While the changes on offense drew the headlines this offseason for Cal, the defense is going through plenty of change as well. The Bears will enter the spring without a defensive coordinator as Justin Wilcox said earlier this week he is not in a rush to find a replacement for Peter Sirmon, who departed Berkeley for the NFL in recent weeks.

Instead, the other members of the coaching staff will have increased responsibilities as the team goes through the spring.

There will be plenty to replace for Cal as of the seven leading tacklers are no longer part of the team having exhausted their eligibility.

Spring practice begins Wednesday for the Bears, and fans will get their first opportunity to see the latest iteration of the defense with several new pieces joining the team for Day 1.

Here is a rundown of what to expect on that side of the ball when Cal hits the field.

There are a couple position groups with the most intrigue on defense for the Bears, and the outside linebacker group is one of the more interesting ones. Cal will need to replace lost production of its top three tacklers who accounted for 89 tackles last season.

Xavier Carlton came into his own last year and is now one of the Bears' NFL hopefuls while David Reese opted to use his final season at a different program and will close out his career at Syracuse. Cheikh Fall had 20 tackles last season and now is pursuing a career at the next level as well.

What it leaves the Bears with is an opportunity for some new faces to make a move and contribute at a position that is important for Cal to have success on defense.