Spring Gradeout: Offensive Linemen
Continuing with the final take on each position group, this time focusing on the offensive line group from this spring.
What We Learned: Many Moving Pieces, Not Much Room for Injury
During the spring, Cal had ten scholarship linemen on the roster, hurt by the graduation of Steven Moore, Chris Borrayo, Jeremiah Stuckey and Dom Granado, as well as the departures of Aaron Cochran and Vinnie Johnson. Two of those scholarship linemen, Gentle Williams and Daniel Juarez, were out with injury, leaving eight scholarship linemen and a few walk-ons, which forced new offensive line coach Steve Greatwood to experiment with the starting five up front.
Center Addison Ooms is the only one who really stayed in place during the spring, and redshirt freshman Jake Curhan seemed to take to playing right tackle relatively quickly, but the other three spots on the line have been passed around between guys. Dwayne Wallace and Semisi Uluave have both been at the right guard spot at various times, with Uluave learning right tackle by the end of the spring.
Patrick Mekari and Kamryn Bennett flipped between left tackle and left guard throughout the spring, with Mekari at LT by the end and Bennett at the LG. Bennett backed up Moore at RT last year, so it's a marked change from a year ago.
Behind that first group, there isn't much, and Greatwood's strategy to get everyone experience at different positions may help to abate some issues, but for now, there's not a lot of room for injury.
Biggest Concern: Lack of depth at the tackle spots
Currently, Mekari, Curhan, and JD Hinnant are the only scholarship tackles, with Juarez returning from back issues that forced a greyshirt and a hip injury that kept him sidelined. The depth there isn't at a comfortable level, and the Bears have these four, plus Bennett and Uluave (who's better as an interior guy), going into the fall. Tackle is a big focus for the class of 2018, already landing one commit in the massive Jasper Friis, but since it doesn't look like any adds to the position are coming over the summer, these are the guys that they'll roll with in the fall.
Spring Surprise: Kamryn Bennett at LG
Bennett and Mekari have had to be the most flexible about changing positions, with Bennett coming in as a guard, and being moved all over the line. He looked comfortable at left guard during the last couple weeks of the spring, and while he has big shoes to fill in taking over for longtime starter Chris Borrayo, he's adjusting to it well under the detail oriented Greatwood.
Looking Forward: Couple additions on the interior of the line can add depth
The Bears add Mike Saffell and Poutasi Poutasi in the fall, and both look to be playing on the interior. Saffell's focus on technique should endear him to Greatwood, while Poutasi is agile for his size with a bit of a mean streak on the field. Their development early in the fall could move the Bears to focusing even more on the tackles in the 2018 class. Both may not play right away, but their presence can also allow Greatwood to continue to experiment with various players in various spots along the line.