Spring Football: Injuries, Roster Changes, Notes on Newcomers, and More

Spring ball is almost upon us once again in Berkeley. With that comes some time for newcomers on the roster to make an impact, for the benefit of the offseason to be shown with returners, and for a look at the new coaches.

For today, we're taking a look at some of the minutia from today, where the media sat down with head coach Justin Wilcox for a roundtable interview touching on spring football and more.

First we'll start with who's not participating in spring practice

(Note: all six of these guys are expected back for fall camp)

Gerran Brown being out for the spring affects a very slim inside linebacker position that only has two other players officially listed at it. Newcomer Colt Doughty is likely to slide in there, and Wilcox noted that another Brown, Derron Brown, can move over from here.

"There's guys that have played both (inside and outside)," Wilcox said, "Derron Brown's a guy that can play both, he played some Will last year. He's a guy that can play both spots. Malik (Psalms) I think would have the ability to play both, we're gonna experiment with that, and it'll make them better players. Some guys are more natural than others to be a swing guy."

Brown's injury might be the most meaningful among the team, but he's expected to be back during the fall, when they'll have Louis Bickett, Chris Fatilua, and Evan Tattersall at the position to add even more depth.

The rest of the injuries aren't as big of a deal, with the relative depth at the rest of the positions. Hicks is still a likely starter, and Johnson could be one if he regains the burst that made him the MVP of last year's spring football sessions. Rambo still hasn't returned to the field after tearing his ACL in September of 2016, and both Singleton and Uluave have played mostly as backups.

Roster Changes, Numerical and Position Movement

WR Greyson Bankhead: from #13 to #85

RB Derrick Clark: from #22 to #33

LB Colt Doughty: now listed as #42

OL Jasper Friis: now listed as #77

QB Brandon McIlwain: from #11 to #5

RB Alex Netherda moved from WR, wears #31

WR Matt Rockett: from #29 to #30

WR Brandon Singleton: from #19 to #81

PK Gabe Siemieniec: from #44 to #46

DL Lone Toailoa: now listed as #55

CB Chigozie Anusiem: now listed as #7

OL Gentle Williams: From #54 to #64

Running Back Depth

As seen above, walk-on Alex Netherda was moved to running back to add a bit more depth to the spot. Wilcox noted that there may be more movement if needed.

"Starting with Pat," Wilcox said, "we'll make sure he gets the number of reps he needs to get, and we won't sacrifice Pat because we only have four running backs. There's guys that are capable of filing at that position where he's getting his work in, and we want to develop the rest of that group. There's more than enough reps to go around. Would you like to have one or two more guys? We'll have that available on the team, some guys who play other positions that can move into a running back role as well, so not really worried about that, so we'll make sure to get Pat and the rest of the guys the amount of reps they need in spring ball."

On the Newcomers:

Wilcox spoke about how the four early enrollees have done so far.

On Lone Toailoa:

"Limited football experience, but high motor, works extremely hard. He's put on a significant amount of weight since he's been here. He play d-end, 4i, play some 3 technique, he'll give us some some value chasing the ball down, rushing the quarterback. Like I said before, the one thing that sticks out is his motor, how hard he plays, he's got some ability, but he's still a young player in a lot of ways, so it'll be good for him to practice. He's done a really nice job acclimating to the workouts and the intensity. He's done a really nice job there and has been noticed by his teammates."

On Colt Doughty:

"Colt came from a program where the expectations were high, and how they did things at his junior college, it's been a pretty seamless transition to the the workout part of it. Some of the exercises were new and different, but you don't ever get the sense that he was shellshocked by any of that. The football part remains to be see for all the guys because it'll be a difference in what they're used to."

On Jasper Friis

"Jasper, I'm not sure I've ever seen him without a smile. Everytime we speak to him or we see him, he's got the biggest smile on his face. For a mid-year transfer, one of the things you want to make sure you keep an eye on is first time away from home and there's a big transition. He's already done that. He left Germany and came to the States and played high school football. In that sense, it's like another move for him. The workouts and the day to day? Much different for him, but he's just really eager and has a great attitude, every time I see him he's got the biggest smile on his face, can't wait to talk about how school's going. There'll be some tough times just because he has a limited history of football, especially at this level. There'll be an adjustment for him, but so far so good."

On Chigozie Anusiem

"Chigi has done well, I think athletically he shows that he fits in, transitioning he's been a very good student, takes school seriously, he's done a nice job transitioning academically. He's very competitive, so anytime that something gets competitive in the weight room or on the field, he's right in the middle of it, and that's good to see from a freshman, because sometimes they're trying to gauge things, put their toe in the water. He just jumps right in, that's good to see."

QB Competition

There will be a quarterback competition, as Wilcox has alluded to in the past, but he did note that Ross Bowers has the advantage of having played.

"Ross does have an advantage because he played every game," Wilcox said, "so that's an advantage in itself, having that game experience, and Ross is going to be a better player this spring than he was last spring, and he got better throughout the season. He has to continue to grow as a football player. He knows that and he's working at that, but if anybody at any position out-performs somebody else, that's why it is always open. Ross has an advantage because he played. Brandon's going to get a lot of opportunities, as is Chase Garbers, as is Chase Forrest. There's a lot reps. But again, I could speak about any player on the team, it's about production and growing as a player, and if anybody beats somebody else out, that's just the way the game is played. I'm excited for Ross because he grew a lot during the season, I think he had a good offseason, and I'm excited to see him keep growing and competing."

Recruiting in the Bay Area

Radio announcer Joe Starkey was at the media roundtable, and he had ran into an assistant from San Ramon Valley High School, who noted that it was the first time in four years that Cal coaches were at practices of the East Bay power. Recruiting Northern California has been a priority for Wilcox and staff, and it's something they plan to continue.

"We like to think we're working all of Northern California," Wilcox said, "obviously the Bay Area and creating relationships and building on existing relationships that we have with the coaches. It's a little bit early to tell (if it's paying off), but I think we've had a great reception. We have a lot of players who we're actively recruiting in the Bay Area, and I think the more we have relationships and communication with their coaches and opposing coaches, the more we're going to know about them and the better they're going to feel about Cal."

In the days leading up to Cal's spring practice, we're going to examine a big question for Spring Football, starting tomorrow with the wide receiver position, and how the return of Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall from injury affects the receiver position.