Cal Linebacker Cade Uluave Ready To Take The Next Step

Inside linebacker Cade Uluave returns for his sophomore season at Cal as one of the leaders on the Bears’ defense.

A year ago?

“At this time last year I remember during practice I was getting maybe one (or) two reps. That was it,” Uluave said. “And that’s kind of where I was at.”

An injury to All-Pac-12 senior Jackson Sirmon lifted the freshman from South Jordan, Utah from anonymity into a starting role. And quickly, a starring role.

Uluave finished the season with 66 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries — including one he returned 51 yards for a touchdown against Washington State — and two interceptions.

Virtually of all those numbers came over the final seven games after Uluave became a starter. “As the season went on, everything kind of fell in place for me,” Uluave said.

He wound up being a three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and was chosen Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches.

Uluave intends to be a different player in 2024. And he expects the Bears to bounce back defensively after their worst season in a half-dozen years.

“We’re all excited, excited to go show everyone what we can do, show the ACC what we can do,” he said. “Have fun and come out here and make some plays and just ball out.”

Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon says Uluave’s unexpected freshman performance should only be the starting point.

“He kind of got thrust into that opportunity. He did a fantastic job with it,” Sirmon said. “It’s kind of like playing golf, right? You play golf the first two times and think, `I’m pretty good at this.’ The more you play it, you start thinking about it. Then it kind of gets into your head a little bit.

“Now it’s an opportunity for him to reflect on what he’s done. I believe he should have all the confidence in the world that he has the physical tools and the mental aptitude to do it. Now it’s consistency and how much better he can get.”

To achieve that level, Uluave believes the next step is conquering the mental part of the game. He wants to see the action beyond his responsibilities, beyond what’s directly in front of him.

“For me I would say it probably comes down to the mental side, being a student of the game. I want to be as smart as I can on the field,” he said. “Being able to recognize formations, personnel groups, what the offense is trying to do.

“Because once you realize what the offense is trying to do, it’s easy to figure out how I’m going to stop it. That’s what it’s all about.”

He wants to continue to come bigger, stronger and faster, and wants to grow into a leadership role. “Encouraging the guys on the field to make plays and have fun.”

Asked to evaluate his knowledge of the game a year ago, Uluave said he’d give himself a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

“I’m still, like, confused,” he recalled. “But now I feel a lot more confident. Everything’s slowing down, clicking. Everything just makes sense.

“Back a year ago, I was just worried about what I was doing. But now, moving forward and looking at the bigger picture, I’m worried about what the safety’s doing, what’s the corner doing, what’s my D-line doing line, so everything can mesh and come together as a unit.”

Uluave gives a lot of credit to Jackson Sirmon, Peter’s son, who continued to tutor him even after suffering his season-ending pectoral injury.

“Man, he helped me a ton. From his injury, he went from a player to essentially being another coach for me,’ Uluave said. “He was on the field not that long ago, so he was telling me everything he was experiencing . . . and helping me do it. So props to him.”