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OldSoCalBear's avatar

Interesting that he chose NAU. They haven't had a guy drafted by the NFL in almost 20 years. Whatever is driving his transfer, it's not his football career. He'd be way better off as a backup in Berkeley than a starter at NAU.

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DaneStopper's avatar

Game time at FCS > backup at P5.

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DMF's avatar

Since UCLA is six deep at QB, can the Regents send us 1?

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Justbear's avatar

Devon Modster?

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DMF's avatar

Ironically he did beat UCLA and we need every W

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Rugbear's avatar

If Kai left then either we have a QB who has confidentially committed and we are waiting to announce the news, or, the CAL staff doesn't think he has what it takes to play at the P5 level. I tend to think it's the former. NAU is a yuge step down for Kai...surprised he didn't get any action from better programs.

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OldSoCalBear's avatar

equally surprised that he didn't go to a better program. The fact that he's back in Arizona makes me wonder if there's some non-football reason behind it.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

ASU not grabbing him is somewhat telling. Ragle is there now and he was part of the recruiting team for Kai. The lack of meaningful game film really hurt his portal chances, but maybe he’s just not a P5 QB…wouldn’t be Cal’s first recruiting whiff at the QB position…(ahem, Zach Kline, ahem Brock Mansion, ahem ahem)

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DaneStopper's avatar

P5 and G5 programs aren't gonna give the reins to a guy who has <5 minutes of real action. He clearly wanted a starting job somewhere. This is pretty solid for his body of work.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

I really hope it's the former....

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JRein's avatar

Chandler Rodgers just committed to UNT

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Auricursine's avatar

Seeing the headline, I was reminded of this quote from the old Eric Idle Beatles parody, "The Rutles":

"While the Rutles are off with Arthur Sultan, their manager Leggy Mountbatten, plagued by business failures and lonely, goes home and tragically...accepts a teaching job in Australia."

While his football team is off recruiting large tight ends and former 4-star running backs, their back-up quarterback Kai Milner, plagued by a poor showing at Spring Practice and unable to beat out the Purdue transfer, goes home and tragically accepts a scholarship to Northern Arizona.

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GoldenSD81's avatar

I am not sure I’ve ever seen a coach mismanage the two most important position groups on offense and potentially on the entire team (QB and OL) like Wilcox has managed to do so. If this were Stanford or any of our rivals were would be laughing our asses off at them and their incompetence.

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JRein's avatar

Sam Huard just hit the portal. What I read said he isn’t concerned about level of program as much as an opportunity for playing time. We check that box, maybe we got a shot.

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Justbear's avatar

Well we check both boxes. Level of program and opportunity for playing time.

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SadBear's avatar

Hard to get excited about a guy with 1 TD and 4 picks in his lone start...

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JRein's avatar

He hit the portal and a few hours later Cal staff seemed to indicate someone committed, then a few hours later the main focus of our QB search Chandler Rodgers commits to UNT. Coincidence?

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HoodBear's avatar

Nah the staff was hinting at the WR I’m sure.

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Steve W's avatar

Just saw on SI that Cal is bringing in another tight end from North Texas. He did not catch one pass in 2022, and neither did J.T. Byrne, the other portal tight end addition from Oregon State. I guess that means that defenses won't have to worry about covering tight ends in Spavital's new offense.

I had not heard Chance Nolan's name mentioned in association with Cal, but I believe he is the best guy of all the names mentioned on this thread. I have watched him many times. When he is on, he is very good. Had the second best QB rating in the Pac 12 in 2021. Get off your ass and go get him, Wilcox, before more Cal dudes get frustrated from this inaction and dive into the portal.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Vintage Wilcox. Loses two athletic TE's and replaces them with a couple of guys that combined for less production than the 7 catches for 41 yards Jermaine Terry gave you.

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Steve W's avatar

Unless the dude from North Texas, who is listed as a "blocking" tight end with a 6-4, 260 pound frame, could put on 40 pounds and become a capable tackle. It's been done before. Wait a minute, those position changes are done with good coaching staffs and excellent strength and conditioning guys. Never mind.

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Justbear's avatar

Well Dykes once used Richard Rodgers as a running back, and Dykes seems to know what he's doing, so we should convert these new TEs into running backs as well.

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concernedparent's avatar

Well, it's a tradeoff. Last year DE's and OLB's rushed the edge like the TE wasn't there.

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OskiHimself's avatar

Sam Huard from Washington, former 5-star QB, just entered the portal. 247 lists him as most similar to Goff

Hmm…

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Justbear's avatar

hand size?

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Steve W's avatar

Well, time to scratch Chandler Rogers off the QB list. He is going, of all places, to North Texas. I guess he saw what we have and kind of reslishes squaring off against Cal in the first game of next season. Please, please give Chance Nolan a call. He spent most of 2022 on the injury list, so maybe he is not interested in playing behind Cal's O line.

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Justbear's avatar

Oh we are playing North Texas again?

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O.Overall's avatar

A bit of an odd move considering he was at a Power5 school with an open QB job. Even if he does well at NAU, I think he would need to transfer again to a higher tier school in order to prove himself out for the NFL draft, assuming that is his goal. If his goal is not to make the NFL, then transferring out of Berkeley for a random directional school in Arizona is even more puzzling. I know he is from AZ, but yikes

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Justbear's avatar

Now that his destination is finalized, I am not that disappointed anymore. Had he gone to a Power 5 school it would be much different, but if he chose Northern Arizona over Cal, well then.... not much to be disappointed about

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CrouchingNinerHiddenTinyHands's avatar

I’m going to go out on a really skinny limb here and make a wild guess.

And that is that Spavital is going to implement some sort of variant of the wishbone / T a la a military academy wherein we don’t really have a qb (Yikes if true…I’m doomed to watching my bears and midshipmen run gimmick offenses…this truly is hell).

I say that based on the evidence…

1.) o lineman who excelled primarily in pp transferring out

2.) 2 traditional pocket qbs transferring out

3.) Smaller rbs sans a power element transferring out

4.) Sturdivant transferring out. Not really a yac guy. That trophy belongs to Anderson

5.) two block first tight ends. Two block last tight ends out

Mark my post. We will see some sort of chair Force academy offense next year.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

You're right about one thing...Cal likely needs a gimmick offense to win.

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CrouchingNinerHiddenTinyHands's avatar

Remember the goal here isn’t to fill stands it is to empty them. Which is why a wishbone crap offense with 3rbs makes perfect sense.

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heyalumnigo's avatar

"Remember the goal here isn’t to fill stands it is to empty them."

When did Rachel Phelps buy Cal FB?

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HoodBear's avatar

Wow you need to touch some grass sir

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Bowlesman 80's avatar

Maybe if we scored some aces on Oline and QBs will be more interested.

Until Oline is a priority, things are dismal.

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Justbear's avatar

So we have an offense where top QB, WR and TE want to leave but top RBs want to play. Pretty much opposite of what I was expecting with Spavital.

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SadBear's avatar

We plan to reenact the Play with multiple laterals between RBs in every game

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Jan 10, 2023
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Justbear's avatar

We have zero player on offense drafted during Wilcox's tenure.

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Jan 10, 2023
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Justbear's avatar

Like I said, there's zero player on offense drafted during Wilcox tenure, so that means WR TE RB OL QB.

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HoodBear's avatar

Give me Rogers or Justyn.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Would love Martin. His case is interesting: does he wait around in Westwood to be part of at least a 3-man competition with Garbers & absolute stud Dante Moore?

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Steve W's avatar

I think Garbers is the guy more likely to jump into the portal. Watched him in the Sun Bowl and he looked a little bit like a fish out of water in Chip's offense. I am thinking that Moore went to UCLA under the promise he will start immediately. He was the star of the show in the Army all star game.

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Shaun O's avatar

Why not go full rebuild and let the 2 remaining QBs battle it out?

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Steve W's avatar

A full re-build under Wilcox reminds me of Gavin Newsom's $100 billion train project in the Central Valley. You gotta keep adding money and resources because what you have is going nowhere.

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concernedparent's avatar

I see them both leaving. Dante Moore probably soft penciled in as the starter, the Kent State transfer the back-up with an outside chance at starting.

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Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Agreed. No reason for either to stay if they want to play football.

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HoodBear's avatar

He would have to sit a year.

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Bowlesman 80's avatar

Would Ethan just be Chase 2.0?

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Steve W's avatar

Umm.....no. I think Chase easily beats his younger brother in a foot race. Which is why I don't think he fits into the UCLA RPO offense. He looked slow of foot to me in the bowl game.

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Jan 10, 2023
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Bowlesman 80's avatar

Even Duggan could not evade more than a few sacks, yesterday, so, yeah, drop back and die or scramble.

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