It’s that time of the year where we as writers try to make sense of the signees that were brought on to the California Golden Bears and attempt to determine what difference their presence will bring to a team always in need for more talent. Surely all of these predictions will amount to something….right?
The first Golden Bear on the board is Jaydn Ott, a running back out of Norco High School in Norco, California. Ott was rated as the number 14 running back on Rivals, and was previously committed to Oregon and Cal before his final recommitment to the Golden Bears.
The Measurements:
5 feet 11 inches
196 pounds
What does Ott bring to the table?
*links will bring you to the video itself, you’ll just have to scroll to the times to see greatness
As Ott gained experience at national powerhouse Bishop Gorman, Ott continued to show flashes of who he could be. Once he transferred back to Norco, Ott has continued to build on his speed and agility with supreme agility and a nasty ability to cut back in the open lane where there isn’t much space. As seen at the :13 second mark of his senior season tape, Ott possess the ability to cut back off his right guard, taking the momentum off the corner and safety away, and jetting off into the distance for an 80 yard score. Ott also has the ability to bounce off tackles, and make defenders look silly no matter the situation may be. See here at the 1:08 mark of his tape where runs into a pile of humanity before jumping off left end like Derrick Henry would and breaking off into the secondary where he drags defenders for the touchdown.
Player Comparisons
The player I see in Jaydn Ott from his ability to hit a 2nd gear while also running hard and smart is Nick Chubb. You cannot simply tackle Ott with arm tackles like Chubb, he will bounce off like a rubber ball while maintaining the physicality of a hard runner like Chubb does on handoffs. Ott rushed for 1,140 yards and had 17 rushing touchdowns in his senior campaign, and helped make his case for why he can be a helpful D1 back. As for a college comparison, I see a lot of Hassan Haskins (Michigan) in Ott. A powerful and fast back, but someone who may not translate to being a three down back ever, which for Cal isn’t necessarily an issue.
What can Ott improve on?
Ott was a one dimensional back in high school. The thing that helps him in this regard is the fact that the Cal running back room is extremely versatile, with Damien Moore providing good vision, patience, and acceleration along with Chris Street who possesses good speed and an ability to break things outside. Ott’s lack of experience as a receiving back can be alleviated with Moore and Street in the rotation. However, the deliberate use of Ott as a non receiving back must be noted because Norco simply didn’t throw his way for whatever reason besides check downs. There also isn’t much tape on his pass protection, and that will definitely be needed with the occasional inconsistencies on the offensive line.
You can find his Hudl here: Hudl
Best of luck to Jaydn as he starts his Cal career!
"A powerful and fast back, but someone who may not translate to being a three down back ever, which for Cal isn’t necessarily an issue."
Why is that - what do you see him not being not able to improve upon in college to where he would be a workhorse back? You compared him to Nick Chubb (!) and Hassan Haskins (!) who is an All-American who had 270 carries last season.
If he's got strength, speed, and cut-back ability - how does that make him "one-dimensional?"
Off Topic: U of Oregon has three WBB players enter the transfer portal...... Hope Charmin can land one or more.