After his redshirt season in 2021, frosh receiver Mavin Anderson has spent the first eight sessions of spring ball making his case to be an impact receiver for the Bears in 2022.
The list of evidence is growing every day that the former 4 star prep receiver can be a lethal option in what the Bears hope will be a significantly improved offense this season. Perhaps at the top of the list was Anderson’s electric 65-yard end-around touchdown in Saturday’s scrimmage where he effortlessly wove his way through the defense on his way to the end zone.
“That was amazing,” said Anderson. “We had the reverse set up. I came around the corner and everything was clear so it was just up to me to finish it.”
“Mavin had a big play on the first play of the second drive with the reverse, taking it to the house,” said Cal head coach Justin Wilcox. “it was an explosive play.”
Sitting behind three senior receivers as a frosh, Anderson had to bide his time for when he'd get his shot. Now that the first-team reps are there, the talented frosh is taking advantage of the opportunity.
“It’s like some release, for sure,” said Anderson. “it’s been something I’ve been dying to get out there and show what I can do as far as speed and use my talents and abilities for things like that so it was nice to kind of see it play out today.”
The high-level timing exhibited between the Bears’ young receivers and potential starting QBs Jack Plummer and Kai Millner so far in spring ball belies a chemistry that takes far more than a handful of spring practices together but rather significant time spent off the official practice field.
“I got together a lot with the quarterbacks and receivers definitely after the season,” said Anderson. “Extra routes, speed workouts, extra workouts at home-a combination of all that stuff.”
Anderson is impressed with the talent around him and feels the young receiving corps are ready to break out in 2022.
“Our receiver room is stacked this year,” noted Anderson. “We’ve got a whole bunch of guys, young and ready to compete. A good atmosphere, for sure.”
Though Anderson’s playing in the slot primarily, he's more than willing to do whatever he can to get on the field wherever he can.
“I'm playing in the slot, at the Z, trying to just be available wherever, whenever,” said Anderson. “In the passing game, what we're working into this year is someone who can take the top off and open up the middle and get some things on the outsides going. Usually, I’m matched up against a nickel or strong safety roll-down.”
Well-known from as far back as his early high school days for his grinding personal workouts, the additional work he puts in with his own trainers and additional work off the field add even more assurance that he's ready to break out.
“Definitely,” agreed Anderson. “It’s the work behind the scenes. Confidence is a big one. Confidence, building that memory, and just kind of having faith in yourself.
“I have a trainer for the gym, Coach Tony at Saddleback Strength, and Coach Emmanuel Moody back home, a former college running back. He gets me right as far as speed goes with linear speed, quick twitch, and all that stuff.”
Anderson's not alone in putting in the extra work to succeed this season, with his WR teammates joining in with the extra work to prepare to make a difference.
“It's a lot of long days in the film room,” said Anderson. “I’d say like an hour and a half after every practice, at least. A lot of routes over the weekend -every weekend in the offseason. 2-3 times a week, just go catch routes and make that off-field connection to have it come together on the field.”
Anderson and his WR room make it a point to take their bonds beyond the practice field, spending a lot of time together off the field, too, not to mention with their quarterbacks.
“All the time,” said Anderson. “We’re cool. It's not just on the field, it's off the field. And me and Kai are roommates and we’ve been hanging out with Jack, too.”
Anderson’s substantial field is more than evident on the practice field but he has definite competition in the speed arena.
So who's the fastest?
“I’d say me,” said Anderson with a smile. “Pretty confidently, to be honest.” As for if he’d get any arguments from teammates, he added, “Depends on who you ask. JMike Sturdivant - 10.37 100 guy. That’s my guy, though.”
Anderson noted that he ran a 10.73 100 in a state qualifier so for the distance of a full football field, he's in the ballpark, though plays seldom are so long in game time situations.
“We race all the time,” said Anderson. “I get him, he gets me. We have a threshold of 40 yards. the first 40, I get him. Then after 40, he pulls even. Ashton Stredick can run, too. Dejuan Butler -nickel, safety- he’s pretty fast, too. Lu-Magia Hearns is pretty fast, as well. All our DBs are fast. It's nice. It's good to sharpen my own iron against them.”
The time he spent getting acclimated to the world of collegiate football as a redshirt frosh in 2021 put Anderson in a position to be much more confident and prepared to make his mark this season.
“It's an element of relaxation and confidence on the field,” said Anderson. “That's the biggest thing. Having already been through the wringer once really helps. Kinda knowing how things go. The playbook, I've been really in my playbook this year trying to be available at whatever position. Those types of things give me confidence.”
Rather than scrambling for third-team reps as a frosh in 2021, Anderson saw lots of action on the scout team, with potential starting QB running thins behind center, mimicking the opposition’s offense to get the first team D ready.
“I was scout all last year, going against the first team guys," said Anderson. “My priority was to kind of get the best out of them and give them my all and get better so they can get better. It wasn't really a ‘take reps off’ thing. It was exactly the opposite.
Did the time spent running scout with Millner help build chemistry with his roommate?
“Oh definitely, yes,” said Anderson. “Fitting in scramble windows against the starting defense, stuff like that.”
The confident receiver also doesn't lack confidence about what his team can accomplish in 2022.
“We're going to be good this year. I have full confidence in this team that we’re going to be good. We've got a lot of young guys who really work hard and set the standard really well.”
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
One must be a coach to post at B.I. As a corollary, coaches are never wrong.
Hence, you have violated multiple community guidelines. Thereby, your account is suspended until all applicable, documented credentials are provided to management. Good day, sir.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
I tend to agree with Calumnus but every kid is different. Maybe he is determined to get a degree from Cal and wants the full 5 years to do so.
In general though with NIL and the transfer portal, we run the risk of star players leaving for greener pastures after showing what they can do. It's another one of the parade of horribles from the combo of annual free agency and legalized unlimited booster pay that we have now.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
If they were holding him back with a redshirt because they wanted to guarantee his eligibility in the 5th year, completely agree.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
Did you miss the Super Senior O line stories?
OL is different. OL can rarely contribute as freshmen and need time to develop and gain size and strength for the college game. That is one reason I believe we need to carry more than 12-15 on the roster.
Speed is speed and we need to get it on the field as soon as possible.
Again, in my original post I said "in general" so yeah, individuals will differ, situations will differ.
However, if Anderson has blazing speed and really is a potential all-conference player as a redshirt freshman, then I doubt he will be at Cal as a 5th year grad student and looking back, he likely could have helped us as a true freshman when many on this board complained about our 3 WRs who played nearly every down "looking slow" and "unable to achieve separation" especially by the end of the 4th quarter.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
If they were holding him back with a redshirt because they wanted to guarantee his eligibility in the 5th year, completely agree.
It may not have been thought out. The default in college football for most of its history was to "save eligibility" and not waste ("burn a redshirt") it unless the player would be a major contributor. 5th year seniors, still undergrads, were very common. Transfers were very rare and often meant losing a full year of eligibility. So kids stuck with the program and the chances you would get a more mature, skilled, stronger RS senior player were very high.
However that has changed. The NCAA instituted scholarship and roster limits. More recently the NCAA introduced the APR which requires players to be on the path to graduation in 4 years or they lose eligibility and the program can be penalized. Gone are the days when players could take a very light schedule, especially during the season, just planning to take 5 years to get the degree (or leave for the NFL without one). And you couldn't even leave for the NFL unless you played 4 years, with juniors as the exception. Now freshmen get drafted.
Exacerbating the effect of the APR is the increase in "early entry" players coming in the Spring, starting school early and hoping to compete for starting jobs in the Fall. Also, the university has tightened up its credit limits to eliminate perpetual undergrads.
This all means that if a player redshirts and plays a 5th year, they likely now will have a degree and need to be in a graduate program. We have added some graduate certificates so we are not losing players to Grad Transfer by default, but we are still losing players to Grad Transfer and the Portal. The odds that a player, especially a very talented player, stays for 5 years has dropped considerably. And in many cases you don't necessarily want a lesser talented player to use a scholarship for 5 years.
So the way football used to be, where redshirting most freshmen unless they would be major contributors was the default, has changed, but I am not sure college coaches, who often "go by the book" and don't challenge assumptions, have changed to the same degree.
Mavin worked on the scout team last year and stated that that experience and preparation has helped him immensely to be able to contribute this year. Additionally, being on scout allowed him time to learn the play book and acclimate to the speed of the college game. By all accounts, Mavin used his time wisely and seems to acknowledge that last year was a great experience for him that he needed in the adjustment from high school to college. And IIRC, Mavin had some injuries prior to and during the season that curtailed his involvement and required surgery. So, it would appear that ~ in this instant case ~ it all work out for the best for this student-athlete and Cal.
Mavin worked on the scout team last year and stated that that experience and preparation has helped him immensely to be able to contribute this year. Additionally, being on scout allowed him time to learn the play book and acclimate to the speed of the college game. By all accounts, Mavin used his time wisely and seems to acknowledge that last year was a great experience for him that he needed in the adjustment from high school to college. And IIRC, Mavin had some injuries prior to and during the season that curtailed his involvement and required surgery. So, it would appear that ~ in this instant case ~ it all work out for the best for this student-athlete and Cal.
Thanks for that additional info it does add some detail to this particular case.. We are happy with where Mavin is today, so it looks like it all worked out for a good result, but we will never know if "for the best" because we will never know what would have happened if he had a chance to run with the first team last year. And running with the second team does not lessen the chance of injury. Even if he stays as a 5th year senior it does not mean it was definitely the right decision, because we will never know what would have happened if he was part of the rotation last year (maybe he'd be even better this year).
Anyway, the decision on Mavin cannot be undone, we are all looking forward to seeing him play, so no need to debate his particular case. My main point is that in the future, generally, when we land top talent, especially speedy WRs, we should not redshirt them by choice. Speed, and fresh speed, kills. The future is uncertain, always try to maximize wins in the current year. Tgst is the best path to more wins in the future.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
Did you miss the Super Senior O line stories?
OL is different. OL can rarely contribute as freshmen and need time to develop and gain size and strength for the college game. That is one reason I believe we need to carry more than 12-15 on the roster.
Speed is speed and we need to get it on the field as soon as possible.
Again, in my original post I said "in general" so yeah, individuals will differ, situations will differ.
However, if Anderson has blazing speed and really is a potential all-conference player as a redshirt freshman, then I doubt he will be at Cal as a 5th year grad student and looking back, he likely could have helped us as a true freshman when many on this board complained about our 3 WRs who played nearly every down "looking slow" and "unable to achieve separation" especially by the end of the 4th quarter.
There's a lot more to the wr position than speed, route running and hands. Not many kids coming out of hs have the presence to perform on the college field. Intense concentration while on the field, remembering plays and routes, doing the little things, paying attention while on the sidelines, all kinds of things like that can make the difference for a true fr. I'm not saying that's what it was, but you can't discount the possibility.
Also, if you can't get the ball to a kid on a long pattern, why frustrate him?
One must be a coach to post at B.I. As a corollary, coaches are never wrong.
Hence, you have violated multiple community guidelines. Thereby, your account is suspended until all applicable, documented credentials are provided to management. Good day, sir.
There is a Coaches Only app for da real in the know coaches. It merged with Fans Only and Cyberbears.com though.
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
Did you miss the Super Senior O line stories?
OL is different. OL can rarely contribute as freshmen and need time to develop and gain size and strength for the college game. That is one reason I believe we need to carry more than 12-15 on the roster.
Speed is speed and we need to get it on the field as soon as possible.
Again, in my original post I said "in general" so yeah, individuals will differ, situations will differ.
However, if Anderson has blazing speed and really is a potential all-conference player as a redshirt freshman, then I doubt he will be at Cal as a 5th year grad student and looking back, he likely could have helped us as a true freshman when many on this board complained about our 3 WRs who played nearly every down "looking slow" and "unable to achieve separation" especially by the end of the 4th quarter.
There's a lot more to the wr position than speed, route running and hands. Not many kids coming out of hs have the presence to perform on the college field. Intense concentration while on the field, remembering plays and routes, doing the little things, paying attention while on the sidelines, all kinds of things like that can make the difference for a true fr. I'm not saying that's what it was, but you can't discount the possibility.
Also, if you can't get the ball to a kid on a long pattern, why frustrate him?
You make some good points. We have regularly heard players who are in the program their second year say that the prior year was very beneficial since the have learned the basics and the playbook and that in their second year they don't have to THINK about what they are doing. They can simply ACT. That split second it takes to THINK makes all the difference in the world
Looking forward to seeing the young guys on the field.
In general, I would not redshirt guys that have speed like that. Get them in the WR rotation running deep routes and wear out opposition DBs. These days you cannot count on players staying 4 years, much less a 5th.
Where do you coach?
What do you think are the chances he plays at Cal as a 5th year senior/grad student?
"God made more Wide-receivers than cornerbacks"Chip Kelly
Rotating multiple speed guys to run deep routes and wear down opposition CBs is a common aspect of modern offenses, including at Cal on the past.
I would like to think that, if he was ready to contribute over the starters/backup last year, the coaches would have played him. I don't mind him taking a year to learn and refine his skills and blowing up the league the following year. Hopefully we have a QB this year who can deliver the long ball to take advantage of his speed and hands.
It isn't a matter of either or, it is both. The idea is making opposition DBs work against a fresh guy running fast every down, until they are worn down.
Last year we played 3 WRs: Remigio, Crawford and Clark in every game, with Hunter appearing in 8 games making 21 catches. Baker, Young and Magnum were the only other WRs to play and had few appearances and only 12 catches between them. Basically 3 or 4 WRs played every down.
Now, I would agree with you a mitigating factor is that between Garbers and our OL we did not have much of a credible deep passing game, so DBs might not even cover him running a deep route (especially if putting him in signals a running play).
However, if he is capable of "blowing up the league" this year, he definitely should have played last year because he would have helped and there is no way he plays as a 5th year grad student.
Anyway, water under the bridge, but we definitely need to get speed onto the field, even if as a freshman, and the previous bias towards redshirting needs to be reevaluated in light of the realities of the transfer portal.
Did you miss the Super Senior O line stories?
OL is different. OL can rarely contribute as freshmen and need time to develop and gain size and strength for the college game. That is one reason I believe we need to carry more than 12-15 on the roster.
Speed is speed and we need to get it on the field as soon as possible.
Again, in my original post I said "in general" so yeah, individuals will differ, situations will differ.
However, if Anderson has blazing speed and really is a potential all-conference player as a redshirt freshman, then I doubt he will be at Cal as a 5th year grad student and looking back, he likely could have helped us as a true freshman when many on this board complained about our 3 WRs who played nearly every down "looking slow" and "unable to achieve separation" especially by the end of the 4th quarter.
There's a lot more to the wr position than speed, route running and hands. Not many kids coming out of hs have the presence to perform on the college field. Intense concentration while on the field, remembering plays and routes, doing the little things, paying attention while on the sidelines, all kinds of things like that can make the difference for a true fr. I'm not saying that's what it was, but you can't discount the possibility.
Also, if you can't get the ball to a kid on a long pattern, why frustrate him?
You make some good points. We have regularly heard players who are in the program their second year say that the prior year was very beneficial since the have learned the basics and the playbook and that in their second year they don't have to THINK about what they are doing. They can simply ACT. That split second it takes to THINK makes all the difference in the world
Of course, but that comes with second year players whether they play or redshirt.
There are some positions that require you to know the entire playbook, and some positions where you don't. A speedy freshman WR can stretch and tire out a CB knowing only a handful of routes.
I completely agree that if the QB and OL are not allowing for a meaningful deep passing game it doesn't make much difference. If you are relying on timing, better to have your sure handed precise route runners who have played many downs with the 5th year senior QB. So again, as stated in my original post, my suggestion is "in general" it no longer makes sense to redshirt top recruits that can at least contribute as freshmen. Not saying that is or is not the case in this particular instance.
We had a bump in recruiting and I was disappointed we did not see our highly rated freshmen WRs. We did see the freshmen TEs and played further into our depth there.
