Five by Five: Thoughts on Cal in the New Year

We're trying something new here on the fourth, soon to be fifth day of 2019. We're looking forward and backward with five lists of five as the Bears head into another year, starting first with the lifeblood of the football program, recruiting.

Cal only managed three NorCal recruits so far in the class of 2019, but they already have their hooks in a number of talented players in the area. (Note: Cal already has one NorCal recruit committed for 2020 in Everett Johnson)

Jay Butterfield, QB, Liberty HS

The top rated player in the Bay Area in the class, Butterfield is someone the Bears have been on as long as anyone in the 2020 class. They offered last year, his third offer from FBS schools, and they've targeted him as 'the guy' in the class, though they're taking two QBs in 2020 (Ben Gulbranson being the other at the moment).

I got to see Butterfield throw up close at the Rivals camp last March, where his motion looked effortless throwing the entire route tree, including a gorgeous deep ball. He still needs to add weight to his 6'6" frame, he's around 180 now, but the Mercury News had him as the top QB in the Bay Area, and he helped lead Liberty to a state title in CIF Division 1-A.

2018 Stats: 3294 yards, 64.2% completion, 43 TDs, 11 INTs

Xavier Carlton, DE, Modesto Christian

A lanky athlete who's closer to 250 now (his Twitter profile has him at 6'7"), with an 83" wingspan and a nasty streak that matches, Carlton's a guy who's brimming with potential. He was a standout at last year's Rivals camp mainly for his physical attributes, which allow him to be an excellent pass rusher. He plays for a smaller school in Modesto Christian, but there's a reason why he has national attention. Carlton is another guy who was offered early by Cal (the Bears were his second offer), and he visited multiple times last spring.

2018 stats: 81 tackles, 14 TFLs, 6 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 13 QB hurries

Jamar Sekona, DL, Marin Catholic

Sekona, the nephew of former Baltimore Raven Haloti Ngata, and he turned some heads at the All-American Bowl combine over the past couple days. The Marin Catholic defensive tackle also took part in one of the Cal lineman camps a year ago, and looked like the most physically dominant player in the camp. Sekona's can play either nickel DT spot or the nose guard, a position that's a high priority for Cal heading into the 2020 cycle. He made the second-team all-California per USA Today

Dejuan Butler: CB, Antioch

Cal needs defensive backs badly in the class of 2020, as it's not too far-fetched that their top 7 DBs could leave (Jaylinn Hawkins, Ashtyn Davis, Trey Turner, Traveon Beck and Josh Drayden will all graduate, Cam Bynum and Elijah Hicks both could declare for the NFL draft). That's where Butler, a sprinter at the cornerback spot, comes in. He's not the biggest, but he can run with receivers, sheds blocks, and tackles well. He earned all-Bay Area 1st team honors from the Mercury News as well.

2018 stats: 48 tackles, 9 PBUs, 1 INT

Nate Rutchena, ATH, Monte Vista HS

Rutchena is the only one of the five on the list without a Cal offer, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him land one relatively soon. I got a chance to watch Rutchena during the Monte Vista vs. Livermore game last fall, and he might have been the best player on the field that night, with 6 receptions for 122 yards and 3 TDs, along with six tackles and a pass breakup. Justin Wilcox and Burl Toler were in attendance for that game, and one of Wilcox's former recruits, Cal alum Matt Russi, is the head coach there.

Rutchena had 45 receptions for 716 yards and 7 TDs on offense, along with 46 tackles, 5 INTs and 1 TD on defense in 2018, and also plays basketball for Monte Vista.

We've talked about the season in quite a bit of detail, but we're going to highlight a handful of positive plays or moments that stood out during one of the strangest years of Cal football.

1. Patrick Laird for 14 yards on 4th and 1 to seal a historic win over USC

It was said multiple times in the aftermath of the game, that you couldn't have scripted a win better than that. USC went up 14-0, but fumbled away a chance to make it 21-0 or 17-0 right before halftime. The Trojans screwed up a snap right out of the half to give up a safety. Vic Wharton trashtalked his way to seven more points. Traveon Beck jumped a slant to set the Bears up with better field position. Chase Garbers scored and flashed the 'Fight Off' gesture. Suddenly, it was 15-14 six minutes into the second half, and behind Luc Bequette and Evan Weaver beating up JT Daniels, along with the DBs cutting off throwing lanes, Cal had an opportunity to win.

To be fair, two things set up the final play. Iman Marshall taunted someone on Cal's sideline enough for a 15 yard penalty that gave the Bears a first down after a 3rd and 13 incompletion. Then, on the 3rd and 6 preceding the Laird play, Garbers slid just a tad early on a bootleg, leading to being marked short. That allowed for Laird to go over right guard for the final play, 14 yards to end a 14 game losing streak to USC.

2. Evan Weaver Pick-Sixing Washington for Cal's only touchdown in a win over the Pac-12 Champions, Washington

Evan Weaver hails from Spokane, Washington. Weaver was never seriously recruited by the Huskies. He made them pay, as Weaver took a Jake Haener pass back 36 yards for a score, taking advantage of the Huskies decision to pull QB Jake Browning. It was a true effort play by Weaver, who went full extension to touch the ball to the pylon for the score, providing the difference in a 12-10 victory.

3. Two straight pick sixes to open the game against Colorado

After a smoke filled weekend postponed the Big Game, Cal came out firing against Colorado, as Elijah Hicks and Ashtyn Davis took two straight 3rd down passes from Steven Montez back for scores. Montez threw three interceptions in the first half, and the Bears frustrated the Colorado QB to the point where he threw the ball at DL Aaron Maldonado after a kneeldown to end the first half.

4. Garbers to Kanawai Noa, 52 yards vs. BYU

There weren't many offensive highlights on the year for the Bears, so this might have been the best offensive play that the Bears had all year, or at least one of the best executed. The play, a wheel route for Noa under a Jordan Duncan post that cleared two DBs got number 9 wide open, allowing for Garbers to lead Noa for an easy score that built the Cal lead coming out of the half.

5. Hawkins picks in the Cheez-It Bowl

The Cheez-It Bowl may have been the football version of "The Room," but it allowed for Jaylinn Hawkins to etch his name into the lore of the Phoenix-based bowl, setting a record with three interceptions in the game. Hawkins ended up leading the Pac-12 in interceptions with six because of that game. Stranger still were that two of the INTs came on illegal forward passes. This performance also was emblematic of the Cal year, incredibly strong on defense, weak on offense, as the Bears only managed to score on one of Hawkins' INTs.

Spring ball is coming sooner rather than later, and we've got a few predictions on who's got a chance to make a jump this spring

McCallan Castles, TE

The Cal staff has talked about Castles as a high-ceiling guy since his signing in December of 2017, and his development got him onto the field for 4 games in 2018, including his first career reception during the Cheez-It Bowl. Castles will get plenty of reps as one of four tight ends on the roster at the moment for the spring, and multiple defensive players noted that he gave the defense trouble while on the scout team. The 6'5", 235 lb Castles has about as unique a skillset as anyone on the offensive side of the ball. You can also see him in the RSF throwing down windmill dunks with the next player on the list.

Joseph Ogunbanjo, OLB

The Banjo-man played in 10 of Cal's 13 games, and while he did have a couple penalties that gave him a short leash, he flashed some of the athletic potential that he'll need to be a successful pass-rusher moving forward. With one OLB slot up for grabs and Cam Goode possibly not at 100%, Banjo will have time to solidify a spot going into his sophomore year and build on a true freshman year that was a learning experience.

Evan Tattersall, ILB

Another guy who redshirted, one who may make Cal an all-Evan ILB starting group in 2019. Tattersall is fast at 225-230 lbs, fitting some of what the Cal staff looks for in their linebacker recruits, specifically in the 40 time area (They're looking for under 4.7 at the spot, which Tattersall appears to have). That speed is what stood out for Tattersall during fall camp last year. He was able to redshirt in 2018, and he appears to have the right instinct to fill the massive hole that Jordan Kunaszyk is leaving.

Matt Cindric, C/G

Steve Greatwood is real high on the potential of Matt Cindric, who the Bears worked at center all year. He may not end up as the starter at the spot in 2019, but with Addison Ooms graduated, the center spot is relatively open going forward. Mike Saffell or Ryan Gibson will also be in contention for the job as well, but with Greatwood's propensity for moving guys around, Cindric will get some time next to those two in some capacity.

Gabe Cherry, DL

Someone who's not from the class of 2018 for a change, Cherry has been developing over the past couple of years and has gotten caught up in a crowded position, the defensive end spot. Cherry was someone Tim DeRuyter noted as standing out during the bowl preparation. At 6'5", 285, Cherry's different from most of the DE group from a size and tools standpoint, and the Bears could use a breakout performance from him to add to an already strong group.

Cal men's basketball is in the midst of another tough year, currently standing at 5-8 after a Pac-12 opening loss to USC. Cal's had their struggles this year, with a season opening loss to Yale in China dampening spirits, a couple losses at home to USF and Seattle, a big road loss to Fresno State, and no success in New York for the 2K Classic. The Bears do hold a win over San Diego State, which is probably their best win so far, along with wins over Cal Poly, San Jose State, and Santa Clara.

This team is better than the previous years' iteration, but that's hard to see with the myriad of losses to teams Cal historically hasn't lost to. That said, we have some thoughts on this Cal team and what they've done so far.

1. Offensive Improvement is Apparent

The Cal offense of 2017-18 was mediocre from beyond the arc, as the team lacked shooters that it trusted, with Justice Sueing, Darius McNeill, and maybe Don Coleman the only players who could make teams pay for not taking them seriously from beyond the arc. This year, there are eight players in the rotation that can knock down threes, including all three bigs. McNeill and Sueing can still do it, but they're joined by Connor Vanover, Matt Bradley (who's at 60% from downtown), Jacobi Gordon, Grant Anticevich, Jacobi Gordon, and at times Paris Austin and Andre Kelly. Kelly's only taken three from outside the arc, making two, but he's capable of making shots from midrange as well to pull guys out.

Cal's also showing more in the play department, running elevator doors plays for McNeill for open shots, and the athletic potential on this team has improved. You can see that in how they turn the corner off dribble drives.

2. Defense needs improvement, a lot of improvement

The opposite side of the coin is the defense, which is still porous at best, non-communicative at worst. The Bears do have the athletes to improve on the perimeter in the short-term, but the big men are young, undersized, and lacking in depth (they'll bring in DJ Thorpe next year, which should help with the depth and size part). Cal's shooting well from 3, but allowing similar percentages to their opponents from beyond the arc (38.1% vs. 38.7%). Opponents are shooting near 50% from the field, as communication hasn't been where it needs to be when the Bears are in their 2-3 zone. It's allowing far too much, and while the Bears are improved on offense, it's not enough to cover for their shortcomings.

3. Turnovers are down, but assists haven't come up in their place

Cal's 15th in the country right now in fewest turnovers (29th in turnovers per game), but the assist to turnover ratio is around 1 to 1. While Paris Austin is at around a 2.5 to 1 in that category, the ball does stick for the rest of this Cal team. When Cal wins the assist battle, they're 2-0. When they lose, they're 1-7. It's not like they don't pass, but it's about productive passes on the offensive end.

4. Youth

At the end of the day, there's still no senior scholarship player on this team, as the Bears won't have that until Paris Austin and Roman Davis are seniors next year. Eight of the ten regular rotation players are all sophomores or freshman, with many of them likely to stay all four years at Cal. They account for 58 of the 73 points per game Cal scores, but there's still a need for them to get better in the short term in their rotations in the zone.

What's good about those eight is that they've all shown that they're capable. While the win/loss results haven't been acceptable, I don't think it's a stretch to say that the eight sophomores and freshmen (Sueing, McNeill, Harris-Dyson, Anticevich, Bradley, Gordon, Vanover, Kelly) could be contributors at any school in the conference right off the bat, something that hasn't always been the case with Cal teams.

5. Andre Kelly may be a steal

I had heard Kelly was going to be the starting big sometime in September around the time of their first practices, and it was surprising. Kelly, who Wyking Jones noted had to come down to 260 lbs, wasn't the highest rated guy coming out of Lincoln HS in Stockton, but he was a very productive high school player, which has translated. Kelly has started all 13 games, shoots over 60% from the field, and is tied with Matt Bradley for the fourth best scoring average (10.2 ppg), along with 5.8 rebounds per game, second behind Justice Sueing. Kelly's got a lot to learn, but his effort is always easy to see.

1. Balance the Roster

Cal currently has 34 scholarships allocated on the offensive side of the ball, 43 on defense, and 2 on special teams. Part of this disparity is that the Bears had to recruit a bunch of linebackers and linemen to refit the team to Wilcox's vision. In a couple areas, that's worked, but a rash of transfers of guys that weren't playing much skewed this number. It's up to Wilcox and company to fill some of those skill positions with contributors, as Cal could still use three more wideouts or so to give that group some depth.

2. Average 28 PPG

That's a touchdown per quarter, and if Cal can do this, and if the defense is as good as it has the potential to be, you're looking at a ten-win regular season in 2019. They could've been a 10 win team this year had that been the case. There's the hope that some of the additions at the skill positions can help them do just that, but you have to play the games first.

3. Find an Outside Pass Rusher

The one issue when Cam Goode went out was that the Bears didn't have a true pass rushing threat off the edge. Another year of seasoning for Joey Ogunbanjo and the addition of Kuony Deng could bring that side of things, along with Goode's return, but it's the one dimension that the Cal defense lacks at the moment.

4. A game with a 100 yard receiver

In a stunning turn from two years prior, Cal lacked a 100 yard receiver in any game during the 2018 season, as Moe Ways came the closest with 98 yards against Arizona. If there's a pick to do it in 2019 early, it's Trevon Clark, who ended up as a JuCo All-American in 2018.

5. King in the North

Game of Thrones returns this year, and given that there's the potential for an all-time defense in Berkeley, if the offense can improve to passable, this could be a Cal team that makes it to Wilcox's next goal, winning the Pac-12 North. UW and Wazzu will be replacing QBs, while Stanford is replacing multiple skill players. Oregon will return nearly everybody, so there's plenty of competition afoot.