Depth chart questions

It’s officially week until the start of college football season and 9 days until Cal’s opener against Michigan State. As I am wetting my pants while writing the season to begin, I’m intrigued by the position battles and the impending yet tentative depth charts that will begin emerging. Yesterday, the coaching staff met to review and discuss personnel decisions, as they begin to prepare for MSU. Nothing will be really set in stone, and expect some flip flopping here and there, but we should begin getting a better idea of the starting rotations by this evening.

Here are my thoughts and predictions regarding a few of the position battles:

Quarterback: Nate Longshore vs. Kevin Riley.

The most publicly notable position battle is one that still has Cal fans holding their breath and scratching their heads. Up until two weeks ago, I was convinced that Nate Longshore was going to take the field on opening day as the Bears’ starter. While I expected Riley to get increased playing time this year, I though Longshore was too safe a pick in the eyes of the coaching staff to not have him start the season. However, with Kevin Riley’s markedly improved performances in Fall camp the past few weeks, I’m beginning to think Coach Tedford may go with the upside and begin the Riley era now. All in all, I still think Longshore will emerge as the starter, but I’m less certain now than ever.

Pick? Longshore. Confidence Factor? 7/10.

(Who's it going to be?)

Cornerback: Chris Conte vs. Darian Hagan.

One would presume that the player who started 3 games, and played in 13 last season as a true freshman would have a leg up on other competitors for the other starting spot opposite Syd’Quan Thompson. But touted recruit Darian Hagan, a redshirt sophomore, stepped up his game towards the end of last season and is playing his best ball so far at Cal. Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory has given no hints as to who has the leg up at this point, but has assured that both will be playing. In effect, the “starter” may end up playing just as much as the other corner at this point. Still, I have to make a pick for the sake of this discussion, and as capricious as my pick might be, I’m going to go with my gut and think that Hagan gets first shot and first team snaps.

Pick? Hagan. Confidence Factor? 5/10

(Who's going to lock it down?)

Kicker: Jordan Kay vs. David Seawright

Walk on freshman David Seawright has all but locked up the kickoff duties. Tedford has been a fan of kicking off the ball so it caught as close to the goal line as possible, but with Cal’s ability to give up the big play every so often on kick offs, look for Cal to begin just booting the ball through the uprights on kickoffs. Seawright would be the man for the job as a majority of his kicks went through the endzone in high school. Jordan Kay, while perfect on point after attempts, was only 13-20 on field goals, and 7 of 14 on field goals 30 yards or longer. While Kay has apparently improved his accuracy in camp, he’s being pushed hard by Seawright who is quickly learning to match his leg power with accuracy. While it’s very possible that Special Teams Coach Peter Alamar sends Kay out there with a short leash knowing he has a capable backup in Seawright, I’m thinking Seawright gets the nod for both kickoff and field goal duties.

Pick? David Seawright. Confidence? 8/10.

Nose Tackle: Mika Kane vs. Derrick Hill

Again, much like the Conte/Hagan situation, expect a pretty fluid rotation of linemen this year. With that said, the nose tackle position is going to be much more critical this year for the defense, as the 3-4 will depend more on the nose tackle to initiate double teams and plug up the line. Both appear to get a fairly equal share of playing time between the two. However, with Hill not significantly outplaying Kane (although both have been sidelined with injuries) in camp, expect Kane to run with the first team if he can be healthy and get enough practice reps in before the season opener.

Pick? Mika Kane. Confidence? 6/10.

(Who looks meaner?)