Cal tight end Jermaine Terry enters the portal, Oregon State TE J.T. Byrne ends up at Cal
More roster upheaval for the Bears.
Cal tight end Jermaine Terry has entered the transfer portal, joining his compatriot Keleki Latu.
Terry started last season, catching seven passes for 41 yards.
These losses are tough but expected, as new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has generally run offenses that do not emphasize tight end play. But it doesn’t make the losses any easier. Both Latu and Terry are talented players that seemed to be underutilized last season by Bill Musgrave, and with the right coaching could’ve made a significant difference.
Cal did stop the bleeding a little bit with the commitment of tight end J.T. Bryne, who entered the portal from Oregon State yesterday. He played in nine games in 2021, logging no game stats as a redshirt freshman.
The Cal offense has seen a number of key losses in the portal from their 2022 campaign.
Top two quarterbacks (Jack Plummer, Kai Millner)
Four of the top five running backs (Damien Moore, DeCarlos Brooks, Chris Street, Ashton Hayes)
One of our top two wide outs (J Michael Sturdivant)
Two starting offensive linemen (Spencer Lovell, Ben Coleman)
And now our top two tight ends.
Cal has peppered over some of the losses with Byron Cardwell and now Byrne, but more transfers are needed in a hurry.
Terry was kind of my breakout candidate last year, and while the offense was admittedly a disaster, I really wasn't all that impressed with his play. That said, a better and more dynamic offensive mind may have gotten more out of him than Musgrave, but he sure didn't look like a P5 player, despite the size and athleticism.
Something tells me, though, he'll be just fine with proper coaching.
To be fair, we haven't lost Millner yet. He may not get the starting opportunity he was looking for elsewhere, and Cal may still be his best bet to get real playing time next season. I imagine everyone else who hasn't found a school yet is gone gone, though.