Pro Day Features A Bit Of Everything
The California football team's annual Pro Day featured the usual strong performances by former Golden Bears trying to improve their pro football stock in front of scouts from approximately 20 NFL teams, as well as a few surprises including inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon's long snapping session.
"It's really just something to add value," said Sirmon about his long snapping. "If I can play linebacker, do special teams and long snap it's just something that teams might find useful."
Sirmon snapped in high school at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, Tenn. and was a backup at both Cal and Washington but never got in a collegiate game at the position.
He did play in a combined 51 games with 34 starts over six seasons as an inside linebacker with the Golden Bears and Huskies, posting impressive career collegiate totals that included 301 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and one of the biggest plays in the history of the Big Game when he ran a fumble back 37 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a comeback win over Stanford in 2022.
Sirmon, who was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022 before missing the final seven games last season due to injury, not only showed off his long snapping skills but also went through position work at inside linebacker and clocked a 4.26 in the 20-yard shuttle that would have been third-best among inside linebackers at the combine. He was also solid in both the vertical jump (34' 0") and broad jump (9'11") with marks that would have been in the middle of the pack among linebackers at the combine.
Monroe Young, Isaiah Ifanse and Matthew Cindric also had strong performances on a beautiful weather day at California Memorial Stadium.
Young had the best 40-yard dash time (4.52) and vertical jump (40' 0") of the day, while posting 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench. His vertical jump and bench press numbers both would have been tied for sixth at the combine.
Ifanse posted good numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.59), bench press (19) and vertical jump (36.5"), which would have been eighth among running backs at the combine.
Cindric broke the five-second mark in the 40-yard dash (4.99), which would have been faster than all but four offensive linemen at the combine, and also had 23 bench press reps.
McMorris, who was the only former Golden Bear to be invited to and participate in the combine while also participating in the Hula Bowl, put up a 4.29 20-yard shuttle that would have been second among defensive backs at the combine.
WR Brian Hightower, P Thomas Lee and DL Darius Long Jr. also participated in Thursday's Pro Day.
The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held April 25-27 in Detroit.
2024 California Football Pro Day Participants
NAME – POS – HT – WT – CAL – HOMETOWN (OTHER SCHOOLS)
Matthew Cindric – OL – 6-4 – 295 – 2018-23 – Sammamish, WA (Skyline HS)
Brian Hightower – WR – 6-3 – 215 – 2023 – Los Angeles, CA (Illinois/Miami/IMG Academy/Calabasas HS)
Isaiah Ifanse – RB – 5-9 – 205 – 2023 – Bellevue, WA (Montana State/Bellevue HS)
Thomas Lee – P – 5-11 – 185 – 2023 – San Ramon, CA (Cal Poly/Dougherty Valley HS)
Darius Long Jr. – DL – 6-2 – 310 – 2021-23 – Alameda, CA (College of San Mateo/Encinal HS)
Patrick McMorris – S – 6-0 – 210 – 2023 – Santa Ana, CA (San Diego State/Santa Ana HS/Godinez Fundamental HS)
Jackson Sirmon – ILB – 6-2 – 240 – 2022-23 – Brentwood, TN (Washington/Brentwood Academy/Loyola HS)
Monroe Young – WR – 6-1 – 205 – 2018-23 – Las Cruces, NM (Onate HS)