QB: What is Musgrave doing on the recruiting front? Initially he offers ONLY 4 kids. Late in the cycle he offers a local kid (Duncan). And in the last 3 weeks offered three more kids none of whom are classified as "pro style". One of those three has already gone with Oregon State.
Now of the original 4 offerees, 2 have committed elsewhere, a third isn't very likely (Rashada), and the fourth there is zero buzz on.
So, only "real" possibility now is the late offer given to Duncan. It is no wonder Cal only has 3 scholarship QB's on the roster. Does Musgrave even actively recruit? And there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to whom he offers: dual threat v pro style.
Secondary: only one and definitely 2 key injuries away at CB from being a very vulnerable unit. Plenty of mostly inexperienced talent at safety, so injuries shouldn't be too big a concern.
OL ahead of QB?? C'mon man!! Plummer is a proven starter and has a lot of game experience. So, if he ends up as starter or 2nd string to Kai, either scenario is favorable to what the OL has on offer.
My 2 groups of concern therefore are cornerbacks (depth) and OL (depth & talent). Angus starting out by putting an unnatural player at LT does not bode well for the line, in general, nor Angus' long-term job prospect. Coleman is going to struggle at LT against better opposition. If he really is that good at LG (I'm not so sure he is) then leave him at LG. He doesn't have the athleticism nor the length to deal with edge rushers. Right out of the gate Cal is making decisions that put them on the back foot with regards to the OL. Should Cal not get it right this year then Angus has to go, even if it is a mid-season firing. And frankly if the OL continues to be Cal's Achilles heel then Wilcox has run out of free passes and may be 1/2 way out the door. Hopefully none of this comes to pass and Cal finally has the OL it needs to execute routine plays.
That’s fair; it’s inherent to the artifice of this article but comparing the single spot units to the multi-position units makes it hard to go apples to apples
A constant across all the units is that we're banking on the talent to emerge, which could be interpreted as that we all believe the talent is somewhere there. That shows we've come a pretty decent way in terms of recruiting and hitting the portal to bring up the floor of talent across the team. Now its up to coaching to help make that jump from potential to play.
The one sure thing is that there will be surprises, guys we thought would step up that don’t break through, guys we thought would be depth forcing their way into the field
I agree with Old Bear 71. I think you've ranked them exactly as they should be. QB is a position I am not sanguine about because of the lack of experience - plus, Plummer is a guy who lost his starting job in addition to his lack of mobility. I would hope that Milner emerges by the midpoint of the season as at least a strong back-up who gets regular snaps. The inexperienced wideouts combined with a potentially porous O-line does not bode well for offensive efficiency. Also, it seems like every season we see the same thing on the O-line - injuries, retirements, guys not panning out, etc. which partially falls on the coaching staff.
QB: What is Musgrave doing on the recruiting front? Initially he offers ONLY 4 kids. Late in the cycle he offers a local kid (Duncan). And in the last 3 weeks offered three more kids none of whom are classified as "pro style". One of those three has already gone with Oregon State.
Now of the original 4 offerees, 2 have committed elsewhere, a third isn't very likely (Rashada), and the fourth there is zero buzz on.
So, only "real" possibility now is the late offer given to Duncan. It is no wonder Cal only has 3 scholarship QB's on the roster. Does Musgrave even actively recruit? And there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to whom he offers: dual threat v pro style.
Secondary: only one and definitely 2 key injuries away at CB from being a very vulnerable unit. Plenty of mostly inexperienced talent at safety, so injuries shouldn't be too big a concern.
OL ahead of QB?? C'mon man!! Plummer is a proven starter and has a lot of game experience. So, if he ends up as starter or 2nd string to Kai, either scenario is favorable to what the OL has on offer.
My 2 groups of concern therefore are cornerbacks (depth) and OL (depth & talent). Angus starting out by putting an unnatural player at LT does not bode well for the line, in general, nor Angus' long-term job prospect. Coleman is going to struggle at LT against better opposition. If he really is that good at LG (I'm not so sure he is) then leave him at LG. He doesn't have the athleticism nor the length to deal with edge rushers. Right out of the gate Cal is making decisions that put them on the back foot with regards to the OL. Should Cal not get it right this year then Angus has to go, even if it is a mid-season firing. And frankly if the OL continues to be Cal's Achilles heel then Wilcox has run out of free passes and may be 1/2 way out the door. Hopefully none of this comes to pass and Cal finally has the OL it needs to execute routine plays.
I would've put RB > DBs because there is little depth past the starting line-up with the DBs
That’s fair; it’s inherent to the artifice of this article but comparing the single spot units to the multi-position units makes it hard to go apples to apples
A constant across all the units is that we're banking on the talent to emerge, which could be interpreted as that we all believe the talent is somewhere there. That shows we've come a pretty decent way in terms of recruiting and hitting the portal to bring up the floor of talent across the team. Now its up to coaching to help make that jump from potential to play.
The one sure thing is that there will be surprises, guys we thought would step up that don’t break through, guys we thought would be depth forcing their way into the field
Nick,
Looks like you are Write on target(as usual).
Good write up.
I agree with Old Bear 71. I think you've ranked them exactly as they should be. QB is a position I am not sanguine about because of the lack of experience - plus, Plummer is a guy who lost his starting job in addition to his lack of mobility. I would hope that Milner emerges by the midpoint of the season as at least a strong back-up who gets regular snaps. The inexperienced wideouts combined with a potentially porous O-line does not bode well for offensive efficiency. Also, it seems like every season we see the same thing on the O-line - injuries, retirements, guys not panning out, etc. which partially falls on the coaching staff.