Spring Football 2018 Roster Changes and Notes
Cal Football updated their roster for 2018 spring football, which is set to start March 19th and run through to the spring game on April 28th. The Bears have a few significant changes, with redshirts being allocated, roster shakeups from the past few days.
Key Players Who Got Redshirts:
- Melquise Stovall, who played in two games last year (against USC and Oregon) got a redshirt. After a dynamic freshman year, Stovall was injured during the spring and didn't get back into action until the fourth game of the season. Some thought this would preclude him from getting a redshirt, but he's now a redshirt sophomore in his eligibility.
- Trey Turner, who played his first two seasons under Sonny Dykes, didn't get going last year, and used his redshirt, and is now listed as a redshirt junior
- Demetris Robertson was out injured after the Weber State game, and has used his redshirt. Robertson, who could easily go to the NFL after this season either way due to his talent, will be a redshirt sophomore in 2018
- Brandon McIlwain used his redshirt due to transfer, and will be with the Bears in the spring to compete for the starting QB job.
- Steven Coutts, the Louisiana graduate transfer, got a redshirt for the 2017 season, despite punting against Washington in the sixth game of the season. Coutts will replace Dylan Klumph as the starting punter, with the latter having graduate transferred to Arizona
Scholarship Freshmen who Redshirted
- QB Chase Garbers
- S Daniel Scott
- RB Biaggio Ali-Walsh
- CB Branden Smith
- OL Poutasi Poutasi
- TE Ben Moos
- WR Taariq Johnson
- DL Gabe Cherry
- DL Siulagisipai Fuimaono
Other Changes
- WR Jeremiah Hawkins has moved to #10 fulltime, making it less confusing for journalists and other folks in the press box
- WR Matt Rockett has moved to #29 permanently as well, the number he switched to so he could be on the same special teams unit alongside Cam Bynum. Incoming ATH Monroe Young seems likely to wear his vacated #24 on offense
- Aisea Tongilava is no longer listed on the roster. Tongilava, a redshirt junior, has been playing rugby for the Bears, and was a redshirt junior in eligibility last fall.
- DE Rusty Becker is still on the roster despite being a redshirt senior in the fall of 2017. He received a redshirt year for the 2016 season.
- Trevor Howard has officially been moved to tight end, after practicing with that group for a good portion of last fall.