Do you smell that? Can you hear it?
And no, I’m not talking about the uhm, ‘overflow’ that happened at Haas.
It’s the smell of flowers and sweat. It’s the sound of birds chirping and pads popping. Some may say it’s the second best time of the year: Spring Football.
Spring ball carries a lot of weight, both inside programs and inside fan bases. For teams, it’s the first authorized look they have at their players since the new year. This is the first chance they get to see improvements and how their players have developed in the weight room and on the field since the last game together. For fans, it gives a glimpse at what the team might look like and whether or not those season tickets are still worth it.
Spring ball also helps clarify any pre-existing narratives that may have carried over from the previous year or that may have popped up with a new crop of starters and the younger players taking over.
So, here are some of the biggest narratives and storylines for Cal going into spring football and beyond with the first practice a week away -- April 6.
Also get caught up on our position-by-position previews and depth chart projections:
1. Who takes the first snap at quarterback?
This one feels pretty obvious, but there’s no use beating around the bush. Chase Garbers was the top QB on the depth chart for almost every game since the start of the 2018 season. There have been dozens of receivers, running backs and tight ends that have come and gone in that stretch, but just one (main) quarterback.
It’s become clear that the battle is between the two Gilbert, Ariz., natives: Kai Millner and Jack Plummer, but there’s no real indication as to who has the upper hand going into spring. The first snap, be it in 7 on 7, 11 on 11, or even just in drills, will tell us who has the leg up on day one.
2. New faces = new offensive style?
Piggybacking off of the above, but Cal will have at least eight new starters on the offensive side of the ball. Typically, that’s less than ideal.
So, will this change in personnel steer Bill Musgrave and Co. into a new direction for the offense? Early signs point to no (just based on who Musgrave has been over the course of his career), but there could be at least some slight schematic changes. The Bears dabbled in some empty formations along with a litany of motions and passing concepts out of all different looks. It would not be shocking in the least to see this trend continue.
Ideally, the offense would be catered to the needs of the quarterback. Millner can really run and has a phenomenal arm, so the offense would likely be a little more vertical and feature him in the run game a bit more. Plummer has a great arm in his own right and can move well behind the line of scrimmage, so the offense would probably feature more boot passes and traditional west coast dropback structures. Whoever ends up being the top dawg should be catered to, but it will be interesting to watch that process happen in real time.
3. How does Brett Johnson look in his return to action?
It was clear that Brett Johnson was missed by Cal in 2021.
Others played well in his stead, but they just were not as good as the player they were trying to replace. Johnson was easily one of the top three players on the field when he last saw action in 2020. As always, tempered expectations are the best thing to have when players are returning from long term injuries, but if the Johnson that Cal fans loved is back, the defense could look a lot different going forward.
