Three Big Questions: California Golden Bears
A look at each FBS program heading into 2023, alphabetically
Let’s head out west for today’s installment to the oft-forgotten about California Golden Bears. It seemed like all the offseason headlines around the program revolved around their scheme to try to keep UCLA from bolting to the Big 10, and maybe cash in a bit. When that, predictably, fell through, Cal once again was lost in irrelevance. It’s not like they’ve had any success on the field since Jared Goff was the quarterback. Now, the Golden Bears are looking to reinvent themselves and finally return to gridiron relevance.
Team Information
School: California Golden Bears
Conference: PAC-12
2022 Record: 4-8 (2-7)
Bowl: N/A
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Justin Wilcox, seventh season
Offensive Coordinator: Jake Spavital, first season
Defensive Coordinator: Peter Sirmon, fourth season
1. Is the new offense potent?
In the Justin Wilcox era, Cal has been a pass-happy team. He typically employs offensive coordinators that push the ball through the air, but recently that came in a more pro-style system.
Now, he’s brought in new offensive coordinator and former Texas State head coach Jake Spavital to run the offense. Spavital has worked under some of the Air Raid’s biggest minds in Dana Holgorsen, Sonny Dykes, and Kevin Sumlin. That is the style he brings to the table, which could play well in the light defense PAC-12.
Joining Spavital is the Golden Bears’ new quarterback: TCU transfer Sam Jackson. The dual-threat quarterback hasn’t gotten much playing time with the Horned Frogs, only throwing six passes in his career. He did complete all six for 125 yards, for what it’s worth.
Jackson was mostly utilized as a gadget player at TCU, lining up at receiver or taking wildcat snaps at quarterback. Here, Spavital is turning the offense over to him. The constant refrain throughout spring practices is the team trusts Jackson. He’s been hard on himself this spring, and is constantly driving to improve as a quarterback.
That’s what you want to hear, but will we see those results on the field? Spavital’s Texas State team didn’t get the best quarterback play out of Layne Hatcher a year ago, but is it different at Cal?
Well, the presence of one Jaydn Ott certainly helps. The budding star sophomore tailback exploded onto the scene last year, running for 847 yards and eight touchdowns. Spavital doesn’t call a ton of run plays, but Ott will be a great change of pace back for Jackson. With both being uber-athletic, I can see a zone read system working very well for the Golden Bears. It also helps that Ott is a receiving threat out of the backfield, adding 46 receptions for 321 yards and three touchdowns. He will thrive in this system, but will Spavital let him loose?
There’s a lot of questions about this team, and Ott sitting out of the spring game is interesting. It shows that he’s a major part of the team and they don’t want to risk injury in a meaningless practice game. It also keeps their plans for the electric sophomore under wraps.
2. How does the post-spring transfer of Ben Finley change the offense?
I know, I know, doubling up on quarterbacks, but hear me out. Jackson was named the starter coming out of spring ball, but Wilcox still left the door open for competition. Both Wilcox and Spavital said they wanted a little more experience and depth at quarterback, and they finally got that.
On April 26, the Golden Bears got a boost from the portal with NC State graduate transfer Ben Finley coming over. He, like Jackson, was rated as a four-star transfer prospect by 247 Sports. And, with redshirts and COVID years, Finley holds three years of remaining eligibility.
Unlike Jackson, Finley is a pro-style drop back passer. He’s more in line with what Spavital had in recent years in Hatcher and Brady McBride, but much more talented. That was clear when Finley jumped in for NC State’s final three games, including a massive upset over arch-rival North Carolina. In his three games of action, two of which were starts, Finley was 65-of-124 through the air for 741 yards and three touchdowns alongside three interceptions.
The two will continue to compete in the summer workouts, but whichever one breaks camp as the starter drastically alters the offense. Jackson provides dual-threat upside, while Finley is a pure passer. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Personally, I would say that Finley is most likely to be the starter, with Jackson returning to more a gadget role. I know that’s not what he wants, and does limit the offense some, but it makes the most sense. Spavital seems to gravitate more towards pure passers than dual-threat quarterbacks anyway.
3. Can a few impact players really improve the Golden Bears’ defense?
Cal’s defense was not very good a year ago. That’s not surprising, considering their 4-8 record.
Wilcox’s defense in 2023 hinges on two key players to bring it back to relevance: Patrick McMorris and Brett Johnson.
McMorris is a spring transfer into Cal, and ESPN’s fourth-ranked spring transfer overall. The defensive back comes by way of San Diego State, where in 2021, he was one of the nation’s premier safeties. That season, he posted a stellar 90 tackles, four interceptions and 13 pass breakups, good enough for All-Mountain West honors. McMorris did see some numbers dip in 2022, but the talent is all there. He is the key to unlocking some turnover potential in the Golden Bears’ defense, which ranked 66th in the nation in takeaways a year ago.
Johnson has been a Golden Bear his entire career, but hasn’t seen the field since 2020. In spring 2021, he was involved in a bad auto accident that fractured his hip. Finally, over 1,000 days later, Johnson is ready to return to the field. And that’s huge for Cal. Johnson is a big bodied presence in the middle that opposing offenses can’t seem to stop. In the COVID-shortened 2020, he tallied 20 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in only six games. He was a freshman All-American in 2019 after a 26 tackle, 3.5 tackle for loss season. He’s been tabbed by ESPN’s Todd McShay as a top-40 prospect prior to his injury.
Outside of Johnson and McMorris, though, the Golden Bears didn’t add too much. Is that enough? I think it moves the needle, but it won’t ultimately be enough to make a difference. A one-year turnaround from 4-8 in a Power Five conference is a hard ask, but it’s one that rests on Johnson and McMorris.
What are the expectations for Cal?
This is a team that is still very much rebuilding. They’re not near PAC-12 contention, and have plenty of growing to do as a unit. The defense has a lot of question marks, and the offense hinges on the quarterback battle that’s just now firing up.
In all reality, I think bowl eligibility is the goal for this team. They’d love to outperform that, but I think just getting to six wins is a tall ask. It’s a rebuilding year, but those are starting to stack. Another down year, and Wilcox’s seat is going to start getting warmer and warmer.