My new favorite player. A rock solid tight end opens up multiple offensive avenues. This is going to be a more potent attack than people expect.
Photo by Twitter / Jermaine Terry
Cal Football
Hometown Hero Jermaine Terry Poised For Big Season For Bears
Rated the #1 tight end nationally by ESPN and #5 by 247, 6-4/255 sophomore tight end Jermaine Terry came in with some of the biggest recruiting accolades in Cal recruiting history when he signed with Cal in their 2021 class. But after suffering an injury and coming in at a heavier weight than he was used to playing at, the Bears brought Terry along slowly, playing him mainly on scout team and on special teams in games.
“For me personally, I was able to sit back and watch and learn,” said Terry of the experience. “I felt like, yeah for sure I wanted to play but I wasn’t that frustrated because I was able to come in and learn every day. I was able to get on the scout team, which I loved and was very excited about. I was able to go against the ones and get good work in and really develop and that’s where I think I found myself and I was able to show what I could truly do. But basically, I feel like sitting back, it was a learning experience for me and I wouldn’t change it if I could.
“A lot is thrown at you but you gotta find your own way through it all and basically figure it out. But I had some great -I like to call them- OGs, and some great leaders around me guys like Colin Moore, Jake Tonges, and Gavin Reinwald being able to help me and lead all these young tight ends and show us how it is done the correct way.”
“I think COVID was probably the hardest thing for him, cause here you are with no fall schedule,” Cal tight ends coach Geep Chryst said. “It was best case scenario for him to come in early so he came in as a mid-year enrollee, and it's hard because you're still pressing at 7 in the morning and doing virtual classes here at California Berkeley online. I think once covid was more in the rearview mirror he really caught his stride, and he's really comfortable around his teammates and really in great shape.”
Terry came back last spring a new man -lean, fit, and seemingly chiseled in granite while showing a burst not in evidence his frosh season. Part of his conditioning regimen involved yoga and a better diet and it’s obviously served him well.
“I did that personally because I feel like it would have benefited me the most,” said Terry of dropping the weight. “I feel a little lighter. Coming into college, you think you have to be the heaviest person in the world to be able to block and be able to run strong but that’s not true. So I felt like just shaping my body and cutting a little weight could benefit me and it truly has.
“Yoga and Pilates, I think that was huge, especially for my ability to stretch and my flexibility. But I think it was great that me and a few other players all did it together. Me, Raymond Woodie, Damien Moore and J. Michael Sturdivant all started a group.”
Now with a trimmer body and more time learning the offense, Terry is playing with a level of confidence and exuberance not in evidence during his first year in the program.
“I think now I just feel more comfortable inside the offense, definitely,” said Terry. “I feel like I’m coming out and I am more calm and collected and I know what I’m doing. Now I can really work on my technique and hone in on things that I truly need to work on. I think overall, I am in a better spot physically and mentally compared to where I was a year ago.”
“He's really matured,” said Chryst. “I think that's one of the things you see in college is a guy coming in and wanting to do well, and now he is physically much healthier, physically in great shape, and his mindset and his confidence is something he's gained. Really happy to see his growth, and again he's looking forward to starting his first game as a California Golden Bear, but he's doing just fine.”
Playing at over 270 last season, many thought of Terry as mainly an inline, blocking tight end but his performance in the spring and so far in fall camp belie a much more versatile talent ready to be utilized in the cal offense.
“At one point in time we had a big blocking tight end by the name of Dwayne Young who weighed 312 pounds as a blocking tight end, and when he first got here, I thought, ‘Oh my God, we might have the next Dwayne Young on our hands, but I would have to say that he's his own unique player because he is so explosive and he is so big at such a young age,” Chryst said. “The one comparison that I would actually make to him is the way Draymond Green looked when he went to play as a freshman at Michigan State. He was a little rolly poly and they worked him hard to get him into great physical position, and now we know him as a first ballot Hall of Fame basketball player.
“I think when you get genuine confidence from investing in your body, your body relaxes,” Chryst said. “The one thing I see in him is his body control and his body relaxing because he knows the plays, he's been around his teammates and he's got a high level of expectations for himself. I think that's manifesting in his body language, maybe a relaxation. Then you're not draining your energy with stress or anxiety, but having energy because you're looking forward to the next play.
“In fact, with two plays we drew up before practice JT begged me to come in, so we actually played rock paper scissors because Kelekii wanted to go back in, too. So that's a great sign that we’re on the fourth day of camp and he wanted to get the next live rep. And he absolutely crushed the defender he was trying to block, and then he had a big grin on his face so he was really happy he won rock paper scissors. I'd like to say we have a sophisticated system going on around here but they both wanted the rep.
“He's always had that strength so he's always been a really good blocker at the point of attack, but I think by actually losing some weight, he's increased his speed, which is something we love seeing as coaches. And when he catches the ball, he transitions to being a runner really fast, so that opportunity to catch, dip and go is something that is rare, and he's a tough load to tackle. So we’re looking forward to not only his run blocking but also his pass receiving.”
During the recruiting process, Terry embraced the moniker Home Town Hero and has continued to do so heading into his second season in the program.
“It's amazing, for sure,” said Terry of being able to play in front of friends and family. “That’s one of the reasons why I came here because it has allowed my family to make it to the game and allowed me to be a role model for the kids and give them someone to personally look up to and give them dreams to aspire to. But it’s been amazing for me. And I would tell every single Bay recruit and NorCal recruit the same thing. Go where you want to go, go where you’re needed, and go where your family can see you, cause it will all work out for you.”
“I think he's always had a great reputation here in the East Bay,” Chryst said. “Guys like Josh Johnson who I coached who's now with the Denver Broncos called and said, ‘Hey I heard about this kid,’ so we're trying to get those guys together. I think he's got it in his mind that he's not just a leader on the team but he can also do stuff back here with the East Bay community.”
“Every time I go back home, I might see a kid or two who knows about me,” said Terry. “I have a lot of family and friends They have me talk to their children to tell them what they should be doing and shouldn’t be doing to get here but definitely being inside my community, I have a lot of people who come up and are proud of seeing me grow.”
Now that Terry seems to be on course to live up to his lofty ratings coming in, what are his expectations this season?
“I expect to win with this team and be a contributor wherever I am,” said Terry. “That’s it. Make my family and my friends proud. That’s all I can do.”
Other stories:
Cal Fall Camp Preview: Tight Ends
Cal 2022 Position Preview: Inside Linebackers
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