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 finishes the series with the special teams unit.
2019 In Review
The special teams units had their ups and downs throughout 2019, with Steven Coutts struggling with injury in the early portion of the season and Greg Thomas not being consistent through the end of the year as he'd been early in the season.
Thomas was 8-10 on FGs that weren't from 30-39 yards, and 3-7 from inside that 30-39 yard range. He had a couple kicks blocked, but he did clinch the Bears' early season win over UW with a chip shot, as well as hitting his career long in the Big Game.
Coutts never quite looked right, as he followed a 2018 season where he had the most punts inside the 20 in the country with a year where he averaged under 40 yards per punt and only 16 of his 51 punts settling inside the 20.
Gabe Siemieniec was a consistent kickoff guy, though the Bears did have struggles in the coverage game, thanks to injury forcing inexperience to the forefront. It hurt the Bears against Stanford early on, as the Cardinal started the game from their own 40 instead of the 25, but there were a handful of Bears who performed well in coverage:
- Alex Netherda, who rocked a couple Illinois returners and played on four special teams units
- Trey Turner, who led the Bears in special teams tackles, with 8, and had the most reps on special teams, with 225
- Ryan Puskas, who made his Cal debut on special teams
- Ben Moos and Daniel Scott, who had the second and third most tackles on special teams, with 5 and 4 respectively.
Along with that, long snapper Slater Zellers had a relatively anonymous year, which is exactly what you want from a long snapper. Snapping was never an issue for the Bears in 2019.
Looking Ahead
Departing: Greg Thomas, Steven Coutts
Returning: Slater Zellers, Gabe Siemieniec*, Dario Longhetto*, Nick Lopez*, JJ Lindsay*, Daniel Etter*
Coutts and Thomas depart, while the Bears will look for a new kick returner in 2020 with Ashtyn Davis gone. Zellers, Siemieniec, and Longhetto all have game experience, while Lopez and Lindsay both redshirted in 2019. Etter is someone who Justin Wilcox refers to as "the mayor," as he's one of the most well-liked players on the team.
In the return game, Nikko Remigio will have the opportunity to continue taking punts, while Deshawn Collins and Jeremiah Hawkins will likely be in competition to return kicks again. Hawkins had the longest return of any Cal player in 2019, with a 53 yarder against North Texas.
Incoming: Jamieson Sheahan, Tommy Christakos
Sheahan comes in early, as a junior in eligibility and with experience playing in the minor leagues of Australian Rules Football. Charlie Ragle, who recruited Sheahan, had this to say about the Aussie
"What you’re going to see is a phenomenal athlete who can run around," Ragle said, "who’s physically tough. He obviously can punt, he’s got a strong leg, but overall just a grade A kid, he’s just a different kind of kid. When he gets here, you’re going to know exactly what I mean. He worked over at the AFL, at their front office, and that tells you what kind of kid he is, being employed at an organization like that."
The possibility for Tommy Christakos to kick is there as well, as Justin Wilcox joked with him that he could score a touchdown, kick the extra point, kick off, and make a tackle.
In addition, wideout Justin Baker should add a piece in the return game going forward, and could be a kickoff returner for the Bears early in his career.
Projected Starters in 2020
Sheahan seems like a solid choice for the Bears to punt in 2020, depending on how he looks through spring ball. Zellers isn't going to lose his spot. At placekicker, it's going to be about consistency. Siemieniec hasn't been the most consistent as a placekicker, but he has the strongest leg. Longhetto was decent during bowl practices as a placekicker, and both Lopez and Christakos have the leg to compete for the spot.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Baker grab a starting kick returner role sometime as a true freshman, as he has some gamebreaking athleticism that the Bears haven't really had at that spot in a while.
Offseason Storylines to Watch
Biggest would be how the place kicker battle unfolds throughout spring ball, as a lack of consistency at the position caused every kick late in 2019 to be a clench-worthy moment for Cal fans. Whether the Bears have built up enough depth to counteract injuries on special teams will be something to watch as well, as the 2020 season gets closer.
