Remigio: From Newcomer to Old-Timer in One Year

A year ago Nikko Remigio was a wide-eyed freshman wide receiver trying to figure out a complex offense and where his classes were. 

Now he is one of the more experienced receivers the Bears have in a unit that was decimated by graduation and transfers. He realizes his responsibilities have changed. His college experience consists of just nine games, but the coaches will look to him to take a leadership role.

“I think it would only be right that having that game experience and having a better understanding of the offense than the newer guys that are coming in. It has been a full year being in this program,” he said. “I feel very familiar with it, very comfortable with it. Taking on a leadership role is something that suits me very well.”

Getting up to speed on the Cal offense took a little time, but Remigio played in eight of the last nine games, starting two, including the Cheez-It Bowl. In the contest against TCU, he had his season-high of five receptions for 21 yards. For the season, he caught 11 passes for 62 yards.

Most freshmen would be content with numbers like that. Not Remigio. “I am a competitor. To be honest, I am a little disappointed with the way my freshman year went,” he said. “I will always have a bad taste in my mouth because of my competitive nature. Anything short of phenomenal, I am not satisfied. My mentality going into workouts, going into PRPs (Player Run Practices), going into the film room revolves around that dissatisfaction. And I try to turn into something that motivates me to do better.”

He started “doing better” during Spring Practice. And in the Spring Game, he was the leading receiver with six receptions. 

‘We were putting a lot of emphasis on gaining chemistry with (Chase) Garbers and (Devon) Modster,” he said. “What I was able to do showed in the spring game and what I did there. I am still not satisfied with it. It was obvious there was some sort of chemistry built up there that made it go very well.”

And while getting in sync with the quarterback is important. Remigio feels that all the shuffling at the position contributed to some of the offensive struggles last season.

“I think that definitely was a factor hindering us as an offense,” he said. “Having a chemistry as an offense is one of the most important things besides the talent level and the knowledge everybody has,” he said. “And I think we have really put an emphasis in gaining that this offseason. And it shows. You can see the difference in our PRPs we come together really well.”

Something else that should help the offense is Garbers’ improvement and comfort level. 

“I have seen a lot of growth,” Remigio said. “Just having a year under his belt, gaining that confidence as a QB. Being able to really lead the offense and claim it as his own was one of the biggest growths that I have seen in him. He has been really proactive in getting with the guys and making sure everybody is on the same page and making sure everybody is doing things right, even in the workouts and the weight room. He has really shaped up and taken that leadership role.”

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Nikko Remigio caught six passes in the Spring Game

One noted weakness of the Cal passing attack in recent years has been the relative absence of the deep ball. Remigio said that is being corrected.”We have a lot more deep patterns,” he said, “And we’ve repped some of them in our PRPs and they work really well. It will be interesting to see how it works out in fall camp. People will be happy to see how this offense has progressed.”

Head coach Justin Wilcox has made a point of praising Remigio’s blocking ability, despite his small stature. “Blocking is all mentality,” said the 5-10 Remigio. “It shows your maximum effort. I think when you a receiver that can block it shows the DB that you have that ‘dog’ mentality.

“’I am not only going to catch passes on you, I am going to be in your face, too,’ If you put that type of pressure on a defensive back, that’s when they start making mistakes. I think it ties in to the whole game as a receiver.”

He said that his work in the weight room will make him more effective when dealing with the bigger defenders.

“I can thank Coach (Torre) Becton for that,” he said, “He has prepared me to take on those bigger guys. I have put on eight or nine pounds. I am at 187 right now. I think I am at a good weight

“I feel like I’m the fastest and strongest that I have ever been my entire life. I feel great. This weight will be the most comfortable.”

Remigio had something of a security blanket last year. There were five other graduates of Mater Dei High on the Cal roster: Chase Forrest, Malik McMorris, Justin Norbeck, Addison Ooms and Matt Rockett. 

“I think those guys were very important to me coming into the program as a new player,” Remigio said. “I think they welcomed me to the team with open arms … I think those guys played a huge role in helping me familiarize myself with the program and with my teammates.”

The others are all gone now, but because of their guidance Remigio has established himself with the rest of his teammates.

And Mater Dei is also currently represented by walk-on freshman kicker Nick Lopez and next year an even more prominent addition.

 Chris Street, a top-flight running back who spent two years at Mater Dei before transferring to JSerra Catholic, has already committed to the Bears and will be a freshman in 2020. Remigio was part of the contingent of current players who hosted Stewart on his official visit.

“I think that’s always a really cool thing to have somebody you know host you and show you around,” Remigio said. He added that Cal fans might see contributions from Street right away. 

“He is one hell of an athlete,” he said. “You watch his film. He is something else. Really good guy, too.”

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