Cal Offensive Coordinator Bryan Harsin Assesses Cal's Three QBs

The three Cal quarterbacks vying for the Bears’ starting job have different assets and are at different stages of their careers, and on Monday new Cal offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin detailed the strengths of fourth-year junior Devin Brown, redshirt freshman EJ Caminong and freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

Harsin said a pecking order of where the quarterbacks stand probably will be established when spring football ends, which would indicate which quarterback would be the starter if Cal were to play a game on, say, April 20. However, a starter for the regular-season opener is unlikely to be named until the fall.

The best guess is that Brown will be at the top of the pecking order when spring ball is over, although the other two will continue to compete in the fall to determine which will be the starter in the August 30 opener at Oregon State.

Harsin says all three quarterback are tough enough to play the position, and now the focus is on decision-making.

Here are Harsin’s assessments of the best qualities of each of the three quarterbacks, with a one-word description of what seems to be each quarterback’s greatest strength:

Devin Brown: Knowledge

“He brings a presence to the meeting room that’s different,” Harsin said. “He’s been around great players [in three seasons at Ohio State before transferring]. He’s been around great coaches. He’s been in a great program.

“He knows how to prepare. He is equally as smart as any of the coaches we have in that room. He can coach. There’s no question about it. He sees things. He’s added a few ideas that we didn’t have in that they did.

“He’s an accurate thrower; he’s got presence, in everything he does. . . . and I like the way he’s playing faster now too. He’s still learning something new . . . but he does a great job of applying what we talk about in the meetings.”

EJ Caminong: Improvement

Harsin points his hand up at a 45% angle when talking about Caminong’s steep improvement.

“He’s been in a system like this here; he’s very comfortable in the things we’re doing. I think he handles himself real well, and I think when he’s out there on the field, he plays really fast, in a good way. When I say that, it’s like he’s smooth but he’s fast.

“He’s throwing the ball really well. He’s moving in the pocket really well. I think he’s making good decisions.”

“He’s done nothing but this,” said Harsin while pointing his hand nearly straight up. “I know he played in the bowl game. I had a chance to be there. I had a chance to watch him. Probably one of the best things he could have experienced was having a chance to play in that game.

“His development and what he’s done so far, I mean he’s just gone up and up.”

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: Accuracy

“Jaron: super accurate,” Harsin said. “Really good arm. Got a really good feel for the game. You know, he may not know everything but he feels the game out there. He sees things on the field that will open up.

“He’s learning the system. This is new for him. He’s a freshman so it takes time. I think he’s picked it up pretty fast.

“But the feel he has out there. I think he’s getting better with his command. And his accuracy; his ability to throw the football. He can place the ball really, really well.

“And that’s something, I think, if you’ve seen him, he’s been able to do that and it’s been really encouraging now knowing that when we get through spring he’s got a whole summer, May and through summer, to work on the schemes and the details of it – that’s going to show up really well for us in fall camp in August. “

Harsin talks in the video below on establishing a pecking order for the quarterback position by the end of spring ball:

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