Wilcox Talks About New Additions to Program and Changes on Tap

After yesterday’s National Signing Day, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox fielded questions ranging from the prep and portal additions to some of the new staff. Overall, he expressed satisfaction with where they're at in this stage of the process, with the late signing period coming up in another six weeks.

“It's a great start to the recruiting cycle, Wilcox said. “I think we're all used to in the past signing days being in the end. It's really just kind of the first step now in terms of how your roster's gonna shake up. So we think it's a really good start. We signed 14 and that will grow into January, and as we hit February. So 14 today. Nine of those on defense, four on offense, a big athlete, five transfers, and one of those being Byron Cardwell.

“We recruited him heavily out of high school and were in it till the very end and he went to Oregon. And then when he got in the transfer portal, we kept those communications going the past couple weeks. And we were able to get him on a visit, committed and signed up. So, very talented guy. We knew about him for a long time. We got a heck of a back with him and Jayden Ott and the way we're gonna play offense, (we use) at least two running backs. So we feel great about him joining us.

“The way we're gonna run the offense, you need multiple backs. Jaydn Ott is a spectacular player. We think the world of Jaydn. He's gonna do great things for us, and we think Byron can have a huge impact as well. There's no reason that you can't also run some two back stuff. So we're we're eager to get them both going.”

Wilcox was asked about the primary difference between recruiting high school athletes and portal transfers.

“Probably the time you get to know them,” Wilcox noted. “High school kids, a lot of them, you have built relationships over time and in the transfer portal, you have a lot less time. Now a couple of these guys like Byron and Kaylin Moore we recruited out of high school, so we knew them prior because we recruited them out of high school. But a couple of these young guys, like Sergio Allen being one, Nohl Williams, we didn't as a staff know as well. Tre Watson knew him (Williams) because he recruited him to UNLV, but that process really happens within a short timeframe, a couple weeks or so. So just a little bit different than we're all accustomed to, but I think they've been through the process once before, so they're specific on what they're looking for and we can be real informative in that recruiting process the second time around, and hopefully be really efficient with those transfer portal guys. But it is different.”

Currently the Bears stand at 10 players officially in the transfer portal, with at least three more who have graduated and moved on in safety Daniel Scott, OLB Odua Isibor and punter Jamieson Sheahan that are known about. With eight 2023 signed prep recruits and six transfer additions, with plans to add more transfers and late signing recruits, there are certainly more planning to depart, either through the portal, graduation and retirement or injury retirement.

Wilcox was asked about additional planned departures they’re aware of but have yet to be announced.

“Are you talking about like the six-year guys or the fourth, fifth, six-year guys that are just gonna be moving on with graduation?” asked Wilcox. “I'll let those guys announce that. We're aware of all of them, kind of what they're planning on. Now there are guys that are still making decisions, however, of the final ones that we were informed today, which we're excited about, (essentially) one of our, our biggest recruits of the day is Matt Cindrich, who's gonna be joining us for his sixth year. So that was good news to hear today. But some of these other guys will be, as you mentioned finishing out their academic career and, and moving on.”

While he wouldn’t get into specific numbers of additional currently unannounced planned departures, Wilcox did note how many slots they expected to be available when all is said and done.

“Well, I'd put it like this. We signed what, 14 today? I would anticipate by February we're probably gonna sign somewhere between 20 and 25,” noted Wilcox. “I know that's quite a range, but that's the likely number. And then even more potentially in the summer.”

A key element to the 2023 makeover of the program is the arrival of new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, who will be making his return to the program 7 years after holding the same position for a year under Sonny Dykes in his last year in the program in 2016 after four years at the helm.

The flexibility in Spavital’s playcalling and formations from season to season was often dependent on the type of personnel he had at his disposal and he tailored his offense to the strengths of his playmakers instead of trying to put a square peg into a round hole. 

“Jake - one the really impressive things about him is he's done it different ways,” noted Wilcox “You look at his track record of offense and quarterback play and it really speaks for itself. And one of the things you notice if you watch the different offenses is they're not necessarily the same year to year. There were certain years they were more 12 personnel, certain years more 11, some years more 10, like here in 2016. So ultimately the players on the roster will drive the personnel groupings, but the threat of tempo, the ability to isolate skill players -and we feel like we got some really good skill players on our team- the ability to isolate those guys and give the quarterback answers and make it a QB friendly. I think all that shows up in the run game, too.

“So having Jake and then now Coach Bloesch, who's done an unbelievable job in the run game, I think that's gonna be a really fun pairing for our offense. So the roster will ultimately decide the strengths. But he's done a great job wherever he is been with the run game, the RPO game, the isolation of the skill players, and making sure we get our best players, the ball in the best situations that we can. So in getting to Jake, early on in the process as we were gonna hire a new offensive coordinator, we identified him as a guy that would be a great fit because he had been here before and because of his track record.

“We thought that was gonna be very important. And so I met with him early on, just after the season finished. And to be honest, I didn't know that we were gonna be able to sign him up and we were able to continue the talks and he and I had great conversations, and the people who were here with him in 2016 in the building, everybody says the same thing about him. He's just a great guy to work with. He's great with the players. He coaches them really well. He coaches them to be accountable. He's a really strong recruiter. And so when the opportunity came for us to be able to hire him, we, we jumped at it.”

While Wilcox wouldn’t get into the details of conversations with QBs Jack Plummer and Kai Millner about their rumored transfer portal plans, he did add some color.

“We do,” said Wilcox when asked if they were aware of both QBs’ plans. “Here's what I'll say: Both Jack and Kai have been great for us. All those guys have individual decisions to make.

“I'll tell you, we're gonna be very active in recruiting the quarterback position - high school and transfer quarterbacks. And again, those guys have done a great job for us. It's not my place to announce their intentions, (we) really appreciate both of them and we're gonna be active in pursuing quarterbacks moving forward.”

With senior Jack Plummer entering the portal and redshirt soph Kai Millner reportedly strongly considering the same, Spavital will play a big role in who the Bears extend offers to through the portal and in the prep ranks to beef up the QB room and look for a new starter.

Wilcox was asked about what both he and Spavital are looking for going forward in a QB to be able to successfully run their new offense post-Musgrave era.

“We talked at length about this prior to getting to where we are now, but I think QBs come in different shapes and sizes and ultimately it's about getting the best QB on the field that you can, and then building the offense in a way that he can be successful,” noted Wilcox. “Mobility is a priority. I think if you look at in this day and age, having somebody that can either be a threat in the run game or get you out of trouble if the protection breaks down. It doesn't mean that a less mobile guy can't play at a high level. But I think mobility is key. Accuracy is always gonna be up there, an accurate passer. The processing element - decision-making is always key. And then ultimately somebody that can move the team down the field and put the ball in the end zone.

“Again, QBs come in different shapes and sizes, but there's some kind of some traits that we both agreed that are most productive when you're looking for a quarterback.”

An elephant in the room was the program’s distinct need for offensive lineman to plug holes and improve overall talent. The hope is that new OL Coach Mike Bloesch will have a positive impact to jump start OL recruiting efforts that really stalled this season, with no OL commits or transfers to date in a unit that needs help.

“He's got a lot of contacts. Mike's a proven recruiter and has relationships that kind of span the country in terms of offensive linemen,” said Wilcox. “And he's done a great job. He was balancing coaching in his bowl game, which I can appreciate, and wanting to fulfill his responsibility there and also be an active part in our recruiting process. So he's now here full-time and grinding and, and his background in college football and his recruiting contacts that’s of pretty significant scope. So we're looking forward to continuing that process through January.

“It is a priority and we will continue throughout the month of January to recruit that position very heavily. We've already secured some visits, but it is a priority for us and it's also a competitive environment. We wanna make sure that the guys that we are bringing in here have the ability to help us.

“It is a very competitive environment looking for proven offensive lineman. We will bring some guys in in January. Uh, that, and again, it'll be a competitive recruiting cycle. There's also some guys on the roster who have the ability to improve. I think some of the things offensively that we'll be doing with that group might give them some better opportunities with the RPO game and some of the things that we're gonna do in the run and pass game, so we expect the current roster to continue to improve, and we're gonna add competition, as long as we feel like the guys that are coming in have the ability to help us, much like the defensive back room.”

Besides Cardwell, who Wilcox was asked about first, he also addressed some of the other new additions.

The program added three transfer defensive backs last week in Colorado DB Kaylin Moore‍, UNLV DB Nohl Williams‍ and JC transfer Matt Littlejohn‍. A common characteristic in the three new additions if there positional flexibility and ability to play corner, safety or in the slot.

“Yeah, corners and nickels, I do think a couple of them have the ability to play multiple positions. We wanted to add competition into that room. We really like the DBs coming back, but that room needs more and more competition. So I think all those guys, when we watched them, we felt like would have the ability to come in here and help us. We knew Kalin, we saw two of them play up, up close and personal (this season vs. Colorado and UNLV). And then Matt, this fall did some really good things at his junior college. So again, it was one of those positions we felt like we were gonna go heavy on in this year's class.”

Salinas receiver Nyziah Hunter‍ is one of the most athletic and fastest players in Cal’s ‘23 class and should add a nice element to Cal’s talented WR room.

“Yeah, (he’s) really, really talented,” said Wilcox. “All-around athlete. He's got good size and he can really run. We feel like he's got a really high ceiling because of those physical tools. And I think he's just scratching the surface as a football player, but he did a lot of things, a multi-sport athlete. So we're looking forward to getting him on the field.”

Wilcox was also asked about Serra (Gardena, CA) DL Frederick Williams III‍, who was listed at 250 lbs and who has also played several positions and is listed by some as an AHT rather than DE or DT.

“Yeah, he is actually bigger than that,” noted Wilcox “He's about 6 260+ right now. He was a high school receiver I think two years ago. And then he grew a lot and he's now a really big frame athlete and he's gonna be a D-line or O-line candidate. Really his body will determine which position he ends up at.”

Rancho Cotate athlete Sailasa Vadrawale‍ excelled on both sides of the ball for 10-2 Rancho Cotate, putting up stellar numbers as both a receiver and safety/corner, not to mention adding a few TDs on the ground and on special teams this seaso.

“Right now we're looking at him as a DB,” said Wilcox of Vadrawale. “Things can change, but that's our plan coming in is for him to start on the defensive side of the ball,

“He’s a really productive player. It's nice seeing a DB play good on offense. And I think a good example would be Jeremiah Earby. Jeremiah was a really talented high school wideeout, and then you saw the ball skills transfer once he got here to play DB. So we'd hope for the same (with Vadrawale).

One of the most recent additions, former Clemson inside linebacker Sergio Allen‍, was a bit out of the norm of the typical Cal recruiting profile having prepped in Georgia while garnering recruits from a who’s who of the Power-5 bluebloods like Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida and more before committing to Clemson in 2020. However at Clemson, he found himself behind a 2^nd team All-American and 2^nd team All-Conference pair of ILBs so his playing time as been limited. That looks to change at Cal, where there’s a recent opening with starter Femi Oladejo departing for UCLA through the transfer portal.“(He was) a very talented guy in high school,”noted Wilcox of Allen. “Highly recruited for a reason. He played in a very deep room there (at Clemson). So we think he's got the ability to help us and we’re glad to have him. He went in the transfer portal and we contacted him immediately and we did the video evaluation, the academic evaluation. Then we started to get to know him. That's how it works. As soon as they go in the portal, we evaluate them.”

Besides Cardwell, the Bears also added McClymonds running back Jaivian Thomas‍, a speedy back who ran for over 2,500 yards this season for state runner-up McClymonds.

“We were trying to get as many good players on the roster as possible,” said Wilcox. “And he is a young man who's got demonstrated speed and you watch him play in high school and he is a guy that's very, very difficult to catch and really people don't catch at that level. So we're looking for that to transfer over and we'll be glad to get him on campus.”

The recruiting calendar post NSD day moves into a quiet period except for a brief window of 1/4-1/8 for transfers who will enroll at their new program in the fall. The late signing day will be Wednesday February 1 for prep players who didn’t sign in the early signing period. Transfer players can sign any time since they are generally signing scholarship agreements rather than National Letters of Intent.

Related:

Cal Football '23 NLI Signing Day Central