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Spring Practice officially ended on April 30th, and since we’re still 115 days away from the season opener against Fresno State (sigh), I thought it’d only be appropriate to at least look back and see what we learned from the past month.
Quarterback
What we learned:
All signs point to Zach Maynard entering Fall Camp as QB#1 in the practice pecking order. Maynard entered Spring Ball second or third in the rotation, and by the final two weeks of camp had been taking the bulk of the first team snaps.
Coach Tedford claimed much of it was to truly allow Maynard to familiarize himself with the offense given his first year in the system, but he had also made it clear that Maynard had done the right things in practice to justify the reps. Tedford cited his increasing command of the huddle and offense, while also praising Maynard’s physical ability in his throwing ability, as well as being able to create plays with his legs in either buying extra time scrambling for extra yards.
Brock Mansion and Allan Bridgford will likely enter camp as #2 and #3 respectively. Mansion appeared to be solid in his increasingly limited first team reps, but his accuracy was still inconsistent. Bridgford on the other hand showed poise and accuracy by all accounts, but was limited to working exclusively with the second string.
Backup QB Beau Sweeney is transferring, after realizing his window to start games at Cal is all but over, and RS frosh Austin Hinder has shown promise, but is still likely another year or two away from vying for the starting spot.
Remaining Questions:
Nothing is set in stone yet, and there is still plenty of time over the summer and in the fall for things to change. Keep in mind that plenty of big name FBS starting quarterbacks haven’t been named until a week before the opening game (Cam Newton, Landry Jones, to name a few).
The question at this point is whether Maynard will show enough consistency to match the potential that Tedford sees in him. Tedford appears to be very intrigued with Maynard as a QB prospect, but it will be interesting to see if he will be completely sold that Maynard will be the team’s best option to win games this year.
Will Bridgford show enough to begin battling Maynard for first team reps in the fall? He has reportedly looked very sharp running with the twos, so I wonder whether it’s just a matter of time before he gets a chance with the ones.
Mansion will likely be 2nd or 3rd in the rotation, unless he shows dramatic improvement and is visibly more consistent than the other two.
Runningback
What we learned
Isi Sofele is your unquestioned starting runningback at this point. No other backs this Spring have shown enough to overtake Sofele, and frankly, none have shown enough to even be an unquestioned #2 in the runningback rotation.
Covaughn Deboskie-Johnson has put in some quality performances, but was dogged by Tedford for showing up to camp a bit overweight. CDJ has attributed the excess weight to his limited conditioning coming back from his offseason injury and rehabilitation.
Trajaun Briggs received reps coming back from a season-ending injury last year, but hasn’t shown the burst or consistency in practice yet to set himself apart.
Walkon Mike Manuel impressed early on in practice, but was limited with injury towards the end. The same could be said of true frosh and early enrollee Darren Ervin who was nearly hobbled with injuries all spring. Dasarte Yarnway didn’t practice because of injuries as well.
Tedford has stated that he will be looking at the younger guys, incoming freshmen Brendon Bigelow, Daniel Lasco, and JC transfer CJ Anderson to fight their way into the rotation.
Fullback Eric Stevens appears to have the FB spot all but locked up at this point as well.
Remaining Questions:
Who will emerge as a serious #2 back, or possibly a 1A at this point? It’s obvious the runningback position is a point of concern for the coaches, and it must be a bit disconcerting that no real contenders have set themselves apart at this point.
Also, I do wonder how much is really expected of the incoming class of backs. Brendon Bigelow is the most talented of the bunch, but he has yet to play a full season since his sophomore year of high school, and is coming off of two major knee injuries. Bigelow has Jahvid Best-esque potential, but the coaches are going to be cautious in rushing him back from injury.
Daniel Lasco shows great power and size to match his six foot frame, but may need another year in the weight room before he’s ready to compete at the collegiate level.
The most likely option to play right away is CJ Anderson, the Laney transfer who shows great balance and shiftiness. As a transfer, he’ll be expected to step in right away, but it still remains to be seen how he does with the Bears.
Wide Receiver
What we learned:
The wide receiver depth chart is pretty clear. Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones return as your starters, and one of the better receiving duos in the conference.
After that, senior Michael Calvin and RS frosh Kaelin Clay are your likely 3rd and 4th options, though it’s unclear who will fit in which spot. Calvin put in his best spring camp yet, and appears ready to begin living up to the promise he showed as a freshman recruit (although we’ve been saying this for years). Clay showed some of the best speed and playmaking ability of all the receivers, but his size and drops indicate he’ll still need some seasoning, though he’ll most certainly contribute this year.
Remaining Questions:
With the departure of Alex Lagemann and Tevin Carter, both having reportedly given up football, the depth after the top four receivers appears a bit murkier.
The coaches are high on senior Coleman Edmond, though he’s missed a number of reps this spring due to injury. RS frosh Terrance Montgomery has also done little to set himself apart from the other receivers. There are a number of other walk-on receivers who may contribute in Ross Bostock and Jackson Bouza, but it’s unknown how much they will play this year.
It’s also unclear whether or not incoming true frosh Maurice Harris (cousin of Keenan Allen and Zach Maynard) will play right away. Initially, I thought there would be enough depth at the position that Harris would redshirt, though I’m not so sure anymore. It will depend on how healthy Edmond can be, and how well Harris plays in camp.
Tight End
What we learned:
The only real certainty here is that Anthony Miller is our starting tight end. He has reportedly looked much sharper in practice, and the conditioning with new S&C Coach Blasquez has apparently helped as Miller looks to be in much better shape this year. Here’s hoping that Miller returns to his sophomore year form, as he really does have the potential to be one of the better tight ends in the conference and could put himself in NFL draft discussions with a solid senior season.
Wide Receiver Spencer Hagan has converted to tight end, and although he’ll need to bulk up for the position, appears to be a great fit there. Hagan has always had great pass-catching abilities, and shows good technique and plays with good pad level. Unfortunately, Hagan took a big shot to the ribs in the second to last practice and was sidelined for a good chunk of time.
Remaining Questions:
RS junior Spencer Ladner and RS frosh Jacob Wark will battle for the second TE spot. I do believe Ladner has the edge here with his experience and the fact that Wark is coming back from a season ending ankle injury, but both will likely see plenty of playing time this year.
I wonder if this will be the year Ladner turns it on, as he has yet to be a dynamic receiving option at TE despite reports of his great hands in practice. Wark may be the most physical blocker the Bears have at TE, but we’ll see how much he can contribute to the passing game.
The Bears are fairly thin in terms of depth at tight end, with reports of QB Beau Sweeney taking reps at the position during player-led workouts over the summer. Hagan’s switch to TE provides a little padding, but they’re an injury or two away from having incoming freshman Richard Rodgers plug in and play right away, though I do believe it’s in his best interest to have him sit out for a year.
Offensive Line
What we learned:
Despite the injuries to a number of starting linemen (namely, LT Mitchell Schwartz, C Dominic Galas) it looks like the starting lineup for the offensive line is set. Of course, expect some players to possibly move up or down, but I wouldn’t be surprised of the following five to start on day one: senior Mitchell Schwartz at backside tackle, junior Brian Schwenke at guard, senior Dominic Galas at center, senior Justin Cheadle at right guard, and junior Matt Summers-Gavin at front side tackle.
Mitchell Schwartz is unquestionably the best tackle on the team as a four year starter, and will play either left or right tackle depending on who wins the starting QB job (as Maynard is a leftie). Matt Summers-Gavin is probably the best overall lineman on the team, and will need to plug in on the right side of the line because of the lack of depth there.
Bill Tyndall and Tyler Rigsbee both reportedly did good things in practice and will be counted on for depth.
We also learned that OT Matt Williams is probably another year away from contributing this year, and will probably redshirt.
Dominica Galas is the Bears’ bet at center, although Mark Brazinski got a number of reps during the Spring because of Galas’ injury. Brazinski, a highly touted recruit will get quality reps this season, but is unlikely to overtake Galas at center.
Brian Schwenke and Justin Cheadle are the most experienced guards, and I’d honestly be every surprised if either were to not start this fall.
Remaining Questions:
What does the Bears’ depth look like? The makeshift line was abused by the dominating Bears defensive line that has the fortunate issue of having plenty of depth. The starters are fairly obvious, but there are plenty of questions of who will be able to step up right away if called upon.
Alejandro Crosthwaite, Sam DeMartinis, Geoff Gibson and the aforementioned Brazinski and Rigsbee may have the talent, but few have seen significant playing time if at all the past few seasons.
The tackle position is the least deep at this point, especially after Charles Siddoway and Charles Ragland left the team for academic reasons.
Also, even the established veterans have a number of question marks at this point, as the group has consistently either underperformed the past few seasons or shown they just may be lacking in the size and skills to be a dominant line. I also have questions about Summers-Gavin at tackle, as he struggled in the position last year and appears to be more naturally suited at the guard spot. His move to tackle is certainly based more on need than where he is best projected.
Here’s hoping Coach M can work his magic, but will it be expecting too much in his first year back?
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