Roster Review: Outside Linebackers

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 outside linebackers.

The outside linebacker position had a mostly healthy year, a contrast to the first two seasons under Justin Wilcox where a projected starter was lost after the first two games (Cam Saffle in 2017, Cam Goode in 2018). Goode and Tevin Paul came into the year as projected starters, and both played the majority of year (with Paul not playing in the bowl game for unspecified reasons).

Goode had one of the most productive years for an outside linebacker in recent Cal history, putting up 9.5 sacks (the most by a Cal player since 2008) and 14 tackles for loss. Paul had a tougher year, with 3.5 TFLs and 3 sacks total, but the addition of UT-Chatanooga transfer Ben Hawk Schrider helped depth at the position. Cal also had some youth in, as true freshmen Braxten Croteau and Orin Patu saw time for the Bears, with Croteau starting against Ole Miss.

Goode was one of the most pivotal players for the Bears on defense. He had two sacks in each of the final two regular season games. He made the final stop in the big game. While the Bears were far from perfect in their contain responsibilities in 2019, he made the position better. In addition, Schrider played an important role for the Bears, forcing the final interception in the Redbox Bowl with his pressure and getting to live out his childhood dream of playing for Cal.

One final note: Joseph Ogunbanjo played outside linebacker for the Bears in 2019, but was arrested in December for a reported assault of a police officer. A Cal statement released not long after noted that Ogunbanjo was no longer with the team. The sophomore from Houston was suspended from the team for a portion of the year, but came back for the UCLA game. He is not expected to be back on Cal's roster for the foreseeable future.

Departing: Ben Hawk Schrider

Returning: Cameron Goode, Tevin Paul, Braxten Croteau, Orin Patu, Chinedu Udeogu, Ben Moos, Myles Jernigan, Curley Young Jr, Matt Horowitz*, Parker Bosche*

Schrider's departure is the biggest loss for the group at the moment, though he's expected to remain around the program as he completes his master's degree.

The Bears are projected to return production with Goode and Paul, as Goode provided 36 QB pressures per Pro Football Focus. In addition, Chinedu Udeogu returns after an injury forced him to miss the majority of 2019. He adds depth at the bigger OLB spot, and potentially could play some defensive line as well.

The biggest thing about the group, as currently constructed, is the youth. Croteau, Patu, Jernigan and Young will all be moving into their second year together, and while Jernigan (out all year with an upper body injury) and Young didn't play, they all have plenty of athletic potential at the position. Young in particular is an athletic freak, with some NFL combine numbers in the bench press and in the 40 yard dash. Croteau played in every game for the Bears, one of four true freshmen to do so, while Patu played up to the four game maximum allowed by the redshirt rule.

Also returning are Ben Moos (who played a ton on special teams), Matt Horowitz (who Tim DeRuyter singled out for improvement during bowl practices) and Parker Bosche (a Berkeley native from nearby St. Mary's College HS).

Cal's sole outside linebacker commit in the 2020 class, Nate Rutchena, will reportedly be grayshirting the year, arriving in the spring of 2021. Cal has recruited multiple outside linebackers over the past two cycles to supplement their group, and have been looking more at players in the 2021 class to fill their OLB needs going forward.

At this point, Goode and Paul would look to be the projected players moving forward. Goode has a chance to break the double digit sack mark and potential build some more film for a potential NFL selection, while Paul will have the opportunity to rebound in his senior year.

One of the more interesting moves that could be made at the position is if Kuony Deng could bump outside. Deng, at 6'6" and 225 lbs, played inside linebacker next to Evan Weaver in 2019, but with a bit more bulk added, could end up on the outside as a pass rusher. He has the length and athleticism to excel at the spot, something the Bears tried out in fall camp of 2019 with a pass rush package (Goode and Deng on the outside, Paul as a down lineman).

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight Ends

Offensive Line

Defensive Line