The Offensive Line
Lots of good discussion in a variety of threads about who is returning at OL, who the Bears have landed to date and how to think about the coaching staff's impact.Let's start with the fact that the OL has underperformed the past two seasons and 4 of the last 5 years. Anae is being retained and he was that groups leader in 2025. They've added a second OL coach particularly to oversee the Tackles and that's a significant move.It allows Anae to be the energy guy, the recruiting whiz and focus on the IOL where frankly Cal did get a lot better in 2025. At the same time, you have someone focused on the techinque's and unique mental challenges of playing tackle in todays football.The question becomes was it talent or coaching or both? One thing we've seen around the country is that the best OLs generally had continuity being developed within a program, with a consistent system and coaching staff. Thus, the grass is not always greener simply by adding players who performed well elsewhere. And recognizing that your best players in 2026 may be players who struggled as they learned in 2025 or were not yet ready to play.Our evaluation of this position group relative to the portal was that it was a Medium priority with few must retains. Morrow was one of those as was Moko. The challenge with Morrow is his mental focus - is he physically and mentally tough enough to realize his athletic potential? The new staff made a decision to not retain him. Moko's eligibility is still a question and the Hawaii Bowl post game was not an ideal springbroad for his retention. The staff really likes the returning core and believes they will be better as a result of continuity and development. Ruffins, Williams III, Vatikani and Swinney represent a core of four players with a ton of starts and added to that is Lamar Robinson who they like a lot but who battled injury issues in 2025. This is a veteran group of all RS Junior and Seniors that have now been together under Anae for a year. This is the foundation.Coach Anae also loves the potential of some of the youngsters including Justin Hasenhuetl and Mike Klisiewicz. Both are going to have a real chance to earn a spot in the two deeps at the very least this Spring and Fall Camps.Thus far in the portal, Cal has added two players: RS Soph Mykeal Rabess and Sophomore Jacob Arrop at Tackle. Rabess is really a talented athlete although without a lot of experience. Arrop is another high ceilinged player whose performance this year is not felt to be indicative of his potential in 2026. Both are perceived as potential starters. A lot was learned in terms of the mental makeup and mindset that works for Anae and that filter informed these additions.That means the Bears (at this point) have WIlliams III, Rabess, Arrop, Hasenhuetl and Klisiewicz at Tackle with a possibility of another starter level addition.The IOL core is Ruffins, Vatikani, Swinney and Robertson and look for another addition to this room through the portal. Another IOL is a possibility to be added. The last two years have shown a lot of money being spent on proven OL by other programs without a great ROI. And this years OL class hasn't been strong. Programs are getting better at retaining proven OL (particularly OT) along with proven CBs and Edge rushers. Those are key priorities. You have to be careful not to get caught up on trying to win the portal vs. making your team better. This is a position group that is worthy of curiosity and concern given the past few seasons and the retention of a lot of the current core as well as Anae. The proof will be in the pudding. The Bears have to get better Tackle play in 2026 and more mental and physical consistency throughout.
BI Camp Report II
A beautiful, sunny day in Memorial.IMO, a better overall practice. Playing faster, athleticism flashing more often, more feistiness.Position groups that stood out:Offensive Line: Power running was effective. Some nice lanes in the 7v7 running drills. Very impressed with Ruffins at RG, Miller at RT and Robinson at CenterRunning Backs: Raphael had a really good day. He's got good vision, and quick feet and change of direction. High and Johnson also played well though LJ can continue to work on his receiving skills. That's a growth opportunity for Wiley as wellSecondary: This group will likely take a few lumps this season as it's young but its athletic. Masses and Austin made several good plays, Austin in particular flashing catch up speed on a Grizzell long TD and then ripping the ball out as they went to the ground in the end zone. Hudson flashed today as did Manutai, who hit 21mph on his catapult tracker during practice. Place Kickers: Both Meyer and Murray were hitting them at a high clip on the inside 40s. Chase is more consistent right now with Murray showing the bigger leg. Some individual player thoughts:Josiah Wagoner looks noticeably bigger. He's going to be fighting with Shemwell and Sidney for a starting job. He's a very twitchy athlete with a high ceilingTyson Ruffins has cemented himself a starting role at guard. He's playing at a high level.Braden Miller is also playing well and established himself as a leader and someone whose mental preparation is exceptionalLamar Robinson is playing well at Center and will need to hold off Daveion Harley for the starting roleVatikani's best is very good, it's all about consistency for him. He's had a good start to campJordan Moko's coming off an injury as is Nick Morrow and that can be a challenge as players want to be at their best and win a starting spotKhamari Hudson had a really good day, several pass breakups, a good read on a run play and a near interception. While there's no Nohl Williams out there, the depth at CB may well be better than it was a year agoTJ Bollers had a good day, and looks to be in the mix to start alongside Keanaaina. I was impressed with the younger DL in the 1:1 drills, particularly Ike Okafor and Michael-Anthony Okwura. They are far more active and playing faster. I spent more time on the sideline which is great as it goes well beyond listed weights and instead allows you to see bodies up close. The S&C difference is marked and material. Heard today that an FCS transfer last year complained that his old schools S&C was better than Cal's. The Bears look leaner and bigger. Numbers were up for almost every player in terms of muscle, strength, power, speed, explosion. Not across the board for every player in every measurement but every player improved somewhere without going back anywhere and plenty of players saw gains everywhereTyson Ford is rusty not having played this Spring, yet he looks to me like a contributor. Very big and athletic. Getting his technique right and his pad level down will allow him to earn a lot of snaps.Zae Smith popped again. He's more powerful and harder to move than I had expected. Was effective in 1:1 pass rush drills as wellDejesus and Adams both had moments, particularly in 7s. Adams caught the ball better today and he can scoot. Landon Morris and Jeffrey Johnson both had multiple nice catchesjayden Wayne was getting the 1 snaps opposite McCulloch and had several pressuresTrue freshman tackle Mike Klisiewicz has turned heads. He's really big and moves well. A potential future star. Dominic Ingrassia looks to have taken a step forward at QB. He looks more confident and comfortable than he did this SpringThe focus at this point continues to be on teaching and technique. Offensively in 11s, an emphasis on the run game and short passing game. The big things to watch for is the upcoming night scrimmage on Saturday the 9th will be the passing offense vs. passing defense, as well as how emerges as the playmakers at WR, TE, RB, OLB and in the secondary
The Football Roster Post Spring - The Offensive Line Room
While most of the roster additions were done in the Winter portal, Cal did have some movement in the OL room this Spring with the depth chart remaining relatively murky following Spring ball
11 mo ago by
Bear Insider
Cal Football Depth Chart in 2025 - The Offense
Bear Insider's view of the depth chart as Cal is just over two weeks away from kicking off Spring Ball
The 2025 vs 2024 Program Overview - The Offensive Line
Bear Insider will break down every aspect of the program, charting 2024 performance, post season roster changes and a forward looking projections for each unit. Starting with the trenches