2007 Record: 7-6

Pac-10: T-7th

Head Coach:

Offensive Coordinator:

Defensive Coordinator:

Top Returners:

C Alex Mack, QB Nate Longshore, LB Zack Follett, CB Syd'Quan Thompson

Key Losses:

RB Justin Forsett, WR DeSean Jackson, WR Lavelle Hawkins, TE Craig Stevens, FS Thomas DeCoud

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

Total

Offense

Quarterback:

The quarterback position will need to be settled early in Fall camp.  Nate Longshore missed most of spring practice with a pulled pectoral muscle.  Fan favorite, Kevin Riley looks to earn the starting nod.  When healthy and confident, Nate Longshore is a solid pocket passer quarterback.  His lack of mobility has resulted in several injuries throughout his career at Cal.  Riley is a young quarterback with a great deal of confidence and enthusiasm.  His two memorable moments came against Oregon State where he had a solid game up until the final play when he was unable to stop the clock for a game tying field goal and when he led the comeback in the Armed Forces Bowl (first 6 possessions resulted in 6 touchdowns.

Running Back:

The Bears look to replace workhorse running back Justin Forsett.  The running back position is a big question mark for the Golden Bears.  James Montgomery transferred to Washington State and the Bears will have to wait and see if Jahvid Best hip injury is healed.  If Best is able to recover from the hip injury and carry the full time load the Bears running game game be explosive. 

Wide Receiver:

The Golden Bears lose their three top receivers from 2007; DeSean Jackson, LaVelle Hawkins, and Robert Jordan.  Florida transfer Nyan Boateng, senior LaReylle Cunningham, and freshman Michael Calvin look to step in and make an impact for Cal.

Tight End:

Cal loses tight end Craig Stevens.  However, Cameron Morrah returns for the Bears.  Morrah had a solid sophomore season for the Golden Bears in 2007.

Offensive Line:

The offensive line should be solid in 2008.  Cal returns three starters from 2007; center Alex Mack, tackle Mike Tepper, and guard Norris Malele.  Mack, the All-American center, will anchor a strong offensive line.

Defense

Defensive Line:

Cal looks to switch to a 3-4 front in 2008.  The line will feature Mika Kane, Tyson Alualu, and Rulon Davis.  Depth at defensive line position is a concern.

Linebackers:

The strength of the defense will at the linebacker position.  The Bears return Worrell Williams, Anthony Felder, and Zack Follett.  The 3-4 scheme should allow explosive Zack Follett to make some big plays for the Golden Bears.

Secondary:

Syd'Quan Thompson and Bernard Hicks will lead the secondary.  Sophomores Chris Conte and Marcus Ezeff should benefit from the playing time they saw in 2007.

Special Teams

The Bears return kicker Jordan Kay.  Kay hopes to improve on his performance in 2007 where he made just 65% of his field goal attempts.  Freshman Bryan Anger will step in as the starting punter. 

Overview

The Golden Bears will be on the bubble of the Top 25 polls to start the 2008 season.  If they can answer the questions around the quarterback and running back positions they could be in the hunt for a top tier bowl.  The defense looks to improve on a shaky performance in throughout most of 2007.  The one area where the Bears should see significant improvement is in their senior leadership and team chemistry.  Cal plays UCLA, Arizona State, and Oregon at home this year.  The toughest road contest will be against USC in November.  The offense has a few question marks at the skilled positions, however, a strong offensive line and experienced defense could lead the way to 9 or 10 wins (some may say that is too optimistic).