Highlights from the Spring Press Conference and Other Team Notes

Riley at Spring Scrimmage Last Year.

Jeff Tedford had his Pre-Spring Practice Press Conference yesterday which you can read here.

Here are some the highlights:

Slocum Removed from Team
Tedford confirmed that Tracy Slocum was released from the team for violating team rules. Tedford did not go into further details (who actually thought he would), but at least we know now that Slocum did not ask for a transfer, and this is not a James Montgomery type of scenario as some have presumed. I believe Slocum will or transfer to another school to play for one year, but I will need to get further details on that.

Tackle Questions
I, like many Cal fans, had been wondering how 6th year left tackle Mike Tepper would fit back into the line after being out a year due to a torn pectoral muscle. While he had the talent and experience to fit right back into the left tackle spot, freshman Mitchell Schwartz earned Freshman All-American honors last year and could just as easily hold on to the spot.

Well it appears we have our answer. Tepper will man the left side of the line, and Schwartz will make the move to the right. Donovan Edwards, Matt Summers-Gavin, Chet Teofilo, and Justin Cheadle have all gotten pretty significant playing time last year during the Bears’ rash of offensive line injuries and will provide quality depth.

One player in particular to pay attention to is Donovan Edwards. Edwards was forced into playing time last year, and was abused during the Oregon State game before finishing the season really solidly. Tedford noted that Edwards was thrown into the mix before he was physically ready, and should be a lot bigger after his offseason workouts are through. You may not hear too much about Edwards this year, but I think he has a real good shot at competing for the right tackle spot next year in his senior season.


Rounding out the offensive line
Chris Guarnero will make the move back to the center position. Guarnero had started at guard last year because he was too good not to have on the line, but not quite Alex Mack good. Mark Boskovich who took over for Guarnero at the left guard spot after Guarnero’s season ending injury, will likely compete for the starting spot there, leaving the biggest question at who will start right guard. Richard Fisher, who played backup center last year, will move to his more natural position at guard, so he seems like a strong candidate there.

A dark horse candidate is Dominic Galas who practiced significantly at center with the offense last year, while not burning his red shirt. Galas should see a fair amount of playing time this year.

Secondary
One of the more surprising bits in recent days is that Darian Hagan may not be as much of a lock to man the opposite side of the field as I initially thought. Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory has recognized Hagan’s great progress last season, but has also touted the talent with young corners Marc Anthony and Josh Hill, and stated that they might push Hagan for playing time. I think it’s unlikely that Hagan gets pushed out of his starting role considering he posted similar numbers to Thompson last year, but Gregory obviously expects great things from Hagan, and may have no qualms about getting Anthony or Hill more reps.

QB Battle
Surprise, surprise, puppy surprise. It's unlikely that a starting QB will be named until the Fall. My take: It's Riley's job to lose, but Mansion could certainly win it if Riley continues to struggle with consistency and Mansion impresses. Sweeney is a likely backup, but hell, Steve Levy started by the end of 2005.

Running Back U
Here’s the skinny: Best, recovering from surgery will sit out. Vereen will play, but will be limited. There’s no need for him to get banged up too much, and the dude is also running track, which Tedford says is fine by him. Redshirt freshman Covaughn Deboskie should get the bulk of the carries in Spring ball, with Peter Geurts also getting some reps.

New Coaches
New OC Andy Ludwig and O-Line Coach appear to be fitting right in. Obviously, there’s a bit of urgency considering how close Spring Ball is, but there doesn’t appear to be any time wasted on teaching the basics, as Ludwig is familiar with most of the offensive terminology. Getting familiar with the personnel and agreeing on offensive philosophy seem to be the biggest priorities.

Rotating the Wide Receivers
There should be a lot of equal playing time for the receivers, as some of the Bears’ most promising ones were lost to injury last year, namely Michael Calvin, Marvin Jones, and Alex Lagemann. Obviously, Nyan Boateng, Verran Tucker, and Jeremy Ross provide the most experience, and are penciled in as starters, but no one has really set themselves apart from being untouchable at the spot. Tedford has maintained that the rotation will likely go 7-8 deep with Charles Satchel likely to get involved as well. While he wasn’t mentioned during the press conference, I’d keep an eye out for JC Recruit Markish Jones in the fall as well. He could sneak up on a few folks.

Tedford did share an interesting nugget while speaking about Verran Tucker, mentioning how he had denied Tucker’s request to redshirt after Tucker arrived to fall camp late due to needing to fulfill all of his academic transfer requirements. Tucker had been out of shape, and struggled to grasp the offense early on, but was told that he would continue to compete. And that he did, becoming the Bears most explosive receiver in the second half of the season.

Who Will Kickoff?
As for kicking duties, your guess might be as good as Tedford’s. Okay, maybe not, but it is wide open. Seawright has to get completely healthy before we can see what he does. Tavecchio was thrown into the fire, and performed admirably, but we have yet to see how his upside compares. Cal’s new recruit Vince D’Amato may have the biggest leg, but will he be ready to jump in right away?

There’s another Tedford on the Team
Quinn Tedford, head coach Jeff Tedford’s second son will join the team as a walk-on wide receiver. Considering Coach Tedford’s multi-million dollar contract, it comes as little surprise that Quinn won’t be given a scholarship. At a 158 pounds, I doubt Tedford would see much playing time, but I mean—he is the coach’s son.

Quinn will wear number 7, formerly worn by now NFL receiver Lavelle Hawkins.

Other Roster Changes
Matt Russi and Eric Stevens (yes Craig Stevens’ younger brother) have made the switch from linebacker to fullback to help provide some depth at the critical position.

It was already reported a while ago that Jared Sparks has made the switch from WR to TE. The kid was getting pretty big.

Mysteriously absent are Cody Jones, Matt Laird, and Todd Huber. All have struggled with injuries throughout their careers, so my guess is that they may have hung it up in terms of football.

You can see the updated roster here.