With the additions of Jaxson Moi and Nate Burrell, along with Damonic Williams being committed, Cal has 10 players recruited in the 2020-2022 classes on the defensive line. All of that group has been recruited by defensive line coach Andrew Browning. The position group struggled with depth all through the 2020 season, to the point where three games were canceled due to lack of depth stemming from positive Covid tests.
The defensive line has been a point of emphasis in the recruiting game for the Bears, something readily apparent over these three cycles. It's a position group where recruiting appears to be on an uptick, but how much so?
Looking at four three-year stretches (20-22, 17-19, 14-16, 11-13), Cal has had varying numbers as far as their defensive line targets, considering different defensive schemes. From 2013-16, the Dykes years, the Bears ran a 4-3 base, the other years, Cal has run a 3-4 base, so the numbers as a whole can be uneven.
Supplemental Notes: Cal added James Looney via transfer from Wake Forest in 2014 along with Chris Palmer, who bounced between offensive and defensive line during his time at Cal. Brennan Scarlett, who did eventually grad transfer to Stanford, got a degree from Cal, so he is not counted among those who left the team prior to their eligibility being up.
The numbers break down as such -
'11 to '13: 12 total DL recruits (9 high school, 3 junior college)
'14 to 16: 16 total DL recruits (11 high school, 5 junior college)
'17 to '19: 8 total DL recruits (7 high school, 1 junior college)
'20 to '22: 10 total DL recruits (10 high school, 0 junior college)
There's an obvious benefit of hindsight with previous classes, along with the fact that the 2022 class is nowhere near finished at this point, but there's another angle to this, both the average size of the linemen along with the average number of reported offers.
(All calculations used either Rivals or Cal numbers on some of the height and weight)
'11 to '13 -
Average Height: 6' 2 5/8"
Average Weight: 269 lbs
Average Number of Offers: 7.5
Average Number of Power 5 Offers: 5.5 (Median, 3)
Average Rivals Rating: 5.61
This group was buoyed by a strong defensive line class recruited by Tosh Lupoi, and the Bears had a similarly group that fell apart right before signing day in 2012.
'14 to '16
Average Height: 6'3 3/8"
Average Weight: 255 lbs
Average Number of Offers: 8.56
Average Number of Power 5 Offers: 4.63 (Median 3.5)
Average Rivals Rating: 5.49
Sonny Dykes and company went more towards a lighter defensive linemen, mainly at defensive end, as attrition from a regime change led to taking a number of junior college defensive linemen
'17 to '19
Average Height: 6'3 7/8"
Average Weight: 264 lbs
Average Number of Offers: 9
Average Number of Power 5 Offers: 4.38 (Median, 3)
Average Rivals Rating: 5.63
The transition period for Justin Wilcox and company, as the Bears had a couple misses, with nose guard being one of the main positions that the Bears didn't land, aside from Aaron Maldonado.
'20 to '22
Average Height: 6'3.2"
Average Weight: 281 lbs
Average Number of Offers: 11.5
Average Number of Power 5 Offers: 8.8 (Median 8.5)
Average Rivals Rating: 5.6
Cal landed a couple big nose guards in Ricky Correia and Stanley McKenzie, and while the average Rivals Rating is slightly lower than from 2017-19, the number of power five offers, a relatively key indicator (even though some teams over offer to the point where it isn't as meaningful), have doubled per recruit. Out of the current 20-22 group, half had double digit power five offers. Combined, the other nine years worth of players had six recruits meet that standard.
It's also worth saying that this group is one of the more versatile that Cal has had in a long time, with a handful of guys who can slide around to a handful of different positions on the defensive line. Obviously, Cal has to develop the group, but it's a bigger group, potentially a more flexible one as well, and a more coveted one in the recruiting game
