Another crucial day of fall practice is in the books. Chandler Rogers, the redshirt senior transfer from North Texas, is poised to compete be a vital part of the Golden Bears' offense. Rogers brings a different dynamic to the team, having compiled an impressive 3,382 yards on 262-of-422 passes (62.1%) with 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions last season with North Texas. While not primarily known for his running ability, Rogers has shown he can be effective on the ground when needed, accumulating 109 rushes for 180 yards and four touchdowns.
This year, Rogers is entering camp with the challenge of learning a whole new system and building chemistry with his new teammates. His experience and versatility will be key as he adapts to the Golden Bears' playbook and strives to make a significant impact on the field.
“The first four days of camp were really good,” Rogers shared when asked about how the competition is going. “Just getting out here with the guys and getting our chemistry back, going and getting live runs against the defense, it's been really exciting. And the competition is going well. Everybody's competing and wanting to win this job. It's been fun.”
When asked about what he needs to show to gain an edge in the competition, Rogers emphasized the importance of execution. “Just being the guy moving the ball and scoring points. That's what we talked about in our meeting today, and that's what coaches expect. And hitting the big play as well is something Coach Wilcox really wants us to do as quarterbacks in the deep ball. So just doing those things, I feel that's it.”
Patience is key in a competitive environment. The competition this fall appears to be more intense than in the spring, and Rogers feels he has a better handle on the offense.
“I definitely feel more comfortable and settled,” Rogers noted. “Just because going through spring, I know everything. I know the coaches' expectations. I know how they coach. I know what they want out of me. And just going through summer again and getting the chemistry right and going to play the game walkthroughs, I feel a lot better and a lot more confident.”
Live reps have highlighted some areas for improvement, particularly with false starts during 11-on-11 sessions. Rogers attributes this to cadence and chemistry with the offensive line.
“That just comes with focus,” Rogers said. “Sometimes, as quarterbacks, it could be our fault because the offensive line is trying to make a call up front. Sometimes it's just lack of focus. It could be from a receiver just not watching the ball, not looking at the signal properly. It could be a plethora of reasons, but at the end of the day, it just comes down to focus.”
Rogers is enthusiastic about his receiving corps, noting the talent and speed they bring to the field.
“Definitely,” Rogers agreed about the new speed. :Newcomer Kyion (Grayes) from Ohio State, he's somebody who can play inside and outside. He really separates well, and he's been doing it very well this fall camp. Mikey Matthews in the slot, Josiah Martin, J (Johnathan) Brady—I mean, there's a lot of speed. They can play at all positions. So it's going to be really fun.”
Working with a diverse group of receivers has been beneficial for Rogers.
“It's important because in the game, playing high tempo, you're going to rotate a lot at receiver,” Rogers said. “So building chemistry with all the receivers is very important. Especially in new-age football and football in general, injuries happen, so having that next-man-up mentality is crucial. Just preparing and already having that chemistry instead of starting from scratch during the season is really critical for us.”
Getting reps with the first team has also been advantageous for Rogers.
“Definitely, we have the best O-line in the nation, in my opinion.” Rogers said confidently. “Also, going with the 1s, we have a really good defense, as well. So, it's iron sharpening iron.”
Reflecting on his growth from spring to training camp, Rogers shared, “Knowing what to expect based on the play call, knowing where to go with the football, and also just helping guys line up. In the spring, it was a little bit confusing just being new in the system. But now I see a calm, like, 'Hey, you line up here, you're supposed to do this, you do that.' Just being a coach on the field.”
As Rogers continues to adapt and grow within the Golden Bears' system, his dedication and leadership are evident. With his impressive track record from North Texas and a strong start to fall camp, Rogers is well on his way to having a shot to make a significant impact this season. His ability to build chemistry with his teammates, coupled with his focus on execution and improvement positions him as a key player to watch in the battle for the starting nod. As the competition for the QB1 spot heats up, Rogers' blend of experience and adaptability will be crucial in guiding the Golden Bears toward a successful season. Fans can look forward to seeing Rogers' skills and leadership on full display as the team prepares for their opening game against UC Davis on August 31st.
Rodgers has a lot of poise, tons of experience and a strong arm. Would not be surprised to see him win this. I am sure we will see both QBs vs Davis. May the best Bear win.
Still trying to get a handle on what our offensive system and style will be. Bloesch and Glibert don't reveal much in their interviews. There was a mention of high pace in this article, which sounds promising. Was afraid Wilcox wanted to slow down the offense and make it more conservative.
https://calegends.com/donation/ Do it now. Text every Cal fan you know, give them the link, tell them how much you gave, and ask them to text every Cal fan they know and do the same.
It includes sacks. Mendoza was 49 rushes for 86 yards. So they are very comparable. Both are primarily pocket passers, though Rodgers is more mobile in the pocket, both can run enough to pick up a first down if it is open and everyone is covered.
Most are pulling for him clearly including Wilcox and I am sure Mendoza gets every opportunity to make the job his. It comes down to who moves the offense and scores points. Mendoza's issue last year was turnovers, mostly from panicking if the initial throw is not there. Hopefully experience, age and confidence eliminates that as a problem. He is only a (redshirt) sophomore with barely More than half a season under his belt. He will get better.
Got it thanks - the stats in and of itself didn't do much to back up him being a mobile qb. I wonder if the stats hint at Rogers taking sacks too often instead of throwing it away.
Personally, I am hoping Mendoza wins the battle. It is always great seeing a freshman grow to be a star. Especially when they started as a Yale commit! That said, we absolutely cannot afford a slow start to the season. Here's hoping we have a clear winner by the end of camp and don't employ a dual-QB system
Give to Cal Legends!
https://calegends.com/donation/ Do it now. Text every Cal fan you know, give them the link, tell them how much you gave, and ask them to text every Cal fan they know and do the same.
Got it thanks - the stats in and of itself didn't do much to back up him being a mobile qb. I wonder if the stats hint at Rogers taking sacks too often instead of throwing it away.
Personally, I am hoping Mendoza wins the battle. It is always great seeing a freshman grow to be a star. Especially when they started as a Yale commit! That said, we absolutely cannot afford a slow start to the season. Here's hoping we have a clear winner by the end of camp and don't employ a dual-QB system
Going into the stats further, Rogers had a rushing long of 75 yards last year so 41% of all his rushing yards came from one play. His rushing usage in general seems to have decreased compared to his ULM year where he had 353 yards & 5 TDs on 145 carries and only 2 more sacks (35 in total) compared to UNT.
Of course the decrease in rushing at UNT correlated to an increase in his passing stats with almost 100 more attempts, almost 1000 more passing yards, nearly 2x the # of TDs, with less INTs, and a better passing average.
Definitely feels like Rogers' rushing potential might be best utilized as a secondary option where he's dangerous enough that the defense needs to respect the threat of him breaking away on a broken play but not so much that we're scheming an abundance of designed runs or RPOs.
Given his development trajectory I'd imagine we'd continue on the pass-first path for Rogers and it'd also make sense in terms of having a similar offense that all of our QBs could operate within. Probably more efficient to practice/coach up as opposed to a QB battle where you're also juggling two different systems.
I agree that Mendoza would be the feel-good story and I'd like to see him take the next step forward after the way he came up big last year but at the end of the day I just hope we truly go with the best QB available and that we settle the competition early. It was good that our coaches did land on our best option last year and took that chance on Mendoza, but that indecision early on contributed to the loss against Auburn and we can't afford to start slow again this year with 3 of our first 4 coming @Auburn, San Diego State, and @FSU. FSU may be a tall ask regardless of how settled we are at QB but Auburn is an "expected" loss that might still be winnable and SDSU is an "expected" win that we can find a way to lose (and can't afford to).
Rodgers has a lot of poise, tons of experience and a strong arm. Would not be surprised to see him win this. I am sure we will see both QBs vs Davis. May the best Bear win.
Still trying to get a handle on what our offensive system and style will be. Bloesch and Glibert don't reveal much in their interviews. There was a mention of high pace in this article, which sounds promising. Was afraid Wilcox wanted to slow down the offense and make it more conservative.
A hurry-up O can mask QB weakness if it's a run-first system. We finally have size and depth on the OL. Let's pulverize the DL with one quick bulldozing after another. When the S's move up to bolster the DL, over the top passing will be easier with the speedier guys we have at WR.
Got it thanks - the stats in and of itself didn't do much to back up him being a mobile qb. I wonder if the stats hint at Rogers taking sacks too often instead of throwing it away.
Personally, I am hoping Mendoza wins the battle. It is always great seeing a freshman grow to be a star. Especially when they started as a Yale commit! That said, we absolutely cannot afford a slow start to the season. Here's hoping we have a clear winner by the end of camp and don't employ a dual-QB system
I don't know who claimed he is a running QB, Rodgers is a pocket passer, with high accuracy, high passing yards, and very low interceptions. He is a grad transfer and is very experienced, but like our OC, not at the P4 level.
"While not primarily known for his running ability, Rogers has shown he can be effective on the ground when needed, accumulating 109 rushes for 180 yards and four touchdowns."
The guy I'm excited about watching as "a freshman grow to be a star" is our 2025 Elite 11 commit: Sagapolutele. Though, if he backs up a RS-Junior Mendoza who takes advantage of our 2025 schedule to lead us to 10 wins on his way to the NFL with a Cal degree, that would be ideal.
It would be great news if he beats out Mendoza. Mendoza was a spark last year, but he wasn't anything special. I'd have a lot more hope for this season if someone looked much better then him.
I wish that Larry Ellison was spending some of his money supporting Cal football and men's basketball, rather than on expensive yachts.
While Ellison got his career started working as a programmer after moving from Chicago to Berkeley, he is an alum of Illinois and Chicago (though not a grad).
In addition to spending a lot of money on expensive yachts, Ellison owns the island of Lana'i.
It would be great news if he beats out Mendoza. Mendoza was a spark last year, but he wasn't anything special. I'd have a lot more hope for this season if someone looked much better then him.
Most QBs make the biggest jump from their 1st to 2nd year starting.
Give Rogers a shot. Heard he's a good runner, fast and seems to be an accurate passer.
We can always bring in Mendoza if Rogers doesn't work out, but I doubt UC Davis will be areal threat in our first game.
The most important factor is that Rogers only has one year of eligibility left and Mendoza has three. So we don't have much time to see what we have in Rogers but have three times the time to utilize what Mendoza can bring to the table. Will hate to see Cal regretting giving Rogers a real shot when he will be graduating after this year while Mendoza has two years left after this one to show what he can do.
I don't know about you, but I have finally arrived at my preference for QB1 for this team based on all the published reports on camp that I've come across.
I think Nando gives this team the best chance at reaching its ceiling. And I think Rogers will keep this team from crashing through its floor. That might sound too cute, but this team needs to have Nando start. Should Cal take a 30 pt lead, should Nando go down with an injury, or should Nando crash and burn, Rogers would seem like the perfect guy to take over and do what this team needs in any of those circumstances. Not fiery and reckless, just calm, cool, and collected when it will probably be needed most. Rogers may be the perfect QB2 for any high-achieving team in the P4, and that's a very important position.
If the coaches start Rogers at QB1, I will be very disappointed, but hope for the best and that they prove me wrong. But if we then see QB shuffling and inconsistency in the early games like we saw last year, and then end up with anything less than 8 wins, I may finally lose my faith in our coaches.
I don't know about you, but I have finally arrived at my preference for QB1 for this team based on all the published reports on camp that I've come across.
I think Nando gives this team the best chance at reaching its ceiling. And I think Rogers will keep this team from crashing through its floor. That might sound too cute, but this team needs to have Nando start. Should Cal take a 30 pt lead, should Nando go down with an injury, or should Nando crash and burn, Rogers would seem like the perfect guy to take over and do what this team needs in any of those circumstances. Not fiery and reckless, just calm, cool, and collected when it will probably be needed most. Rogers may be the perfect QB2 for any high-achieving team in the P4, and that's a very important position.
If the coaches start Rogers at QB1, I will be very disappointed, but hope for the best and that they prove me wrong. But if we then see QB shuffling and inconsistency in the early games like we saw last year, and then end up with anything less than 8 wins, I may finally lose my faith in our coaches.
I don't know about you, but I have finally arrived at my preference for QB1 for this team based on all the published reports on camp that I've come across.
I think Nando gives this team the best chance at reaching its ceiling. And I think Rogers will keep this team from crashing through its floor. That might sound too cute, but this team needs to have Nando start. Should Cal take a 30 pt lead, should Nando go down with an injury, or should Nando crash and burn, Rogers would seem like the perfect guy to take over and do what this team needs in any of those circumstances. Not fiery and reckless, just calm, cool, and collected when it will probably be needed most. Rogers may be the perfect QB2 for any high-achieving team in the P4, and that's a very important position.
If the coaches start Rogers at QB1, I will be very disappointed, but hope for the best and that they prove me wrong. But if we then see QB shuffling and inconsistency in the early games like we saw last year, and then end up with anything less than 8 wins, I may finally lose my faith in our coaches.
I have zero feel for who should be the starter. I mean, Nando, great guy, smart guy, hard worker, gives great interview, but that doesn't mean he's a better QB than Rogers. Maybe he is; maybe he isn't. The coaches have been watching these guys on the field, in meetings, everywhere for almost six months. They're the ones that are going to know.
The problem last year was that we had made commitments to SJV and to Finley. Not a promise to start, but a commitment to give them a good look, whereas Mendoza was sort of coming out of nowhere. And for all we know, Spavital might have given SJV an extra long look, since he seemed to be the one who chose him.
The problem this fall will be, what if the competition is really close. Well, I take that back: that's only a problem if they're close and not good. I don't mind the coaches giving both these guys some minutes until they feel they can make the best decision.
Agree that the second guy will be one of the better second guys we've had this century.
Nice comment but I disagree with you. Our first game, against UC Davis, should be fairly easy, allowing us to start our new QB, Rogers, who I believe, from what I have read, has more upside than Mendoza and certainly a lot more experience. Also, he probably will make a better pro.
If Rogers does not do well in the first quarter we can think about bringing in Mendoza
Neither was Jackson last year. Doesn't mean he actually had any business starting. And no, I'm not comparing Jackson to Rogers. Guys should be brought in to compete.
Neither was Jackson last year. Doesn't mean he actually had any business starting. And no, I'm not comparing Jackson to Rogers. Guys should be brought in to compete.
It was pretty much a dead heat between Jackson and Finley, much like this year with the coaches saying both would play against North Texas. I don't know why Jackson is singled out when Finley played as much.
Jackson started three games, we won all three. The first he went 3 of 4 for 33 yards and a TD and ran for 18 before taking a big hit and sitting the rest of the game, losing the starting role to Finley.
In the 5 games Jackson played in we were never out scored at any time he was in, as a starter or in relief. We moved the ball and scored, even against Auburn and UW. The only 2 interceptions he ever threw in his brief career were the final play of each half against Auburn when he was forcing it and it could not hurt us.
I agree that Mendoza looked better as a passer, apart from all the turnovers, and should have gotten a look sooner, but Jackson did not deserve the level of criticism he got and still gets from fans, press and especially from Wilcox (even in a game where he completed over 70% and we scored a TD on every single drive with him at QB except the final where we ran out the clock after driving the length of the field with first down in the red zone). Kid came in joyous, left broken. Water under the bridge I guess.
But yes, like any other position, everyone is here to compete, they are all Bears and we need to win now. May the best player play. And like last year, that may be one of the guys behind the first two.
Neither was Jackson last year. Doesn't mean he actually had any business starting. And no, I'm not comparing Jackson to Rogers. Guys should be brought in to compete.
It was pretty much a dead heat between Jackson and Finley, much like this year with the coaches saying both would play against North Texas. I don't know why Jackson is singled out when Finley played as much.
Jackson started three games, we won all three. The first he went 3 of 4 for 33 yards and a TD and ran for 18 before taking a big hit and sitting the rest of the game, losing the starting role to Finley.
In the 5 games Jackson played in we were never out scored at any time he was in, as a starter or in relief. We moved the ball and scored, even against Auburn and UW. The only 2 interceptions he ever threw in his brief career were the final play of each half against Auburn when he was forcing it and it could not hurt us.
I agree that Mendoza looked better as a passer, apart from all the turnovers, and should have gotten a look sooner, but Jackson did not deserve the level of criticism he got and still gets from fans, press and especially from Wilcox (even in a game where he completed over 70% and we scored a TD on every single drive with him at QB except the final where we ran out the clock after driving the length of the field with first down in the red zone). Kid came in joyous, left broken. Water under the bridge I guess.
But yes, like any other position, everyone is here to compete, they are all Bears and we need to win now. May the best player play. And like last year, that may be one of the guys behind the first two.
The Cal offense scored 10 points against Auburn. Jackson threw 27 passes for only 129 yards and rushed 5 times for 6 yards. Implying he had a good game is incredibly misleading. You also overlook the fact that he got hurt.
