Write For California

Share this post

Cal spring practice standouts: Defense is dominant

writeforcalifornia.com

Cal spring practice standouts: Defense is dominant

Who are the names and faces to watch out for as the new faces of Cal football?

Avinash Kunnath
Apr 27, 2022
∙ Paid
2
Share this post

Cal spring practice standouts: Defense is dominant

writeforcalifornia.com
8
Share

This is, as par for the course in the Justin Wilcox era, a list dominated by defense.

Twitter avatar for @CalFootball
Cal Football @CalFootball
On The Steady Grind #GoBears | #SpringBall22
Image
Image
Image
Image
8:18 PM ∙ Apr 25, 2022
80Likes9Retweets

Cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns earned his rep as number one cornerback mid-fall of his freshman year, and he’s carried it over into spring. He continues to make plays in practice against Cal’s starting wideouts despite giving up several inches in height, and in Saturday’s scrimmage broke up a bunch of more passes.

However, the battle for the other side remains up in the air. Evan McLurkin has stepped in and has proven he will be a legitimate option to start next fall. McLurkin is running up with Hearns and rotating with Isaiah Young (also making plays) in pass breakups, and he has been executing at a two-deep level. Corner depth is short due to injury this spring, so expect the battle for the second starting spot to run into fall.

Write For California
Cal Football Notebook #5: Scrimmage Number 2 (4/23/22)
This is my first time covering a spring practice seriously so please bear with me! I’ll try to hold the same standard as Rob does with his pieces along with some twists of my own. As such this post will be available to everyone since its not the usual stuff. Enjoy…
Read more
a year ago · 10 likes · 14 comments · TD_24

The most consistent unit, in every practice, has been the defensive line.

Ethan Saunders had a relatively quiet 2021, racking up 18 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

He isn’t having a quiet spring.

Noticeably slimmed down from the fall (down 20 pounds!), Saunders has taken almost every starting defensive rep in practice and is living in the backfield from the defensive end position. The offensive line is admittedly thin this spring, but Saunders is towering and speeding at an elite level. The switch has been flipped.

Saunders is getting a huge assist from Cal’s likely starting nose guard. Ricky Correia is anchoring inside and requires significant attention and double-teams up front, opening up the remaining edge and backers wide lanes to the running backs (who have had to work on pro gamer difficulty this spring). If he continues to occupy this much attention, Correia could give the rest of the Bears a chance to wreak significant havoc.

Twitter avatar for @CalFootball
Cal Football @CalFootball
The big dudes are MOVIN 💨 #GoBears | #SpringBall22
4:17 PM ∙ Apr 21, 2022
154Likes14Retweets

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to

Write For California
to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Previous
Next
© 2023 Write For California LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing