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The Historical Nature of Evan Weaver

Cal inside linebacker Evan Weaver was named an AP first team All-American Monday, the first Cal player to be an AP All-American since Daymeion Hughes and Desean Jackson both had that honor in 2006. Weaver, who now holds the Cal record for most tackles in a season, has a chance to break the NCAA record for most tackles in a season in the bowl game (he is 21 tackles away).

In 2019, Weaver became the spiritual center of this Cal team, calling his shots, speaking things into existence, making game saving plays, and angering opposing fanbases on Twitter. How did we get here though?

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Weaver came into Cal in 2016, as a defensive end from Gonzaga Prep. The number 89 came from a Gonzaga Prep tradition, as he found his way into playing time as a true freshman. His first impact play came against Texas, coming off the edge for a sack on then-Texas QB Shane Buechele.

Weaver finished the year with 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks, but was injured heading into the offseason. Justin Wilcox and Tim DeRuyter came in soon after, with a 3-4 defense that would move Weaver to outside linebacker. Weaver didn't practice in spring of 2017 due to an injury, but returned for fall camp. He looked to somewhat buried on the depth chart there, so the Cal staff moved him to inside linebacker, where depth was lacking.

Watching those first couple of days of practice in 2017 was like watching a switch flip. Granted, Weaver was playing against second and third string guys, but the then-sophomore was running straight through gaps and making stops two or three yards deep in the backfield. Weaver, who played mostly as a backup, got some playing time after Devante Downs was injured, and racked up 55 tackles and two tackles for loss in 2017.

Then came 2018. Weaver had double digit tackle numbers in all but two games. He sacked JT Daniels twice in Cal's win over USC. He had an interception against Washington State. And he had his season defining play against Washington, a pick-six that gave Cal a massive boost toward a bowl game.

Weaver came back in 2019 as 'the guy,' with a new running mate in Kuony Deng and having shed 17 pounds in the offseason. He called his shot for the Washington game after a rough game one performance against UC Davis.

He went up to Washington, had 18 tackles and a forced fumble in the win over the Huskies. He had 22 tackles (a career high) and a game winning goal line stop against Ole Miss. He gave this interview after.

Weaver put up 20+ tackles two more times on the year (against Oregon State and Utah). He tackled people on campus, and it's possible he has one of the biggest personalities Cal has had since Marshawn Lynch.

Weaver capped off his final year at Cal with a couple big things:

- He helped take back the Axe

- He won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year

- He's on multiple 1st team All-American lists (AP, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Walter Camp, USA Today).

This interview with Evan and his father shows a lot of what this means to Cal's senior captain.

Weaver gets to chase history one last time in two weeks. He needs 21 tackles to break the tackles in a season record, a number he's hit three times this season. While the numbers are one thing, there's not much you can do to keep Weaver off a football field. Weaver, along with a few other Bears, was dealing with the flu going into the Big Game. It didn't stop him (he even joked that losing a limb wouldn't stop him in post-game press conference). I wouldn't bet against him breaking the record against Illinois, and it's absolutely something to watch.

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