Saffell Prepares to Take Center Stage

Cal offensive lineman Michael Saffell has some big shoes to fill this fall on a couple of fronts Fortunately his feet, both literally and metaphoricaly, seem big enough to manage it.

First, the 6-2, 293-pound Saffell is the presumed successor to Addison Ooms, who so capably manned the center position the last three years.

And Saffell has also taken over directing the Summer Reading Challenge, which was started by running back Patrick Laird a year ago. Wildly successful in its initial season, the program rewards elementary school students who read a prescribed number of books with tickets to Cal’s opening game, against UC Davis on Aug 31 this year.

“Laird and I have always talked about it,” Saffell said in a recent interview. “I had been begging and begging, ’Hey let me take it over, see what I can do.’”

That will be a sidelight to Saffell’s responsibilities as a student -- he’s enrolled in the undergraduate program at the Haas Business School -- and as a football player. The latter involves a comeback of sorts. He started at right guard the first six games of 2018, but sustained an injury that not only put him on the shelf for the rest of the season, but also kept him out of contact work this spring. He says that is all behind him now.

“I am feeling really good, definitely will be ready for training camp,” he said “I am back to all my workouts full-go. I am excited to be out there with the guys, stepping into more of a leadership position this year, being with all my o-line brothers, getting our workouts in.”

Head coach Justin Wilcox and offensive line coach Steve Greatwood have said the Saffell will get the first crack at replacing the graduated Ooms. He is ready for it.

“I played center when I was in high school,” he said. “My birth announcement said, ‘Our center has arrived.’ So hopefully the center has arrived at Cal, too.

“Guys in the offensive line room have got to be flexible, have got to play multiple positions. That’s pretty standard for offensive linemen, being able to slide into all five positions. Having that mental edge at multiple positions, knowing the nuances of the game as you move around.”

Ooms, of course, pretty much stayed put for three seasons, but he took the time to help groom his potential replacements including Saffell.

“Addy was a great mentor last year, so, too, was (tackle) Pat Mekari,” Saffell said. “Those two being on the offensive line and being able to play with them was awesome. Obviously, Addy, being able to take away from him was the mental processing of the game. That is huge for the center position in the Cal offensive line. ... A lot goes through the center, a lot of calls, being able to coordinate the offense, coordinate tempo, coordinate pace when we’re out there Just having that mental edge, seeing that older guy and the way he does it, the nuances. What I got to learn from him was invaluable for this year.”

His injury forced Saffell to wait to implement what he learned.

“It was definitely a challenge,” Saffell said of being idle this spring. “Being a competitor and loving about this game, loving the process, the hard work, being with my brothers, the guys in the 0-line room.”

He did pay attention to what was transpiring on the field and that helped not only in preparing for his return to action but also in his brief role as a broadcaster -- he contributed commentary on the telecast of Cal’s Spring Game on Pac-12 Networks.

“That was awesome. That was my exciting moment,” he said. “ When you are injured you’ve got to make yourself valuable somehow. I got to crack some jokes. I loved it. I know Coach Wilcox made the comment I’m not funny. I want to go on record and say that it’s a lie. I have heard him laugh at my jokes a million times before. He loves it.

“That was a great time. I just think it was more for the moms out there who thought it was funny. I had to go up there and have some fun, My mom thought it was the greatest thing ever. On the field, she doesn’t really care how I do, but she said, ’Oh my God that was amazing, but I’ve got a couple of pointers for you.’ “

Mothers do have a way of reminding you where you stand in the family pecking order. And it was family that inspired Saffell to take over the reading challenge.

“I developed a passion for reading from my dad. He was always a passionate reader,” Saffell said. “My dad is always sending me books and quotes from books. That is how I developed a passion for reading as I got into college.

“This (the Reading Challenge)  was something I thought was always going to have a big impact on the Bay Area and the Cal community. I am always interested in ways I can outreach, use being a football player and being a Cal Bear to reach kids and Bay Area schools. And my dad and I have been talking about it, what our vision is, how we can keep going with it. Now finally it is coming back around and I can get into it. I am very excited about it, very excited to have that opportunity to help people. It is an unbelievable thing that Patrick started and maybe I can even improve on it.”