Roster Review: Tight End

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 tight end group.

One of the stranger positions to evaluate throughout the year as the Bears lost who was thought to be their top tight end, by potential, in McCallan Castles, after game two of the season. Castles ended up in the transfer portal, heading to UC Davis, while the Bears were left with three scholarship tight ends, one a true freshman (Elijah Mojarro), one who had redshirted in 2018 in order to bulk up (Gavin Reinwald), and one former walk-on who was put on scholarship after fall camp (Jake Tonges). In addition, the Bears had Collin Moore (a walk-on and former QB) and Nick Alftin (who moved to TE in fall camp, moved back to OLB to cover for injuries early in the season, then moved back to TE to finish the year).

Yet the Bears increased their level of production at the position from 2018:

2018: 25 receptions for 286 yards, 1 TD (not including Malik McMorris's 7 receptions for 34 yards and 2 TDs)

2019: 29 receptions for 413 yards, 4 TDs

It's not the largest leap in production, but the Bears did a handful of things with the position, including utilizing more 12 and 13 personnel sets, both for run and pass puposes. Tonges became one of the Bears' better receivers in making contested catches, while also having the Bears' longest play of the season, a 60 yard touchdown against Ole Miss.

The position didn't have consistent production, as most of the offense struggled through an injury laden losing streak, but improved as blockers at the end of the year, culminating in a strong performance against UCLA (More on that here).

Tight end coach Marques Tuiasosopo emphasized physicality for the group when he was moved over to the position, something that started to be apparent through the end of the year.

Departing: None

Returning: Jake Tonges, Gavin Reinwald, Collin Moore*, Nick Alftin, Elijah Mojarro

Cal returns all but the snaps that Castles took at the beginning of 2019, with Tonges, Reinwald and Moore all catching touchdown passes during the 2019 season (two coming in the bowl win over Illinois). Along with that, Mojarro was mentioned as someone who showed up during the Bears' developmental practices in December.

Rogers is one of the top recruits Justin Wilcox has brought into the fold during his time as Cal's head coach, as the tight end from Eastside Catholic has the size to be day-one ready to play when he gets on campus next June. At 6'4" and 230 lbs, he runs like someone smaller.

Muller is the taller of the two at 6'5" (at around 220-225), which means he's starting from around where Tonges was this year. He may take a little more seasoning, as Capistrano Valley used him more frequently as a wideout than in-line, but he's comfortable running over the middle and making contested catches.

With Bill Musgrave at the helm, there likely won't be too much of a move away from base 11 personnel, which saw Tonges starting at TE for a good portion of 2019. It's his job to lose at this point, as he earned a ton of trust from Tuiasosopo and Justin Wilcox moving forward. Reinwald and Moore could continue to press for more time, with Reinwald showing promise at the H-back spot. Rogers could also press for time early.

Much like with the rest of the offense, it's how Bill Musgrave uses tight ends in Berkeley. The Bears now have a handful of players with experience at the position, something they didn't have at this time last year, and that can open up the playbook with what they can do in 11, 12, and 13 personnel. Musgrave will likely continue the trend of Cal's offense in 2019, in getting the tight ends on vertical routes, something he did in Oakland in getting tight ends in mismatch situations with smaller corners.

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver