There are two things that give me great optimism for next year (and the future under Wilcox). The first is the quality of our recruits and how they are being bulked up, healthy style. I am impressed as hell with Coach Wilcox figuring out how, in the Covid era, to get growing kids lifting heavy, the nutrition they need to muscle up. This is just a little coaching item that will pay huge dividends come fall. If you look at the recruiting for CAL since Wilcox arrived we basically started with low level three star kids and some two stars and are now attracting high three stars and a fair number of four star kids. Does this guarantee success by itself? No. As Wilcox has stated a bigger guy most often beats a smaller guy if both have similar abilities. Our receivers are longer and heavier as is our secondary. Our linebackers are getting big, typically at 6'2" 240-250 lbs. Same with our RB's. We finally have some real depth at D-Line, but could use more. And our O-line is long, athletic and big. Wilcox is building a 'Program' and we are soon to see the dividends. It's exciting to watch. The second item that excites me is when a head coach says there is so much to teach and that he sees things that he could teach EVERY POSITION GROUP. Wilcox is a brilliant coach with a deep knowledge of the game and of each position. This is rare. He hires position coaches that are solid teachers. When you have the ability to look at highly skilled and trained player groups and can say that there is so much more you can teach them, that's an awesome thing. As fans we will most likely see the conclusion of Spring Ball as an indicator of significant team progress. Wilcox will see it as a point to start reviewing and planning his offseason teaching to keep taking the kids to another level. I cannot say if I've ever been this excited about a CAL head coach. We'll still stumble as we get better, but if we can keep Wilcox another 5 years and maintain our level of improvement and our recruiting trajectory, we will be a powerhouse.
There are two things that give me great optimism for next year (and the future under Wilcox). The first is the quality of our recruits and how they are being bulked up, healthy style. I am impressed as hell with Coach Wilcox figuring out how, in the Covid era, to get growing kids lifting heavy, the nutrition they need to muscle up. This is just a little coaching item that will pay huge dividends come fall. If you look at the recruiting for CAL since Wilcox arrived we basically started with low level three star kids and some two stars and are now attracting high three stars and a fair number of four star kids. Does this guarantee success by itself? No. As Wilcox has stated a bigger guy most often beats a smaller guy if both have similar abilities. Our receivers are longer and heavier as is our secondary. Our linebackers are getting big, typically at 6'2" 240-250 lbs. Same with our RB's. We finally have some real depth at D-Line, but could use more. And our O-line is long, athletic and big. Wilcox is building a 'Program' and we are soon to see the dividends. It's exciting to watch. The second item that excites me is when a head coach says there is so much to teach and that he sees things that he could teach EVERY POSITION GROUP. Wilcox is a brilliant coach with a deep knowledge of the game and of each position. This is rare. He hires position coaches that are solid teachers. When you have the ability to look at highly skilled and trained player groups and can say that there is so much more you can teach them, that's an awesome thing. As fans we will most likely see the conclusion of Spring Ball as an indicator of significant team progress. Wilcox will see it as a point to start reviewing and planning his offseason teaching to keep taking the kids to another level. I cannot say if I've ever been this excited about a CAL head coach. We'll still stumble as we get better, but if we can keep Wilcox another 5 years and maintain our level of improvement and our recruiting trajectory, we will be a powerhouse.
Jermaine Terry = JT = Just Touchdowns.
Centennial (Corona) 4-star Defensive back Jaden Mickey puts Cal in top four with Notre Dame, Oregon, and Northwestern.
https://247sports.com/college/california/Article/Cal-football-recruiting-Jaden-Mickey-Top-4-Notre-Dame-Northwestern-Oregon-162083733/
What I learned from this article was that we have Tarik Glenn Jr. on our team.
Good to see lots of new Bears getting meaningful practice time, our overall depth should be improved this season.