Golden Bear Roster Rundown: No. 3 Elijah Hicks

This article is part of a series running down Cal's 2020 football roster.

Elijah Hicks came into the Cal program amid a coaching change in 2017, enrolling early, and immediately established himself in the cornerback rotation for the Bears as a true freshman. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter noted at the time that Hicks carried himself like a veteran, and it led to Hicks playing in all 12 games as a true freshman, starting seven.

Since, Hicks has started every game except for three (the Washington schools in 2018 and the Redbox Bowl in 2019), and has seen his rep count go up each year (503 in 2017, 705 in 2018, 820 in 2019).

Hicks has been one of the more consistent tacklers on the back end for the Bears, grading out per PFF as the top tackler on the team in 2018, not missing a single tackle that year. For his Cal career, he's accumulated 113 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, 11 PBUs, two forced fumbles and a pick six against Colorado.

Hicks' top game in 2019 came against Washington, per Pro Football Focus, where he allowed one catch on two targets for three yards, along with five tackles and one of his two sacks on the year.

In addition to the on-field work, Hicks has done plenty of off-field work with his Intercept Poverty COVID-19 campaign, raising over $62,000 for No Kid Hungry, as well as starting the Intercept Poverty non-profit organization (which will provide low-income Cal students with scholarship assistance) and has volunteered at the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center.

Hicks did something relatively unprecedented at the end of 2019, especially for a guy who spent three years at corner, he made the move to safety. Part of it was to help with Ashtyn Davis going down to injury for the bowl game, part of it was to get Chigozie Anusiem playing time, and part of it was to utilize Hicks' tackling ability and ranginess.

The safety position is where Hicks is expected to be as a member of the Bears' starting defensive group. He should help to solidify a position that saw both of its starters go in the NFL draft.

"I love it," Hicks said about the safety spot during spring practice, "I'm a physical guy, I like to come down and hit, but at the same time I can come down and guard the slot. At the end of the day, it's whatever they want me to do, I like to be around the ball, I'm a football player, I like to make plays, put me wherever."

Hicks' experience at corner should help him guard the slot in certain situations, as his positional flexibility gives Cal more options, as far as showing different looks to confuse opposing quarterbacks, whether that's lining up with two deep safeties and moving around pre-snap or otherwise.

Hicks proved to be one of the most interesting commitments in recent Cal history. A one-time commit to Notre Dame, Hicks flipped to Cal despite the head coaching position being vacant, enrolling at the school in the middle of a coaching change, after visiting prior to the December dead period. Hicks ended up being one of two four-star recruits in the transition class of 2017, joining Chase Garbers in that regard.

Out of La Mirada HS, Hicks had offers from 17 Power 5 programs, including Cal.

No. 2, S Isaiah Humphries