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Cal Football
Wilcox Introduces New Additions to '23 Class in NSD Presser
Fresh off the announcement of three new signees on late NLI day this morning, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox fielded questions from the media on the new players as well as coaches added in the last two months, starting with 6-7/330 LA City College OT Martin Tine.
“Martin is a big, athletic guy,” Wilcox said. “Came from Houston and then to East LA. Young as a football player. Hasn't played a lot of football, but really big frame and can move. So really looking forward to getting him here this summer. I would also say we're also gonna get a number of guys kind of back off of injury, which should help us in spring ball. I know Coach Bloesch is really eager to get to start to work with those guys and then it wouldn't be surprising to add another name or two as we enter into summer (at OL)
Wilcox was asked how quickly Tine is expected to play or make an impact at Cal.
“Well, to be determined,” Wilcox said. “When we recruit a transfer player or a junior college player, we're always looking at how quickly we think that they could help us on the field. And some of that, there's not an exact science to it. You look at the traits, you look at the work ethic, you look at the kind of the football IQ and just because they haven't played a lot doesn't mean they can't do that. There's a lot of guys that have played a long time who struggle to make the transition. So it doesn't rule it out by any means. I think what's key is what happens between now and June, and when he gets here in summer. What happens between June and the first game, and there's gonna be a lot of learning going on, but there's a lot of learning going on for a lot of people. We do feel good about him and his athletic ability and the traits that he's shown, and now it's about putting in the work.”
Tine’s time on the hardcourt as a prep basketball player is one of the traits his OL coach cited at LACC that gives the 6-7/330 OT an edge at the position.
“tt's hard to play a good offensive line if you don't have good feet,” Wilcox said. “It's just very rare. So the athleticism is key. Some guys have better feet than others, but I don't I don't think you see a lot of good offensive linemen with bad feet. So that's one of the things that jumped out is the athleticism, as mentioned before. And he's got a, a really big frame. He's 6’6, and I think he has like an 83-inch wingspan, and he's a tall, long guy. We’re just eager to get him here.”
6-5/205 Snow College WR Marquis Montgomery had a particularly strong offer list including LSU, Penn State, Oregon and Texas A&M, despite the fact that his offense didn’t throw the ball a lot. WIlcox was asked how they scout a player like that.
“Well, you look at the opportunities he did get and what he did with those opportunities,” Wilcox noted. “I think he's a talented athlete. He's big. I mean, he is a really big receiver and he can highpoint the ball. He catches the ball with his hands. And so we looked at the chances he did get and what did he do with those? And then again, you look at the traits, the physical traits and then the intangibles - the toughness, the work ethic and all those things. And we feel strongly about him.”
Next Wilcox was asked about new long snapper signee David Bird -ranked by many as the nation’s top long snapper.
“Well, I think you all know what kind of impact it has when you don't have somebody that's a good snapper,” Wilcox said, aluding to the Bears’ longsnapping and kicking problems in recent years. “I mean, it's one of those positions where nobody really talks about it until something goes wrong. So David is a very good snapper. We have in the past scholarshiped a snapper who we think is elite. And so, expectations for him to come in here and, and be the snapper (right away). But it's a critical position. As you all know, it's just something that you take for granted or a lot of people do. We don't, and so it's a valuable spot and every four years or so, we wanna make sure we got a great long snapper on the team, and that's what we're looking for from David.”
While the program added a significant number of additions through the portal for the early signing period, Wilcox noted that they’re far from done at this point.
“I'd probably put it around five, five to seven,” Wilcox said of the likely number of spring additions. That's my best guess as of today. But again, these things are so dynamic, bit that's what I would anticipate.
At least a couple of additions are expected to be offensive linemen.
“Yeah offensive line,” Wilcox responded. “There's probably not a position that we wouldn't take anybody, but certain positions probably have more of a need right now. But in the end, we always wanna make sure we're taking players that can help our team win and not just take a player, I think offensive line certainly fits into that category where we could add a player or two in the late spring, early summer. But again, depending on how the roster morphs, those those numbers can change.”
Another targeted position is adding QB depth through the portal in the spring to compete with portal transfer QB Sam Jackson and Fernando Mendoza.
“Yeah, that's another spot where it wouldn't be surprising to see another scholarship player added this summer. Again, just depends on how everything goes but yeah, the quarterback position in general is always gonna be one where there's gonna be a lot of movement. That's just, that's how it is in college football.”
Another new OL addition this spring is 6-7/285 OT Nick Morrow, who was part of the 2022 class who opted to greyshirt and enroll in the spring instead of fall and count towards ‘23 while he continued to add strength and weight to his previously lighter tight end frame.
“Nick came here, pretty interesting story, a couple summers ago in a camp, and he was a defensive end, tight end from Flagstaff (Arizona) and he was tall - 6’7” maybe 2 30, 240. And we put him through a bunch of drills and he ran pretty dang good and caught the ball pretty impressively for a guy that size, who was I think 17 at the time. So we signed him but ended up greyshirting him where he sat out last fall, and he just showed up here mid-year. He came to some games and things like that last year. And now he might be 280, 285. He is a big, big kid and has really long arms. We're gonna play him at offensive line. And probably the most impressive thing is for a guy that young who's, who's that big, to be able to jump in these workouts and compete with everybody else, it's been pretty impressive. But yeah, he's a 6’7, 280-85 pound guy that looks skinny. And he's young and he's got a lot of growing to do. He is gonna grow as a person and as a player, but really he has some things that you just can’t coach. So we're looking forward to getting to work with him in spring ball.”
Another big addition was the return of big defensive tackle Stanley McKenzie, who was home in Hawaii last season dealing with family matters.
“Stanley was home in the fall,” Wilcox said. “Stanley has been through a lot during his time here. We love Stan and he's back. He looks great. He's doing really well and he is a nose guard, interior lineman for us. And really just glad that he's back with us. He's a super, super guy and we love his family and we're glad he is here and, we’re looking forward to supporting him and watching him grow into the player that he can become.”
Wilcox was asked about players out last season who are not expected back till summer or fall camp and who would be returning.
“I guess the guys that would be out for spring, (Akili) Calhoun, (Collin) Gamble, (Darius) Long, Brett (Johnson), Mason Manum, Tyson McWilliams, Jaydon Roberts, Mason Starling, those guys will be out.
“Back for spring, we think in some capacity be Lu (Hearns), Kaleb Higgins, TJ Session, Bastian Swinney. Bastian's a guy who hasn't played very much. He's been dinged up since he's been here. Be really important for him to have a solid spring ball. Derek Wilkins, who we lost last spring will be back in spring. And then a, a number of other guys that were kind of dinged up last year, but as many guys as we can possibly get in spring ball, the better.”
A key returning piece of the defense next fall will be veteran DE Brett Johnson, who’s reportedly making good process rehabbing his acl.
“Brett, mentally and emotionally is gonna be one of those guys that things don't phase. Brett. And I know he is been through a lot the last couple years, two season-ending injuries, and for some folks that might be something that would be tough to overcome or maybe seem insurmountable, but he is just kind of a unique character that way. I mean, I think after the injury he had last fall, so he was gonna miss his second year in a row, which is rough. And I think for about a day he was in the tank. And then after that, he's just like a machine, man. He comes in, he works out, he does his rehab, and he's got a really impressive mindset. And so I'm not worried about him, mentally or emotionally and physically he looks really good. It's been a couple years, but I, I think he's going to come back and, and play really good football. I wouldn't expect anything else. He'll do some things I think in the spring, but we'll hold him out of essentially from everything that would be contact. I mean, he'll be moving around on the side, things like that.
Another key offseason addition is former TCU reshirt soph portal transfer QB Sam Jackson, who signed in December.
“Well, all these guys are pretty fresh and finding their way and just the daily routine of how we do things and where to go,” Wilcox said. “But he's done a really good job getting along with his teammates, meeting guys. When everybody got here with all the new faces and the movement in college football, the key is how quickly can you get to know each other? And great teams have great chemistry, you know, that we're not just a bunch of independent contractors. And Sam's been great with that.
“All these guys are fresh into winter workouts and I can tell you he is a dynamic athlete, that's for sure. And so I think just the more time he spends in the weight room and with his teammates getting to know each other, and then we get out on the field with them, we get some time with the coaches, I think each day, it's just gonna get better and better.”
Wilcox is also happy with the adjustment of hs three new staff additions in OC Jake Spavital, OL coach Mike Bloesch and TE coach Tim Plough.
“Couldn't be any better, to be honest with you,” Wilcox said of their adjustment to Cal. “Jake has been here before, so he knows the lay of the land. “ Offensively, different style of play and it's something that I know the players are very, very excited about.
“Coach Bloesch, who's been a coordinator and been very successful with the offensive line and the run game. I know he's been a joy to be around. And then Tim Plough, who's also been a coordinator, so we got three guys that have coordinator experience, and you see 'em all, they get in there and we're talking football, and it's a lot of fun because there's a lot of ideas and there's a lot of experience in there, and they all have got a ton of energy. And so those guys have been great. Really, really pleased that they're here with us and, uh, I think we gotta get some things kind of settled and talk through language and semantics and some of those things to make sure that everything's dialed in. And then the players will be ready to start meeting and spending time with the coaches here soon.”
So far the new staff’s activities have been a hybrid of recruiting and coaching and with the late signing day passing and spring ball coming up next month, the majority of focus likely returns to coaching.
“Well, it's, yeah, kind of combination of both,” Wilcox noted. “I mean, when you're in January, it's heavy recruiting mode, and then when you're not recruiting and you’ve got four hours, then you go in and close the door of the staff room and you start talking through verbiage and formation names and all those things. So it's, it's really all of it and it's kind of balancing your time and now that the signing day is upon us, we'll, we'll spend a lot more time in the football offices, talking through those things specifically. You know, recruiting never really stops, but we're not traveling anymore. And, and we'll be able to just kind of hone in on getting prepared for spring football.”
Related:
Bears Add All-Conference East LA CC OT Martin Tine
Bears Add More Size and Athleticism With WR Commit Montgomery
Bears Add Nation's Top Long Snapper in David Bird
2023 Cal Football Recruiting Class (As Of February 1, 2023)
NAME – POS – HT – WT – YR – EXP – HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS) – DATE ANNOUNCED
Tiumalu Afalava – DL – 6-2 – 275 – Fr. – 1st – Baldwin Park, CA (Bishop Amat HS) – December 21, 2022
^Asher Alberding – TE – 6-4 – 260 – R-Jr. – 5th – Houston, TX (North Texas/Clear Lake HS) – January 9, 2023
^Sergio Allen – ILB – 6-1 – 225 – R-So. – 3rd – Fort Valley, GA (Clemson/Peach County HS) – December 21, 2022
Zurich Ashford – DL – 6-2 – 275 – Fr. – 1st – Las Vegas, NV (Arbor View HS) – December 21, 2022
David Bird – LS – 6-0 – 200 – Fr. – 1st – Phoenix, AZ (Sandra Day O'Connor HS) – February 1, 2023
^J.T. Byrne – TE – 6-5 – 250 – R-So. – 3rd – Carmel, CA (Oregon State/Carmel HS) – January 6, 2023
^Byron Cardwell – RB – 6-0 – 210 – R-So. – 4th – San Diego, CA (Oregon/Morse HS/St. Augustine's HS) – December 21, 2022
^Brian Hightower – WR – 6-3 – 220 – R-Sr. – 6th – Los Angeles, CA (Illinois/Miami/IMG Academy) – January 10, 2023
Nyziah Hunter – WR – 6-2 – 200 – Fr. – 1st – Salinas, CA (Salinas HS) – December 21, 2022
^Sam Jackson V – QB – 5-11 – 190 – R-So. – 3rd – Chicago, IL (TCU/Naperville Central HS/Bolingbrook HS) – January 11, 2023
^Matthew Littlejohn – DB – 5-11 – 180 – R-Jr. – 3rd – San Antonio, TX (Citrus College/Stevens HS) – December 21, 2022
Ben Marshall – TE – 6-4 – 220 – Fr. – 1st – Murfreesboro, TN (Blackman HS) – December 21, 2022
Ryan McCulloch – OLB – 6-3 – 240 – Fr. – 1st – Duarte, CA (Rio Hondo Prep) – December 21, 2022
^Kaylin Moore – DB – 5-10 – 185 – Jr. – 3rd – Westlake Village, CA (Colorado/Oaks Christian HS) – December 21, 2022
Marquis Montgomery – WR – 6-4 – 215 – Jr. – 4th – Tacoma, WA (Snow College/Independence Community College/Kapolei HS) – February 1, 2023
^David Reese – OLB – 6-1 – 240 – R-Sr. – 6th – Fort Pierce, FL (Florida/Vero Beach HS/Fort Pierce Central HS) – January 14, 2023
Jaivian Thomas – RB – 5-10 – 175 – Fr. – 1st – Oakland, CA (McClymonds HS) – December 21, 2022
Martin Tine – OL – 6-6 – 310 – Jr. – 4th – Houston, TX (East Los Angeles College/Alief Elsik HS/Legacy School of Sports Sciences) – February 1, 2023
Cade Uluave – ILB – 6-1 – 230 – Fr. – 1st – South Jordan, UT (Mountain Ridge HS) – December 21, 2022
Sai Vadrawale – DB – 5-11 – 170 – Fr. – 1st – Concord, CA (Rancho Cotate HS) – December 21, 2022
^Nohl Williams – DB – 6-1 – 185 – Jr. – 4th – Oxnard, CA (UNLV/Pacifica HS) – December 21, 2022
Frederick Williams III – ATH – 6-5 – 265 – Fr. – 1st – Los Angeles, CA (Junipero Serra HS) – December 21, 2022
^Justin Williams-Thomas – RB – 6-0 – 215 – R-Fr. – 2nd – Dallas, GA (Tennessee/East Paulding HS) – January 9, 2023
^Lachlan Wilson – P – 6-3 – 195 – R-Jr. – 5th – Eaglemont, Australia (Tulsa/Xavier College) – December 23, 2022
^January 2023 Enrollee
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