Pac-12 Media Days Preview: Pressing Questions for Wilcox
Cal's session of Pac-12 Media Days comes on Wednesday morning, with head coach Justin Wilcox heading down to Los Angeles along with senior running back Tre Watson and senior defensive tackle James Looney.
With Wilcox's first big media session coming up shortly, here's a look at some of the most salient questions for the Cal head coach as we draw even closer to the start of fall camp on July 31st.
How long does he expect the QB competition to go?
This is building up to be the primary focus of fall camp, and a drum that's going to be beaten to death for the next 39 days until the opener against North Carolina. The two QBs up for the job, Ross Bowers and Chase Forrest, were discussed not too long ago during our Bear Essentials series (read that here), but the length of the QB competition is unknown.
Neither QB pulled away during the spring, but the Bears have about 30 more practices before heading to Chapel Hill, so there's plenty of time to decide between the two. It's just a matter of whether they'll try to use the first couple of games to feel things out or not. There's one thing that could change this though.
What's the status of Brandon McIlwain?
The QB transfer from South Carolina came into Cal to play both baseball and football after a year with the Gamecocks where he split time at the QB spot. In all likelihood, he'll have to sit a year in accordance with transfer rules. Back in May, right after his transfer, Wilcox hinted that the door was still somewhat open in regards to McIlwain's eligibility for the 2017. He brings a running ability to the table that Forrest and Bowers can't match, similar to former Beau Baldwin QB Vernon Adams, but the NCAA waiver system is a major hurdle for just about anyone, so McIlwain may just be focused on learning Baldwin's offense and getting prepared for a QB battle in 2018
How do they fill the vacated RG spot?
Dwayne Wallace left the team last month, striking a blow to an offensive line that needed the depth and experience. While Semisi Uluave would appear to be the obvious choice to replace to replace Wallace, having played right guard for stretches over his two years at Cal, there will be a competition. It's likely that Oregon transfer Valentino Daltoso will figure into it, along with incoming freshman Poutasi Poutasi.
How will the injured/absent players from the spring fit in?
There were a number of key absences during the spring, guys who will play big roles in the upcoming season. James Looney, Luc Bequette, Trey Turner, Evan Rambo, Josh Drayden, Melquise Stovall, and Brandon Singleton all missed spring ball due to injury (among other players). Demetris Robertson, Ashtyn Davis and Malik McMorris were working with the track team during the spring. All of these guys will play some role this fall, with a number of those guys being in contention to start, but they haven't taken the live reps yet in a new system offensively and defensively.
What are the expectations for the defense going into camp?
The defensive struggles of the Dykes era are well documented, and are a big part of the reason that Wilcox got the job in Berkeley. In the spring, the defense showed growth in moving to the 3-4. The motivation improved, guys who hadn't gotten as much of an opportunity under Dykes (see Quentin Tartabull, Russell Ude, Derron Brown among others) rocketed into contention for starting jobs, and the defense looked to be gaining confidence and competence under a new defensive staff focused on technique.
Now, with 30 practices or so left before the opening game, the outside expectations of the Bears defense aren't great, but even with a bit of a slide on offensive production, a defense ranking somewhere in the middle of the pack would be a massive improvement that could spur them to a better than expected finish. There's talent there, just not the depth, so how it's managed will be a massive factor.