Cal Football Notebook: Transfer QB Ryan Glover To Be Absent From First Few Practices
Graduate transfer Ryan Glover, who will compete for Cal’s No. 2 quarterback job, was not on hand for the Bears’ first fall camp practice on Friday morning.
Coach Justin Wilcox talks in the video above about how Glover has an excused absence and will miss the first several workouts. Wilcox did not provide a reason why Glover is not yet available to practice.
Glover, who played for Western Carolina and Penn, is the second most-experienced quarterback on the roster, behind starting senior Chase Garbers. He figures to be in competition with redshirt freshman Zach Johnson and incoming freshman Kai Millner for the backup position.
The Bears welcome the experience Glover brings after the offseason departures via transfer of senior Devon Modster, junior Spencer Brasch and freshman Jaden Casey.
Johnson performed well enough in spring ball to emerge as the likely No. 2 before Glover arrived in June. Glover had his best success at Penn in 2018 when he started all 10 games, passing for 1,482 yards and leading the Quakers to a 6-4 record.
GENTLE INTO THE NIGHT: Often-injured sixth-year senior offensive lineman Gentle Williams has retired for medical reasons, Wilcox announced.
A native of Florence, Mississippi, Williams played in 11 games with three starts since his arrival on campus in 2016. But injuries prevented him from getting onto the field in either 2019 or 2020.
“We love Gentle. He’s been through a lot with the injury bug here at Cal,” Wilcox said. “An awesome guy. I appreciate everything he’s done for the program. He’s a great leader on the team and a person a lot of the younger guys look up to.”
Meanwhile, freshman inside linebacker Patrick Hisatake and freshman outside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr both will miss the 2021 season due to lower-body injuries.
Cal previously lost the services of its best offensive and defensive linemen, when center Michael Saffell retired last month for medical seasons and defensive lineman Brett Johnson broke his hip in a car accident late last winter.
HICKS ON NIL CHANGES: Safety Elijah Hicks said changes made to name image and likeness (NIL) rules governing college sports will provide “great opportunities” for athletes.
But as a senior, Hicks said his focus will be on the season, rather than how he might cash in on his status as a Cal football player.
“Maybe if I was a freshman or something I would be a lot more excited,” he said. “Right now for me — I’m speaking for myself — I’m kind of focused on this semester, this season. I don’t really want outside distractions. That’s how I’m looking at it.”
The NCAA relaxed regulations that previously prevented college athletes from earning money based on their name, image or likeness, and already Cal quarterback Chase Garbers has swung a deal.
At Alabama, incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Young has reportedly arranged a deal involving “ungodly numbers,” according to Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who in June signed a contract extension that will pay him an $8.4 million base salary this season with $400,000 increases each year through 2029.
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
