The point is they are scrambling for a QB. This was one of the worst offenses in the pac 12 last year and it lost one of the best wide receivers in the conference to the portal. Cal will start a QB that is unknown which could be good or bad. Cal has been awful for awhile now and it’s time to turn this ship around. It’s embarrassing when you see 3/4 of the stadium empty every year after about 6 games into the schedule.Let’s hope things change!
I think you are correct, but does that mean we take him because he's the best available? I think not, I think we only take players we truly believe will up our game. Admittedly, that's risky if one of our QB's ends up getting injured, but there is another week and half for new players to enter the portal. There may be some good QB's waiting to jump in. Any good experienced QB knows what Spav brings to the table AND they will know they will have a chance to compete for the starting job.
Completely agree about Fernando and his time will come. I suspect the program he is on is two more years of journeyman role and then he'll take over as the starter for his last two years of eligibility. Personally I don't think Fernando is ready for game time in Spav's new system. He will get there though, I have no doubt.
Fortunately, I think the Berkeley degree holds special value to him so he could be less of a transfer risk before then. He showed a lot of interest in the Ivies (was committed to Yale) and we're one of the few schools in that academic tier.
Very true. He's a real smart kid and fits in very well with the image of the CAL program. His brains will help him be a better QB as well. Give him a year or two, he could be our next Steve Bartkowski.
Very true, but then I don't really care about a recruiting profile. Mendoza was a 2* (as was JJ Watt). But Mendoza is a very smart player, very coachable, 6'5" tall and throws really good balls. Give him a year or two and I believe he will turn into a very good QB.
For the first game, Spav should play Jackson and Nando 50/50. He needs game film to see what these guys can do. Then for the Auburn game, pick one. That said, by default that pick may have to be Jackson if the OL continues to be porous. During the showcase, I did not see anything in terms of talent or development that showed much, if any, improvement in the OL. Jackson and Nando should go 50/50 for the third game against Idaho.
Quarterback is the most concerning position group on Cal's team in my view. I think that Spav and Wilcox were desperate and whispered to Sam Jackson he would start if he came to Cal. Spring ball has shown Jackson is is raw and needs a ton of improvement. And let's remember that Jackson was a converted wide receiver in high school and did not have the benefit of attending quarterback camps from an early age like other guys. But I still think that unspoken agreement to Jackson will prevent talented guys with experience like Chance Nolan from coming to Cal. Would love to see a list of still uncommitted portal QB's guys still out there.
I think Jackson needs some seasoning like any QB without game experience, but in time he'll be good. All I really worry about with him is decision making and turnovers. If he can keep the turnovers to a minimum he has the athletic ability to play while he is learning. At some point he will need game experience, as will Mendoza. I'm not high on Chance Nolan. He's ok but why would he leave a 10 win OSU team that pounded a resurgent Florida 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl. If he was worried that DJ Uiagalelei from Clemson was going to take his job then I really don't want him cause Uiagalelei sucks big time. Clemson gave him every chance and coached him up. The dude can't read a defense or check down receivers...
A "resurgent" Florida? Half their team opted out of that bowl game, including their starting QB who had already declared for the draft. Cal would have beaten Florida in that bowl game. As for Nolan, he had a 64% completion rate and threw for 19 touchdowns and 2,700 yards on a running team in 2021. That's better than any quarterback in the Wilcox era. In 2022, he got concussion issues and only played in five games. We don't really know why he decided to leave, but his 2021 full season results were impressive.
All true, but then why is he leaving OSU? Wouldn't he have a legit shot at starting again this year if he played that well and already knows Jonathan Smith's system?
You said it in your earlier post. Smith brings in a 5-star California dude. It doesn't matter how well or not he played at Clemson. Look at what happened at USC when Lincoln Riley brought in Caleb Williams. That made the previously highly regarded guy - Jaxson Dart - bail on the program and go to Ol Miss, where he threw for 3,000 yards last year.
DJ is not Caleb Williams. Caleb transferred from Oklahoma to USC for two reasons: Lincoln RIley and huge NIL money. He followed his coach and got big money. If you watched his whole transfer process he waited for a while until USC came up with the money. As to DJ, he got beat out of his job by a true freshman after Dabo gave him every chance. I watched a LOT of Clemson football the last several years because my former boss was a huge Clemson fan. DJ really sucks, really. And Caleb was better than Dart even though Dart is a solid QB. The two situations are not comparable IMHO. Dart could start at just about any school, unless Caleb Williams was there. There's a reason Caleb won the Heisman.
This is the last word, I promise. You just sent over the transfer portal options for QB. Go find me someone still in the portal who had as good as season as Chance Nolan had in 2021 from a Power 5 Conference and let's talk about him.
Mendoza gives a great interview. Put that kid in front of the cameras any day. Even his cliche answers didn't come across as rote or rehearsed. Go Bears!
I remember being impressed by his swagger and intelligence when he arrived. Really hoping he develops into a starting-caliber QB (or, better yet, a NFL QB as he predicted for himself).
I think Jackson will be the guy this year but would love to see Mendoza as a 1B, especially given the injury risk to a dual threat QB behind a questionable OL.
Zach got on the wrong side of Sonny Dykes, unfortunately. That comeback Spring game Zach completely outplayed any of his competitors and still got skunked by Dykes. I was sorry to see that happen. Maybe his longer hair and guitar playing ways did not sit right with the Coach from Texas.
No. Zach Kline came back during the spring of 2016, played really well in the spring game. Webb transferred in a month or so later and Zach transferred to Fresno State.
Did he, though? I think Dykes made 2 major mistakes, and both of them were the DCs he hired. We now know in hindsight that his talent evaluation is actually pretty top notch, considering our offensive output with him and and our defensive output after him but with his recruits.
So true. He's a ray of sunshine and reminds me of Evan Weaver if Evan were on ecstasy or something. Energetic, believing, hungry. I really miss Evan Weaver. I hope Nando continues to shine. I see a type of greatness in him. He has the measurables. Jackson is great too, just a more typical QB interview. If he can get his % on broken plays up to where the INT ratio is below the TD ratio, we have a star in him.
Well technically he's a Cal QB now so I'm guessing he or you mean he will be a starter? No matter who we bring in, it is likely Nando will get some snaps from injury to others if nothing else. I'm a student of leadership, and that kid has some traits that are hard to find.
I meant he will be the starter. Coaches can never say that they can just imply it. Wilcox like Mendoza (for good reason) and is obviously impressed with his progress. I remember when people on this site were down on him because he was 'just' a 2* QB out of high school. I looked at his size and then watched his film and was very impressed. He had a great arm and could make all the throws. I think the reason he was rated so low is because he played in a league of small schools. Fernando is the real deal and I fully expect him to be a really good QB for us as he continues to grow into the role.
Not a good sign when you are hunting for a QB in the portal. Really make or break year for Wilcox, team has been trending in the wrong direction. After the awful Musgrave hire, a defense that has been looking soft , with a coach who is known for defense, plus all your best players except for Ott are transferring, I think this is make or break season. Need to start and keep butts in the stands, have to win. No more 3-1 starts and then get into pac 12 play and win 2 or 3 games every year. Then you start looking like the baseball team. Anyway, not s fan of Knowlton at all but his coaches in the major men’s sports are not helping him out at all.
I don't think this is a make or break year for Wilcox but I do think the pressure is on. I think Knowlton was probably fully aware of the decision to fire Musgrave and McClure before it happened and supported the decision. I also think he is fully aware that bringing in a new OC and offensive system is disruptive and will take at least a season or two to see major results. I believe he expects our record to be better this year than last, I think we all do, but I don't think he's looking for 8 or 10 wins, he will be looking at improvement and how the future looks as a result of improvement. (Are we trending upward like we were before Covid).
Fully agree. I suspect he's been wearing down the infamous Cal bureaucracy over time, culminating in the best offensive staff he's had since Baldwin left.
Basically needed to either fire Wilcox after last season (which I would have been ok with) or give him 2 years for this project. Schedule is also very tough this year. I think 6 wins would be considered a stretch goal.
Disagree, you want depth. Jackson can play, but the way he runs around there is a good chance he'll get hurt at some point in the season. Mendoza is not ready for prime time. They need an experienced QB to compete for the starting job and who can play backup to Jackson.
We have what, 2 scholarship QBs on roster? Even if Sam Jackson were Lamar Jackson we'd still want another QB from the portal. We knew coming in Sam was raw. All this really shows to me is that the most absolute optimistic scenario hasn't played out (Sam kills it from the get-go). The most likely scenario for this season has always been that Sam flashes but is inconsistent... improves over summer, fall, and grows into a competent enough, Pac 12 average QB that takes enough heat off Ott for Ott to flourish.
Wonderful. But can he play QB at the D1 Pac-? Level?
It is being reported that Dave Wilcox, Justin's dad, has passed away. Condolences to Justin and the Wilcox family.
That's a sad thing for coach. Losing a parent. At least they are between practice seasons and he might have some bandwidth to go home and visit more.
Ha! We all are. ;-)
The point is they are scrambling for a QB. This was one of the worst offenses in the pac 12 last year and it lost one of the best wide receivers in the conference to the portal. Cal will start a QB that is unknown which could be good or bad. Cal has been awful for awhile now and it’s time to turn this ship around. It’s embarrassing when you see 3/4 of the stadium empty every year after about 6 games into the schedule.Let’s hope things change!
I think you are correct, but does that mean we take him because he's the best available? I think not, I think we only take players we truly believe will up our game. Admittedly, that's risky if one of our QB's ends up getting injured, but there is another week and half for new players to enter the portal. There may be some good QB's waiting to jump in. Any good experienced QB knows what Spav brings to the table AND they will know they will have a chance to compete for the starting job.
Completely agree about Fernando and his time will come. I suspect the program he is on is two more years of journeyman role and then he'll take over as the starter for his last two years of eligibility. Personally I don't think Fernando is ready for game time in Spav's new system. He will get there though, I have no doubt.
Fortunately, I think the Berkeley degree holds special value to him so he could be less of a transfer risk before then. He showed a lot of interest in the Ivies (was committed to Yale) and we're one of the few schools in that academic tier.
Can't take him for granted, of course.
Very true. He's a real smart kid and fits in very well with the image of the CAL program. His brains will help him be a better QB as well. Give him a year or two, he could be our next Steve Bartkowski.
Very true, but then I don't really care about a recruiting profile. Mendoza was a 2* (as was JJ Watt). But Mendoza is a very smart player, very coachable, 6'5" tall and throws really good balls. Give him a year or two and I believe he will turn into a very good QB.
Rugbear and Bob need to learn the "reply" function
It will go to the top when you get many recs
For the first game, Spav should play Jackson and Nando 50/50. He needs game film to see what these guys can do. Then for the Auburn game, pick one. That said, by default that pick may have to be Jackson if the OL continues to be porous. During the showcase, I did not see anything in terms of talent or development that showed much, if any, improvement in the OL. Jackson and Nando should go 50/50 for the third game against Idaho.
doing a 50/50 at North Texas is certainly playing with fire
I think the decision to go with Goff came from Tony Franklin. Yes, it was a great decision.
Quarterback is the most concerning position group on Cal's team in my view. I think that Spav and Wilcox were desperate and whispered to Sam Jackson he would start if he came to Cal. Spring ball has shown Jackson is is raw and needs a ton of improvement. And let's remember that Jackson was a converted wide receiver in high school and did not have the benefit of attending quarterback camps from an early age like other guys. But I still think that unspoken agreement to Jackson will prevent talented guys with experience like Chance Nolan from coming to Cal. Would love to see a list of still uncommitted portal QB's guys still out there.
I think Jackson needs some seasoning like any QB without game experience, but in time he'll be good. All I really worry about with him is decision making and turnovers. If he can keep the turnovers to a minimum he has the athletic ability to play while he is learning. At some point he will need game experience, as will Mendoza. I'm not high on Chance Nolan. He's ok but why would he leave a 10 win OSU team that pounded a resurgent Florida 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl. If he was worried that DJ Uiagalelei from Clemson was going to take his job then I really don't want him cause Uiagalelei sucks big time. Clemson gave him every chance and coached him up. The dude can't read a defense or check down receivers...
A "resurgent" Florida? Half their team opted out of that bowl game, including their starting QB who had already declared for the draft. Cal would have beaten Florida in that bowl game. As for Nolan, he had a 64% completion rate and threw for 19 touchdowns and 2,700 yards on a running team in 2021. That's better than any quarterback in the Wilcox era. In 2022, he got concussion issues and only played in five games. We don't really know why he decided to leave, but his 2021 full season results were impressive.
All true, but then why is he leaving OSU? Wouldn't he have a legit shot at starting again this year if he played that well and already knows Jonathan Smith's system?
You said it in your earlier post. Smith brings in a 5-star California dude. It doesn't matter how well or not he played at Clemson. Look at what happened at USC when Lincoln Riley brought in Caleb Williams. That made the previously highly regarded guy - Jaxson Dart - bail on the program and go to Ol Miss, where he threw for 3,000 yards last year.
DJ is not Caleb Williams. Caleb transferred from Oklahoma to USC for two reasons: Lincoln RIley and huge NIL money. He followed his coach and got big money. If you watched his whole transfer process he waited for a while until USC came up with the money. As to DJ, he got beat out of his job by a true freshman after Dabo gave him every chance. I watched a LOT of Clemson football the last several years because my former boss was a huge Clemson fan. DJ really sucks, really. And Caleb was better than Dart even though Dart is a solid QB. The two situations are not comparable IMHO. Dart could start at just about any school, unless Caleb Williams was there. There's a reason Caleb won the Heisman.
This is the last word, I promise. You just sent over the transfer portal options for QB. Go find me someone still in the portal who had as good as season as Chance Nolan had in 2021 from a Power 5 Conference and let's talk about him.
Good point; where IS this portal-thing???? Can we all go peer inside or do U have to be “special”?
https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Football/TransferPortal/
Mendoza gives a great interview. Put that kid in front of the cameras any day. Even his cliche answers didn't come across as rote or rehearsed. Go Bears!
I remember being impressed by his swagger and intelligence when he arrived. Really hoping he develops into a starting-caliber QB (or, better yet, a NFL QB as he predicted for himself).
I think Jackson will be the guy this year but would love to see Mendoza as a 1B, especially given the injury risk to a dual threat QB behind a questionable OL.
Right; there was that video of him and Mick.....er, Mike Luckhurst on their first day of classes; Mendoza was hilarious!!!!
Kinda like Zach Kline, who was very popular with the team. Seems like Mendoza's QB star will rise further than Zach's though.
Zach got on the wrong side of Sonny Dykes, unfortunately. That comeback Spring game Zach completely outplayed any of his competitors and still got skunked by Dykes. I was sorry to see that happen. Maybe his longer hair and guitar playing ways did not sit right with the Coach from Texas.
To be fair once Davis Webb transferred in it was all over for everyone in that QB room.
You are off by 3 years
No. Zach Kline came back during the spring of 2016, played really well in the spring game. Webb transferred in a month or so later and Zach transferred to Fresno State.
Ohh that time.
Nah it was clear come fall that true freshman Goff was better, and what a stud Goff turned out to be.
In the end you are correct. Goff was and still is a stud.
Dykes made many mistakes but that was the best decision he made in my mind, to play Goff.
Did he, though? I think Dykes made 2 major mistakes, and both of them were the DCs he hired. We now know in hindsight that his talent evaluation is actually pretty top notch, considering our offensive output with him and and our defensive output after him but with his recruits.
So true. He's a ray of sunshine and reminds me of Evan Weaver if Evan were on ecstasy or something. Energetic, believing, hungry. I really miss Evan Weaver. I hope Nando continues to shine. I see a type of greatness in him. He has the measurables. Jackson is great too, just a more typical QB interview. If he can get his % on broken plays up to where the INT ratio is below the TD ratio, we have a star in him.
Wilcox has stated that before his playing days at CAL are done that Mendoza will be a CAL QB.
Well technically he's a Cal QB now so I'm guessing he or you mean he will be a starter? No matter who we bring in, it is likely Nando will get some snaps from injury to others if nothing else. I'm a student of leadership, and that kid has some traits that are hard to find.
I meant he will be the starter. Coaches can never say that they can just imply it. Wilcox like Mendoza (for good reason) and is obviously impressed with his progress. I remember when people on this site were down on him because he was 'just' a 2* QB out of high school. I looked at his size and then watched his film and was very impressed. He had a great arm and could make all the throws. I think the reason he was rated so low is because he played in a league of small schools. Fernando is the real deal and I fully expect him to be a really good QB for us as he continues to grow into the role.
Not a good sign when you are hunting for a QB in the portal. Really make or break year for Wilcox, team has been trending in the wrong direction. After the awful Musgrave hire, a defense that has been looking soft , with a coach who is known for defense, plus all your best players except for Ott are transferring, I think this is make or break season. Need to start and keep butts in the stands, have to win. No more 3-1 starts and then get into pac 12 play and win 2 or 3 games every year. Then you start looking like the baseball team. Anyway, not s fan of Knowlton at all but his coaches in the major men’s sports are not helping him out at all.
I don't think this is a make or break year for Wilcox but I do think the pressure is on. I think Knowlton was probably fully aware of the decision to fire Musgrave and McClure before it happened and supported the decision. I also think he is fully aware that bringing in a new OC and offensive system is disruptive and will take at least a season or two to see major results. I believe he expects our record to be better this year than last, I think we all do, but I don't think he's looking for 8 or 10 wins, he will be looking at improvement and how the future looks as a result of improvement. (Are we trending upward like we were before Covid).
Bowl eligible is the hope for this year, higher honors possibly in the future.
Fully agree. I suspect he's been wearing down the infamous Cal bureaucracy over time, culminating in the best offensive staff he's had since Baldwin left.
Basically needed to either fire Wilcox after last season (which I would have been ok with) or give him 2 years for this project. Schedule is also very tough this year. I think 6 wins would be considered a stretch goal.
I'm looking for 8 or 10 wins
Disagree, you want depth. Jackson can play, but the way he runs around there is a good chance he'll get hurt at some point in the season. Mendoza is not ready for prime time. They need an experienced QB to compete for the starting job and who can play backup to Jackson.
We have what, 2 scholarship QBs on roster? Even if Sam Jackson were Lamar Jackson we'd still want another QB from the portal. We knew coming in Sam was raw. All this really shows to me is that the most absolute optimistic scenario hasn't played out (Sam kills it from the get-go). The most likely scenario for this season has always been that Sam flashes but is inconsistent... improves over summer, fall, and grows into a competent enough, Pac 12 average QB that takes enough heat off Ott for Ott to flourish.
You never want only 2 qbs on your roster.