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Mendoza passed for 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,400 yards over two seasons at Columbus High School in Miami.
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Cal Football
3-Way QB Battle to be Decided Soon at Cal
With less than two weeks before the season begins at North Texas, California football coach Justin Wilcox isn’t ready yet to name a starting quarterback and is keeping his options available.
After an inter-squad scrimmage this past weekend, Wilcox wouldn’t even rule out the possibility of rotating quarterbacks when the Golden Bears play the Mean Green.
“I’d consider anything about right now,” Wilcox said, “We’re looking for the guys to keep competing and improving and for somebody to separate themselves. I would say everything’s on the table.”
Cal has spent the past few months of practice waiting for Sam Jackson V, Fernando Mendoza or Ben Finley to do something that would separate them from the rest of the pack.
Jackson, the redshirt sophomore who transferred to Berkeley after playing sparingly for two seasons at TCU, has spent the most time working with Cal’s starters and may be the most gifted athlete among the three but the 5-foot-11 quarterback is still very much a work in progress.
During one particularly rough afternoon, Jackson threw four interceptions. That’s not necessarily a shock, as Jackson didn’t have much experience as a pocket passer in high school or his first few seasons in college.
And although Jackson’s best skill might be his ability to scramble for big gains, Cal’s coaching staff has been adamant about getting him to feel more comfortable remaining in the pocket and waiting for receivers to get open rather than taking off running as a first instinct.
“It’s tough when that’s how he’s had success his whole life,” Bears offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. “He can scramble around and make those kind of wild plays. We’ve talked about staying in the pocket, going through progressions and getting to check-downs when needed. I’ve seen a drastic improvement from practice one until now.”
Staying in the pocket waiting for a play to develop rather than breaking free on a scramble requires discipline both athletically and mentally.
That could be a challenge at times for Jackson, who is dwarfed by his much taller offensive linemen, which makes it difficult for him to see downfield at times.
To help Jackson get comfortable staying in the pocket, the Bears have had him periodically go live in drills and ditch the protective yellow jerseys that quarterbacks traditionally wear in practice as a warning to defenders not to hit him. The idea is that by refraining from running, Jackson will face fewer opportunities to get hurt.
“Sam does some really good things with his feet,” Wilcox said. “He’s also throwing the ball pretty well at times. He just has to be real clean on the decision-making.”
Cal didn’t have this sort of dilemma last season. Jack Plummer was the unquestioned starter and played in all 12 games of the 4-8 season before heading to Louisville as a graduate transfer. Plummer’s backup a year ago, Kai Millner, also left town and headed for Northern Arizona.
When Jackson has taken a break in practices, Mendoza and Finley have also spent time working with the 1s in, although the majority of their reps have come with the backups.
Mendoza passed for 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,400 yards over two seasons at Columbus High School in Miami.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 220-pound Mendoza is the biggest of Cal’s three quarterbacks and has become increasingly comfortable in the Bears’ offensive system.
“Through spring ball and going into fall camp, I feel like my footwork has improved tremendously,” Mendoza said. “I feel a lot more calm, collected. I feel like I’m in a pretty good state now with making decisions.”
While Mendoza admittedly would prefer to start for Cal, he says he’s ready to embrace whatever role the coaching staff wants him in.
“At the end of the day, I look up to Coach Spav and I love his coaching. Whatever he decides and what’s best for the team, I’m all for,” Mendoza said. ”No matter the outcome, I’m just happy I was able to compete with two great quarterbacks … it’s really helped me make strides in my development. I’m excited for this season. Whatever happens, happens. I’m always ready.”
Finley is another transfer who is figuring into the mix, a redshirt sophomore who led North Carolina State to a 30-27 double overtime win against then-No. 18 North Carolina in his first career start last season.
Finley, who Wilcox says is “a sneakier runner than you’d maybe give him credit for,” has been getting more comfortable in Cal’s offense and believes he will be ready to go if the Bears decide he’s the starter.
“I’ll be ready whether the decision’s made today or the day before the game,” Finley said. “That’s all I can do, work on myself and make sure that I’m prepared and can help this team win.”
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