Cal's D-linemen Finding Out What Darrion Daniels Already Knows

New Cal defensive line coach and pass rush specialist Darrion Daniels has gotten this question from players and fellow coaches more than once. And just talking about it puts a huge smile on his face.

Daniels worked the past two seasons as a defensive analyst at Oregon, directly under new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi, a former defensive lineman who served as the Ducks’ coordinator.

Daniels is accustomed to Lupoi’s non-stop energy and intensity. For new players and coaches haven’t experienced it before, it can be jarring.

“The funniest question I get is, `Is he like this all the time?’ “

“You’ll see,” Daniels tells them.

“And they next day, they’re like, `Man, he’s like this every single day.’

“There’s not a day where he’s not going to bring the juice. And once you see your leader doing that, it breeds everybody else doing it.”

Daniels is working with an 11-man crew of defensive linemen that includes incoming transfers Jericho Johnson, Ashun Sheppard and Jayden Williams. Among the returnees are seniors Nate Burrell, Stanley McKenzie and Derek Wilkins, who have played a combined total of 114 games for the Bears.

Johnson came with Daniels and Lupoi from Oregon. A native of Suisun City in the greater Bay Area, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt sophomore spent two seasons with the Ducks, playing on teams that assembled a record of 26-3.

“Coming from Oregon, obviously had a lot of success there,” Johnson said. “Tosh played a big role in my recruitment when I was in high school. The relationship we had kind of never left.

“Knowing he was going to come to Cal and knowing I could also be home, it did play a factor. Also, looking for a place where I could be a (starter) and display all my talent. Show everybody what I can do.”

Johnson said his relationship with both Lupoi and Daniels influenced his decision to come to Cal. He has an edge on his all others in the D-line room because he knows the system and he knows the personalities of the two coaches.

“I love playing for Tosh,” Johnson said. “He’s always attacking everything with relentless effort. I just love the culture he’s trying to instill here. A lot of what we did at Oregon he’s trying to bring here. It works.

“I love the mindset he brings every day, just that relentless effort. We need to attack that in everything we do in life.”

Lupoi and his way of doing things is all new for others, including Williams, a 6-2, 305-pound junior transfer from North Texas, and Sheppard, a 6-3, 295-pound redshirt senior from Mississippi State.

Both both players have embraced everything about their new situation.

“Tosh, oh man, he’s probably the most enthusiastic coach I’ve ever been a part of. That’s truly a blessing,” said Williams, who played in 20 games in two seasons at North Texas, primarily off the bench. “That’s truly a blessing because not every coach in America is like that.

“He coached my position for a very long time, had a lot of successful guys in college, in the league. For me to be a part of that, eventually be part of that lineage, you know, that’s just a blessing in itself. That’s really how it is being with Tosh. You’re going to get the same guy every day.”

Sheppard, who had 24 tackles for Mississippi State in 2024, redshirted last season after playing in just two outings.

Asked what it means that the Bears’ head coach played and coached the same position he occupies, Sheppard said, “It means everything, really, because he understands the ins and outs of what we’re going through. He’s really basing it all around it, and I love it.”

Daniels, known by his players as D2, is happy with the progress his group has made through seven spring practices.

“Man, got a really good group of guys. Not necessarily just on the field, but also off the field. They’re extremely accountable. They show a lot of relentless effort.”

He said the newcomers are adjusting to the academic rigors of Berkeley but also showing aggression on the practice field. “The new guys fit right in,” he said. “Big ups to the guys who were already here. They way these guys came in and they were accepted, it’s really beautiful.”

Sheppard likes what he’s seeing so far from the D-line.

“We’re looking solid. Everybody’s really jelling together. Everybody’s really coming together and having a good brotherhood.”

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