2019 ended in victory for Cal, with a Bowl Win for the first time in four years, as the Bears finished 8-5, tied for their best record of the decade. Now, with Bill Musgrave coming in as the Bears' next offensive coordinator, the offense will see some changes with it, while the defensive staff seems slated to remain the same moving forward.
Now that the calendar has turned over and the Bears have hired an offensive coordinator, it's time to break down Cal's roster composition, position by position. Today continues with the defensive backs.
2019 in Review
The Cal defensive backfield came into 2019 with depth, experience, and a bunch of turnovers forced in 2018. By the numbers, 2019 was a step back, with the Cal DBs intercepting 8 passes over 13 games, as opposed to the 17 from 2018. Cal allowed 90 more yards passing per game between the two years. The Bears, after returning 5 interceptions for touchdowns in 2018 (3 by defensive backs), didn't have a single one in 2019.
That said, the defensive back group has their share of successes in 2019. Traveon Beck continued his streak of not allowing a touchdown while being the primary defender. Jaylinn Hawkins and Cam Bynum were Cal's highest graded defenders by PFF. Ashtyn Davis, despite dealing with injury issues throughout the year, made a handful of plays (notably a diving interception and final TFL against UCLA) that stood out. Elijah Hicks showed his versatility in the bowl game, moving from corner to safety while continuing to be one of the best tacklers on defense. And Josh Drayden, who ended up redshirting with the four game rule, was a key factor in Cal win over Washington State, nullifying the Cougars swing passes with some great open field tackles.
The Bears did deal with injuries to Beck and Davis at various points, and Drayden redshirting forced Gerad Alexander to juggle some of his personnel. Daniel Scott, Chigozie Anusiem and Branden Smith all got experience at the positions they'll challenge for playing time at. Scott in particular came on, with plays made in the spring game then translating to the end of the season, where he made a key interception in the Big Game.
With some of the expectations on the defensive back group going into the year, the expectations weren't always met. That said, the defensive backs did what the defense requires of them, limiting big plays over the top and tackling well in space.
Looking Ahead
Departing: Ashtyn Davis, Jaylinn Hawkins, Traveon Beck, Trey Turner, D’Shawn Hopkins*
Returning: Elijah Hicks, Cam Bynum (?), Josh Drayden, Chigozie Anusiem, Daniel Scott, Branden Smith, Craig Woodson, Isaiah Humphries, Jaylen Martin, Miles Williams, Tarik Glenn Jr.*, Erik Harutyunyan*, Steve McIntosh*
Cal loses both starting safeties, their starting nickel corner, and a senior in Trey Turner who played a ton on special teams and supplemented the safety spots. In addition, the underclassmen draft deadline has come and gone, and Cam Bynum, per NFL.com, is not among those who have put their name in. There is still a three-day period where those who have submitted their paperwork can change their mind, so the 20th will be an important date if Bynum is sticking around.
Either way, the Bears return at least seven guys who took reps last year (Hicks, Drayden, Anusiem, Scott, Smith, Woodson, and Martin) and get Humphries (who had a sterling performance in spring ball last year) eligible off his transfer.
Incoming: Incoming: Trey Paster^, Dejuan Butler, Isaiah Young^, Collin Gamble, Tyson McWilliams
Cal will welcome two of their five commits early in Trey Paster and Isaiah Young when spring practice starts at the beginning of March. Butler, Gamble, and McWilliams all come in in the fall, as the 'Fab Five' that Alexander brought in covers a lot of bases. In Paster and McWilliams, you have lengthy back-end players who can compete with bigger wideouts. In Young, you have a short area quickness guy who can play in the slot. In Butler and Gamble, you have versatile players with 'contact courage,' ones who are athletic enough to deal with whatever's thrown their way.
Projected Starters in 2020: Hicks, Bynum/Anusiem, Scott, Woodson, Drayden
With many moving pieces going into 2020, this is a rough projection, but this is the though process:
- If Bynum stays, Cal may rotates Hicks to safety (which they did in the bowl game) to give Anusiem (a longer corner) more time.
- Daniel Scott got a big jump on playing time thanks to his performance at the end of the year
- Drayden, whether it's in the slot or on the outside, will see the field a lot
- Woodson proved himself to be the potential next man up at safety after a fantastic performance in fall camp.
Offseason Storylines
From here, the biggest piece is who flashes the most. Cam Bynum and Elijah Hicks both jumped forward with a fantastic spring ball performance in 2017, and there's potential for someone to do the same coming into spring ball of 2020. There's a handful of guys who could take that next step, including:
- Anusiem, who has picked up Cam Bynum's work ethic
- Humphries, who has great instincts for the ball from the safety spot
- Williams, who had an injury that kept him out all of 2019
- Martin, who is starting to add some weight to already solid length on the outside
