It's the final week of Cal's 2021 season, and it's not a week anyone on the team expected. No one on the team expected to play USC December 4th, unless it was for the Pac-12 Title, but there's still pride in seeing some of the younger guys develop, per Elijah Hicks.

"Going into the season we were planning on going to a Pac-12 championship," Hicks said, "we didn't reach those goals, we wanted to go to a bowl game and we didn't do that either, but one of the things I'm most proud of is that we saw a lot of young guys play, especially in the secondary, and saw them develop each week."

Hicks is one of nine super-seniors that has exhausted his eligibility at Cal, along with offensive lineman Valentino Daltoso.

"I don't know if it has fully hit me yet," Daltoso noted, "there's a lot of emotions for the seniors this week. It's bittersweet, I'm excited for the next step, but you look back and reminisce on everything you've done."

Those nine, plus a few others, will walk during Cal's senior day festivities Saturday evening, as a handful still have decisions to make.

"I'd love to sit and talk about them," Wilcox said,"because these guys are top notch human beings. I'm going to miss them. There are still a few guys that have decisions to make, there are some guys who are walking that may play another season for us, it's too early to determine that yet. You talk about guys like Elijah, every day since I've been here, he's been here, I love him and all that he stands for, it's going to be hard not having him around, but it's his time, we want to honor him with our performance on Saturday, and I'm going to be a big Elijah Hicks fan forever. I could go down the list, Val, walked on at Oregon, joined us, and has been through a lot here, Marcel Dancy, it's hard for me because there's so many guys."

In total, there are 25 total seniors (21 on scholarship), with 14 having a decision to make, one already returning for 2022, and one needing a waiver to play beyond 2021

Who Has Exhausted Eligibility

S Elijah Hicks - Hicks has played in every single game of the Justin Wilcox era, the only player on this list to do so over the previous five years.

CB Josh Drayden - Drayden is one of two members from the 2016 recruiting class among this group, as he holds the record for most games played (55 counting this final weekend)

DL Luc Bequette - With a seventh year of college football coming to an end, Bequette will play his final game in Memorial Stadium Saturday night. Bequette will have played in 53 games at Cal for his career, with 49 starts. He'll have made 60 college starts total, thanks to his time at Boston College

OLB Cameron Goode - The other member of Cal's 2016 recruiting class on here, Goode has been one of the two most productive members of that class, along with former Cal ILB Evan Weaver. Goode is tied for 9th in sacks for a Cal player with 20.5 in his career

OL Valentino Daltoso - Daltoso came to Cal after walking on at Oregon, getting a scholarship with the Bears in 2017. He has since started ten games at every offensive line position except for center.

WR Kekoa Crawford - Crawford started his career at Michigan, coming to Cal in 2019 and staying for two more years. He has routinely been Chase Garbers favorite target throughout the past three season, and has career highs in receptions and yards in 2021.

WR Trevon Clark - Clark, who transferred in from El Camino College, playing for former Cal WR Geoff McArthur, has had a strong season after leaving the team for personal reasons in 2020. Clark has had two 100+ yard games in 2021 and had the longest pass play in Big Game history with a 84 yard catch and run

RB Marcel Dancy - Dancy has been at Cal for the past four years after transferring in as a walk-on from Laney College. Dancy had one of his strongest career performances against Stanford, with 4 carries for 92 yards and 2 TDs.

LS Daniel Etter - Etter, in his sixth year as a walk-on long snapper, is a Berkeley native (with his father Steve working as a professor in the Haas School of Business), and he made his second career appearance in the Big Game, snapping on Cal's final extra point.

Who Has a Decision to Make

OLB Kuony Deng - Deng, who has been out since the TCU game, could technically have a year due to injury, but that seems unlikely for the sixth year senior. Deng has NFL level size and measurables, and has the opportunity to get a shot at the next level, but Wilcox noted that Deng will have a decision to make moving forward.

TE Collin Moore - Moore does have a COVID year of eligibility left, but has previously said this year was his last season. That could ostensibly change, but Moore's final Cal game could be Saturday, in a year where he has started 10 of Cal's 11 games so far.

QB Chase Garbers - Garbers has a COVID year of eligibility left, and has hit career highs in passing yards, touchdown passes, rushing yards, and rushing TDs this year.

QB Ryan Glover - Glover has used his COVID year, but has a redshirt year available if he wants to use it.

RB Christopher Brooks - Brooks has been Cal's top running back over the last three seasons, and has started three games this season, as the senior has both a COVID year of eligibility and a redshirt year

WR Nikko Remigio - Remigio noted after the UCLA game that he had a decision to make in the next couple weeks, with a COVID year of eligibility and a redshirt year. Remigio leads Cal in receptions and return yards, both kickoff and punt.

TE Jake Tonges - Cal's leading receiver among tight ends, Tonges walked on in 2017, earned a scholarship in 2019, and has been a consistent starter since. He has a COVID year of eligibility remaining.

TE Gavin Reinwald - Cal flipped the Elk Grove TE from Hawaii, played him in 2017, redshirted him to bulk up in 2018, and Reinwald has filled an H-Back role ever since

OL Sami Nazzal - Nazzal walked on from CCSF, hasn't played and could redshirt

DL Aaron Maldonado - Maldonado has played sparingly this year after recovering from injury, and has his redshirt year as well as a COVID year.

OLB Matt Horwitz - Horwitz, a fifth year walk-on, saw his first action against TCU, and has a COVID year if he doesn't choose to move on.

CB Branden Smith - Smith has played mainly as a backup during his time at Cal, and has a COVID year of eligibility remaining.

S Daniel Scott - Scott has been one of Cal's most consistent players as a safety, having started the past two seasons at the spot. He has a COVID year, and is someone who the Bears would love to have back

K Nico Ramos - Ramos, a walk-on transfer from Princeton, has not played this year and has a redshirt year.

Who's Staying

P Jamieson Sheahan - Sheahan told the media he'll be staying for 2022 during fall camp

Who Needs a Waiver

OLB Marqez Bimage - Wilcox has noted that they're trying to get a waiver for Bimage to ostensibly play another year, but it's in the 'NCAA's hands'

- OLB Kuony Deng is doubtful for the Bears finale against USC

- This would normally be a week for in-home visits, which Cal did a little bit of Sunday. With them having a game, they're working the phones on the recruiting side, and they're sending director of on-campus recruiting Benji Palu out to see their commits this week.

"We had a couple Sunday night visits," Wilcox noted, "the coaches are preparing for the game and we need to give that our full attention. We're still on the phones recruiting and we were able to obtain a waiver because of our unique rescheduling of the game, where one of our non-coaching staff members can go out and do home visits. We've got one of our finest out representing, and he will see our committed athletes this week."