Spring Review: Cal's OL Looking to Add Back Cruical Pieces

While Cal offensive lineman Mike Saffell was out for the spring, he made an impact during the spring game. Speaking on the Pac-12 Network, Saffell told some stories, enough for the collective of Cal twitter to demand more Mike Saffell content. Justin Wilcox called him 'a ham,' afterward, as the ebullient offensive lineman may at times be too much for the third year head coach.

"You know when you go to the fun-house at the carnival," Wilcox said, "and you look at the mirror, when Conan O’Brien goes to the funhouse, that’s what he sees, Mike Saffell. He’s not lacking on personality."

Saffell, along with Valentino Daltoso, was missed on the practice field this spring. The two starters at RG and LG a year ago respectively, did not practice as they recuperated from injuries suffered last year. Their presence was missed, as the line looked to build depth without two guys that should be starters come August 31st.

What they did have was an opportunity for two of the class of 2018 to get a ton of reps with the first team guys, as Will Craig took a ton of first team reps at LT and Matt Cindric got a bunch at either RG or C.

"Matt Cindric did a really nice job of taking advantage of this spring," Wilcox said, "Will (Craig), it’s about his body, because athletically he’s very talented, the way that OL coaches say it is that he can get himself out of trouble when other guys can’t."

In particular, Cindric looked to improve in pass sets, somewhere that he'd gotten pushed back in during practices last fall. Craig has 'all-American' level talent in the opinion of Steve Greatwood, but will need to add to his bulk in order to become an effective run blocker.

The other three constants during the spring were Jake Curhan at right tackle, Gentle Williams at left guard, and Tanner Prenovost at center and right guard. Curhan's been mentioned by multiple coaches as taking a greater leadership role, having played the last 25 games at right tackle. Williams got into the lineup after injuries to Saffell and Pat Mekari last year, and he's someone that has seen improvement, mainly in his mobility.

"Last year he played some, and he’s not the biggest guy," Wilcox said, "but I noticed him getting down the field, screen game, he can run, he’s agile. He’s still got to develop at the line of scrimmage in the pass game and run game, but he’s again a guy that’s worked hard with coach Greatwood."

That area of mobility is also somewhere where Prenovost excels, despite being a bit smaller than some of the other linemen. Mobility was a key for the group this spring, as they saw success with pulling guards and tackles to open up holes.

"It was," Wilcox said about the theme of getting the linemen moving, "and maybe playing to some of the strengths of that group, with Will Craig and Gentle."

Right now, left to right, the starting OL for Cal would probably look a little like this:

Craig, Daltoso, Saffell, Cindric, Curhan, with Williams potentially stepping in for Cindric. Either way, that group is a mobile group, with length on the outside (Craig and Curhan) and nastiness and technique on the inside. Prenovost proved this spring that he can hang with this group as well

Behind those guys are a handful of other pieces who are still developing:

PJ Poutasi: In his third year in the program, the redshirt sophomore is 'still in development mode' per Wilcox, though he did get some run with the first team at right guard

Brandon Mello: "He’s got the athleticism," Wilcox said, "I think he’s coachable, his body has got to continue to develop. Good guy to continue to work, but we’ll see what happens in the spring and summer, he’s a great example that spring workouts, summer workouts and fall camp could make a huge difference, all of those guys are like that, that are maybe not in that starting 5, 6, 7"

Jasper Friis: Still developing, worked a lot at left guard through the spring. He'll need to get more mobile moving forward, but as Wilcox said, 'the want to is there.'

Miles Owens: Starting to move better than he did when he got to campus, working mostly at right guard next to Mello

Where Everyone Can Play:

Craig: LT and RT

Saffell: Both guard spots and center

Daltoso: Everywhere but center, has joked that he could probably do that too

Curhan: LT and RT

Williams: RG and LG

Prenovost: Both G spots and center

Cindric: RG and C

Mello: RT

Poutasi: LG, RG, LT

Friis: LG, LT

Owens: RG, RT

Brayden Rohme came to one of Cal's practices during the spring, and my thought going up to him was 'holy hell, he's real tall, but looks so young.' That's the case with a ton of these incoming linemen, just massive dudes with babyfaces.

Anyhow, Rohme was mobile at Perry, playing both tackle spots and keeping Chubba Purdy safe. He has room to grow into his frame, and he has plenty of athletic pedigree, with his dad playing OL for UCLA, and his mom being a former volleyball player.

Driscoll probably projects as a guard at the college level, but his mobility was apparent at Torrey Pines, where he blocked downfield extremely well for an option attack. He comes with high marks for his character via Torrey Pines HC Ron Gladnick, and he might be one of the most underrated gets for this Cal team.

Mettauer is big. There's no other way to say it. He's built like a refrigerator and already does a lot in his pass sets that usually has to get built up. Of the three, not that any of them will be thrust into a starting role immediately, but Mettauer may be the most physically ready of the trio.