass at the collegiate level against Colorado, and he was a joy to talk to from a media perspective.

Both Singleton and Bankhead were injured and out for the year early on, as Singleton struggled with consistency and Bankhead had his career stopped and started with injuries, including a near catastrophic injury in 2016, suffered from a moped accident while on vacation.

Rockett played a lot on special teams over his years at Cal, as an ACL tear early in his career impacted his playing time at wideout. He still ended his Cal career with a scholarship.

Noa announced that he would be grad transferring via Instagram, but it's worth noting that the Hawaiian wideout was one of the toughest players to don the blue and gold, and he'll be remembered for his ability to get open on key third down situations.

TE: Ray Hudson, Malik McMorris, Justin Norbeck, Ian Bunting, Kyle Wells, Jake Ashton

Six guys are leaving the Bears, as four of them started at Cal without scholarships. Hudson was the last Jeff Tedford recruit on the roster. McMorris will be fondly remembered for his punishing blocks and soft hands in the receiving game. Norbeck was one of four high school teammates to walk-on at Cal and earn scholarships, as Wells and Ashton also earned theirs. Ashton caught his first pass for a touchdown in 2018, a fitting capper to him working through a ton of personal adversity to get to Cal.

Who's Staying (Scholarship Players)

WR: Jordan Duncan, Jeremiah Hawkins, Nikko Remigio, Monroe Young

The first thee of this group got a ton of playing time in 2018, though Duncan was out for solid chunks of time (Duncan hurting his hand in the Arizona game and not returning until the Big Game). Hawkins struggled with drops, which gave the Cal staff trouble, as they needed Hawkins explosive ability on field. That situation gave Remigio more time to blossom, as the true freshman also took over the punt returner role from Wharton.

Young redshirted, playing a little bit against Idaho State. He had his fall camp cut short due to an elbow injury, but he started to look fluid as the year went on in developmental practices.

Also to note here, the Cal staff is a big fan of walk-on Ben Skinner, who impressed in fall camp a year ago. Skinner, from Marin Catholic, also saw a bit of action in 2018 while redshirting, and with most of the 2019 WR class not coming in until the summer, he'll have an opportunity to make more of an impact, along with Ricky Walker III. Walker started the USC game in place of Wharton, making his first career reception in the effort.

TE: McCallan Castles, Gavin Reinwald

The tight end position is relatively light on bodies for the spring, with the two above and two walk-ons in Collin Moore and Jake Tonges set to return. Castles is someone with a ton of athletic potential, who had his first career reception in the bowl game, and someone who appears poised to make an impact in the spring. At 6'5" and 235, Castles is possibly the most intriguing talent the Bears have on the offensive side of the ball at the moment.

Reinwald redshirted after playing in 2017, and will be a redshirt sophomore in the year upcoming. One thing Beau Baldwin has noted about Reinwald is that he's young for his grade, and may be a bit of a late bloomer in that regard. The former Elk Grove standout has solid hands, and spent much of 2018 bulking up. He'll be needed as someone who can run crossing patterns and catch passes out of the slot.

Who's Coming In

WR: Kekoa Crawford, Jawaun Johnson, Trevon Clark, Makai Polk (EE)

Late in the 2019 recruiting cycle, it became clear that the Bears wanted to take the immediate fix route for their wide receiver core. They brought in two talented JC wideouts in Jawaun Johnson (Fullerton College) and Trevon Clark (El Camino CC). Clark comes in with high recommendations from former Cal WR Geoff McArthur, who coached him at El Camino. They added Michigan transfer Kekoa Crawford, a former Rivals 250 standout in the class of 2016 with much needed speed and immediate eligibility. The problem with this is that all three guys will get here in the summer. That's fine, but it doesn't allow for the same kind of practice to get synced up with whoever wins the upcoming QB battle.

That leaves local two-way star Makai Polk as the sole early enrollee among the group. Polk comes in from El Cerrito HS, playing his final season as a Gaucho after spending the previous two years at Dorsey HS in Los Angeles. Polk is the exact body type that the Bears had been lacking at the receiver spot, 6'3" and some speed with the ball in his hands. Per Cal's release, he had 30 receptions for 900 yards and 10 TDs as a senior, just the kind of big play ability needed.

TE: Elijah Mojarro

Mojarro looks to be the only tight end the Bears will bring in from the high school ranks this cycle, and while he was injured for a good portion of his senior year, the Cal staff is confident in his ability at the TE spot. Mojarro projects as more of an H-Back type at the moment, but could easily grow into the in-line role. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Bears hit up the transfer market for another TE, something that they did with Bunting.

Projected Starters

WR: Duncan, J. Johnson Crawford

This is difficult to really tell right now, though Duncan will be a frontrunner until someone changes that. With the influx of JC and transfer talent, there will generally be more bodies for the Bears at the spot, something they lacked this year.

TE: Castles

Again, there aren't that many tight ends on the roster, and even if the Bears do hit the grad transfer market hard here, it'll be hard to keep Castles off the field.

Spring Storyline: Who Steps Out in the Interim?

As stated before, most of the firepower gets on campus in the fall. That means that the folks already here have time to acquit themselves, get healthy, and get ready for the competition soon to come. If this offense is going to get to a level that's even average, some people currently on the roster have to make a leap. Who it will be remains to be seen.