Ten On Media’s Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
SAN FRANCISCO – Cal has 10 selections on Phil Steele's 2022 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team announced Wednesday with first-teamers Daniel Scott and Jackson Sirmon leading the way. Brett Johnson was a second-team pick, while Nick Alftin, Matthew Cindric, Ben Coleman, Lu-Magia Hearns III, Dario Longhetto, Damien Moore and Olwuafemi Oladejo picked up honorable mention honors.
Cal has now had a total of 13 student-athletes earn a spot on at least one preseason All-Pac-12 team with notes on each below and an extended bio available by clicking on each of their names.
Nick Alftin, TE, 6-5, 230, R-Sr., 5th Season At Cal (Woodside, CA/Archbishop Mitty HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection of the league's coaches as a special teams player prior to his 2022 senior season
— Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors from the league's coaches and Cal's J. Scott Duncan Award as the team's Most Valuable Special Teams Player as a 2021 junior when he played in all 12 games off the bench and had both of Cal's blocked kicks (both punts) to co-lead the Pac-12 while ranking tying for second nationally
— Also registered six of his nine career tackles as a 2021 junior
— Has played in 29 career contests since his arrival at Cal in 2018 including one start at outside linebacker as a 2019 redshirt freshman at Ole Miss in 2019
— Started his Cal career as an outside linebacker before switching to tight end during fall camp in his 2018 true freshman season but returned to outside linebacker prior to the Bears' game at Ole Miss in 2019 due to multiple injuries at the position, moved back to tight end two weeks later and has remained there since
Matthew Cindric, OL, 6-4, 295, R-Sr., 5th Season At Cal (Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 third-team (Athlon), fourth-team (Phil Steele) and honorable mention (Pac-12 Media) selection, as well as a member of the preseason Rimington Trophy Watch List prior to his 2022 senior campaign
— One of two Cal student-athlete representatives along with Daniel Scott at 2022 Pac-12 Football Media Day
— Has played in 28 games with 27 starts over the past three seasons with 14 starts at right guard and 13 at center including 11 of 12 contests during his 2021 junior campaign when he earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors from the league's coaches
— Helped Cal roll up over 500 yards of total offense in three contests as a 2021 junior (636 at Stanford, 534 vs. Sacramento State, 517 vs. Oregon State) and more than 200 yards rushing on four occasions (352 at Stanford, 255 vs. Oregon State, 246 vs. Sacramento State, 213 vs. Colorado)
— Helped Cal break a Big Game record as a 2021 junior with 636 total yards of offense that were its most since also compiling 636 in a double overtime home win over Oregon in 2016, while the Golden Bears' 352 rushing yards were their most since rushing for 431 against Washington in 2008
Ben Coleman, OL, 6-4, 330, R-Jr., 4th Season At Cal (Murrieta, CA/Linfield Christian HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 third-team (Athlon, Phil Steele) and honorable mention (Pac-12 Media) selection prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— Started 11 of 12 games as a 2021 sophomore all at left guard and has played in a total of 14 career contests including three off the bench as a 2020 redshirt freshman
— Expected to be Cal's starting left tackle in 2022 after moving to the position in spring practices
— Helped Cal roll up over 500 yards of total offense in three contests as a 2021 junior (636 at Stanford, 534 vs. Sacramento State, 517 vs. Oregon State) and more than 200 yards rushing on four occasions (352 at Stanford, 255 vs. Oregon State, 246 vs. Sacramento State, 213 vs. Colorado)
— Became the first Cal player to win Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week honors since its' inception in 2019 for his performance in the Golden Bears' 41-11 win over Stanford in the Big Game as a 2021 sophomore when he had the highest internal grade of Cal's offensive linemen (90%) during a historic performance with Cal producing a Big Game record 636 yards of total offense including 352 on the ground that was the most by the Bears in any game since Cal rushed for 431 yards against Washington in 2008, and threw a key block to spring Marcel Dancy on a 76-yard touchdown that was the Bears' longest since an 81-yard touchdown run by Brendan Bigelow at Ohio State in 2012
Ricky Correia, NG, 6-4, 335, Jr., 3rd Season At Cal (Fresno, CA/Central HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 fourth-team selection by Phil Steele prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— Played in 10 games all off the bench and contributed 11 tackles as well as two quarterback hurries in his first season on the field at Cal as a 2021 sophomore
Lu-Magia Hearns III, CB, 5-10, 170, So., 2nd Season At Cal (Pittsburg, CA/De La Salle HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 third-team (Phil Steele), fourth-team (Phil Steele) and honorable mention (Pac-12 Media) pick prior to his 2022 sophomore campaign
— Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors, as well as honorable mention recognition for the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year presented by Nextiva, both from the league's coaches, as a 2021 true freshman when he played in 11 of 12 games with eight starts that were the most among four Cal true freshmen that started contests
— Registered 28 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and team highs of 10 pass breakups that ranked tied for second in the Pac-12 and 11 passes defended that were third as a 2021 freshman, while his 1.00 passes defended per game were also third in the conference
— First Cal player to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors since its' 2019 inception for his performance in the 124th Big Game at Stanford when he had his first career interception on the second Cardinal offensive play, a career-high four pass breakups and three tackles
Jeremiah Hunter, WR, 6-2, 205, Jr., 3rd Collegiate Season (Fresno, CA/Central HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 fourth-team selection by Athlon prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— Played in all nine of his career games as a 2021 sophomore including his lone career collegiate start against Sacramento State
— Second on the team and the Pac-12 with an average of 18.5 yards per reception (#20 NCAA) as a 2021 sophomore, while he was third on the squad with 388 yards receiving on 21 catches
— Tied for second on the team with eight receptions of 20 or more yards with at least one catch of 20+ yards in seven of his nine contests as a 2021 sophomore
Brett Johnson, DL, 6-5, 300, R-Jr., 4th Season At Cal (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 second-team (Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele) and third-team (Athlon) pick prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— On a cover of Athlon's 2022 college football preview magazine
— Has played in 17 career games with 13 starts since arriving at Cal as a true freshman in 2019 and posted totals of 46 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss (-26 yards), 3.0 sacks (-19 yards), one pass breakup, one pass defended and one fumble recovery
— Played in all 17 games possible during his first two seasons at Cal as a 2019 true freshman and 2020 sophomore before missing the 2021 campaign due to injuries suffered in an automobile accident but returned to the field for 2022 spring practices and is expected to play in 2022
— A preseason All-Pac-12 second-team selection of Pro Football Focus as a 2021 junior and third-team pick by Athlon as a 2020 sophomore
— Earned third-team Freshman All-American and All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus as a 2019 freshman when he played in a career-high all 13 games with nine starts including seven of the last eight contests and recorded career highs of 26 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss (-18 yards), while adding a career-high-tying 1.5 sacks (career-high -12 yards) and his lone career fumble recovery
— Started all four games in a season shortened by COVID-19 as a 2020 sophomore and was tied for third on the team as well as first among defensive linemen with 20 tackles, while adding 2.5 tackles for loss (-8 yards), a career-high-tying 1.5 sacks (-7 yards), one pass breakup and one pass defended
Dario Longhetto, OL, 6-0, 185, R-Sr., 5th Season At Cal (Newbury Park, CA/Bridgton Academy/Newbury Park HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection of the league's coaches prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— Cal's active career scoring leader with 85 points (15-20 FG, 40-41 PAT) while also kicking off 64 times for 3804 yards (59.4 avg) with 24 touchbacks and punting 18 times for 736 yards (40.9 avg) while forcing opponents into three fair catches, trapping them inside their 20-yardline on four occasions and hitting three punts of 50 yards or longer all as a 2019 redshirt freshman
— Recorded his career bests as a placekicker other than average yards per kickoff as a 2021 junior when he played in 11 games and scored a team-high 64 points on 11-of-14 field goals (79%) and 31-of-31 extra points (100%), as well as kicked off 55 times for 3285 yards with 19 touchbacks
Damien Moore, RB, 5-10, 210, Jr., 3rd Season At Cal (La Puente, CA/Bishop Amat HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 third-team (Athlon) and honorable mention (Pac-12 Media) selection, as well as a Doak Walker Award preseason candidate prior to his 2022 junior campaign
— Has played in 15 career games with eight starts over the last two campaigns since his arrival at Cal in 2020 and totaled 712 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the ground on 138 carries while adding 14 receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown receiving to total 807 all-purpose yards
— Had career highs as a 2021 sophomore in games played (11), games started (8), yards rushing (518), rushes (100), rushing touchdowns (6), total touchdowns (7), receptions (13), yards receiving (85) and touchdown receptions (1)
— Earned honorable mention recognition for Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, presented by Nextiva, when he was one of three Cal true freshmen along with Muelu Iosefa and Trey Paster to play in all four games of a 2020 season shortened by COVID-19, with all of his appearances off the bench
Oluwafemi Oladejo, ILB, 6-3, 255, So., 2nd Season At Cal (Fresno, CA/Central HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 fourth-team (Phil Steele) and honorable mention (Pac-12 Media) selection prior to his 2022 sophomore campaign
— Played in nine games including his first career start against Oregon State and contributed 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (-8 yards) and two quarterback hurries as a true freshman in 2021 when he led all Cal freshmen in tackles
— One of eight Cal true freshmen to play in a game in 2021 and one of four make a start
Jaydn Ott, RB, 6-0. 205, Fr., 1st Season At Cal (Chino, CA/Norco HS/Bishop Gorman HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 fourth-team selection by Phil Steele prior to his 2022 freshman campaign
— Played 23 prep games over two seasons at Norco High School as a 2018 freshman and 2021 senior, while also spending two campaigns at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas in 2019 and 2020 without playing
— Rushed for 2236 yards and 30 touchdowns as a prep on 265 carries for averages of 97.2 yards per game rushing with 12 100-yard rushing games and 8.4 yards per carry, while adding 17 receptions for 228 yards and one touchdown, as well as one kick return for 16 yards for a total of 2480 all-purpose yards
— Earned MaxPreps Big XIII League Back of the Year as a 2021 senior when he rushed for 1140 yards and 17 touchdowns on 114 carries for a 10.0 yards per rush average, while adding 11 receptions for 154 yards as well as his lone career prep kick return for 16 yards (all career highs) and both of his career two-point rushing conversions
— Rushed for 1096 yards and 13 touchdowns on a career-high 151 carries for a 7.3 yards per rush average, while adding six receptions for 74 yards and his lone career touchdown reception as a 2018 freshman to earn MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors
Daniel Scott, S, 6-2, 215, Sr., 6th Season At Cal (Pasadena, CA/St. Francis HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 first-team selection of Athlon, Pac-12 Media and Phil Steele, as well as a member of the preseason Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List prior to his 2022 senior campaign
— One of two Cal student-athlete representatives along with Matthew Cindric at 2022 Pac-12 Football Media Day
— One of three sixth-year seniors on the 2022 Cal roster and the lone current member of the Golden Bears' program who began his collegiate career at Cal in Justin Wilcox's first season as head coach in 2017
— Has played in 37 career games with 16 starts at Cal over the last four seasons after redshirting as a true freshman in 2017 and registered totals of 122 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss (-37 yards), 1.0 sack (-27 yards), one forced fumble, four interceptions he has returned for six yards and one touchdown, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two quarterback hurries and three pass breakups
— Earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors from Pro Football Focus and was PFF's second-highest rated safety in the conference behind only teammate Elijah Hicks as a 2021 senior when he had career highs in every defensive category he has recorded career stats in other than fumble recoveries with 82 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss (-37 yards), 1.0 sack (-27 yards), one forced fumble, three interceptions returned for six yards, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups
Jackson Sirmon, ILB, 6-2, 240, R-Sr., 5th Collegiate Season/1st Season At Cal (Brentwood, TN/Washington/Brentwood Academy/Loyola HS)
— A preseason All-Pac-12 first-team selection of Athlon, Pac-12 Media and Phil Steele
— Enrolled at Cal in January of 2022 after playing the previous four seasons at Washington (2018-21) and participated in the Golden Bears' spring practice sessions in April of 2022
— Compiled four-year totals over 33 games played and 16 starts at Washington of 147 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss (-10 yards), one interception that he returned 20 yards, one pass breakup, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one safety
— Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors as a 2021 junior when he started all 12 games and finished tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with a career-high 92 tackles, while adding 0.5 tackles for loss (-6 yards), one forced fumble, his lone career interception that he returned for 20 yards, one pass breakup and one safety
— Is the Pac-12's second-leading returning tackler in 2022 behind only Oregon's Noah Sewell
Related:
Pac-12 announces all 24 student-athletes heading to 2022 Football Media Day