27 Comments

I cannot wait for Justin Baker, Touchdown Maker to get on the field.

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Having grown up a NY Giants fan, love the Stephen Baker reference -- and thought of it before myself

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I remember Chris Harper having a solid impact immediately. He wasn't a star, but he was a contributor early.

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I just checked 2012 stats. In a year Zach Maynard was our starting QB and only threw 2214 yards, true freshmen Harper, Treggs, and Powe had 544, 216, and 134 yards respectively. The only other WR with over 100 yards receiving was obviously Keenan Allen at 737 yards.

Interesting fact: Brian Schwenke had a catch for 3 yards.

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It never dawned on me that Harper, Treggs and Powe were Tedford recruits that later did pretty well in the Dykes system. Just wondering if they got thrown in the mix as true freshman because of a very thin bench. And Demetrius Robertson did have a monster true freshman season. Again, though, another undisputed five star out of high school.

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Chris Harper couldve had a BIG senior year if he didnt leave early, and it was a shame for everyone involved that he did leave early -- if I recall correctly / in my humble opinion

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2015 Receiving yards

Treggs 956 yards 7 TD

Davis 672 yards 2 TD

Lawler 658 yards 13 TD

Powe 560 yards 8 TD

Harris 556 yards 6 TD

Anderson 474 yards 2 TD

Hansen 249 yards 1 TD

Hudson 140 yards 0 TD

Rivera 101 yards 1 TD

I think it was wise for Harper to leave after 3 years. I don't think he could have had a BIG year stat wise. Too many mouth to feed.

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Ok, but what if that list read: Harper 1400 yards 10 TD, and other rest were shifted down in yards/TDs? He was more talented than everyone on that list. At the very least he shouldve transferred, not declared for the draft..

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Correction: He was not more talented than Lawler -- for Lawler's particular skill set. That man had hands. BIG hands. But that's neither here nor there.. and I still think Harper wouldve been the primary receiver / playmaker on that particular squad (2015 as you pointed out)

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I think most wide receivers would do well in Dykes system? Especially when you are talented like the above three plus Lawler, Harris, and Anderson who were recruited around the same time.

In 2011, leading receivers were Keenan Allen (1343), Marvin Jones (846), Mike Calvin (269) Anthony Miller (263) CJ Anderson (186) and Spencer Hagan (94).

Only Keenan Allen and CJ Anderson returned in 2012. Other receivers we had back then were Jackson Bouza, Bryce McGovern, Quinn Tedford. We needed any scholarship WRs to play immediately.

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Can anyone think of a true freshman wide receiver not named DeSean Jackson or Keenan Allen who made a big impact at Cal? Those two guys were freakishly talented five stars and destined for the NFL while in high school. Otherwise, I think pretty rare for a true freshman to step on campus and rip it up in the first season.

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Michael Ainsworth, while troubled, had a major impact as I recall. Holmoe years.

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Sean Dawkins. Size, speed, athleticism. Had a great freshman season and followed up by a better soph year. Helped Cal destroy Clemson in the Citrus Bowl following the 1991 season, lifting Cal to a #7 end of season ranking. (Holy moly! That was 30 years ago?!?!)

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Loved me some Sean Dawkins. One of my favorite players ever at Cal. But wasn't he a red shirt freshman when he first flashed for a touchdown reception in that early season Arizona game?

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I missed the "true" in your original query. I don't recall Dawkins' status, but true frosh or RS, he was a talent.

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Top 5 Cal play ever in my opinion....Sean Dawkins rips down the sideline and burns CB Dana Hall for a touchdown in that epic 91 showdown against undefeated and number one Washington in in front of a sold-out Memorial audience of 71,000. It was a loss that was not decided until the final play. Later that hot day, sadly, a firestorm burned through the Oakland and Berkeley hills and killed 25 people.

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Aug 25, 2021Liked by Piotr Le, SGBear

Demetris Robertson

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He would have been NFL-bound if it weren't for that injury.

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He wouldve been NFL bound if he stayed at Cal.

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Hey, he is still playing college ball at Auburn this year, so maybe he still has a chance (albeit unlikely).

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I honestly think post-injury his best chances were still with us because of our WR depth issues and he's not competing on a depth chart against healthy 5* receivers.

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It was definitely a bet on himself that failed. He banked on getting to Georgia and becoming nationally known. Except, he got passed up by younger guys who are on the same talent level as him. Now he's gotta put in a ton of effort to learn the Auburn offense. If he had stayed at Cal, his talent level would've kept him on the field no matter which new freshmen came in. I don't think the benefit from going to Georgia was worth the risk of where he ended up.

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To be fair, I think he went back home to GA for personal/family reasons. Let's not forget that Stanford was his first choice, and Cal was his backup. That said, even if he went to Furd, he couldve ended up back in GA for personal reasons.

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Stovall had 415 yards and Robertson had 767 yards as true freshmen that year.

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I think Stovall's brother plays for UNR now.

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Yeah I can see him on the field in very specific jump ball opportunities but I don't see his other WR skills helping him get consistent snaps between the 20s

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