Cal Football: Which Bears Seniors Will Be Back for 2021 Season?

Because the shortened 2020 season did not count against players’ eligibility, Cal seniors can return for the 2021 season if they choose to do so. Those players have a lot of things to consider, including graduation path, academic goals and personal and family issues as well as their football future.

The addition of postgraduate certificate programs at Cal, instituted this year, provide another attraction to stay another year if a postgraduate-degree program is not available to that player.

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said that he expects to announce by mid-January which seniors plan to return next seaon.

Without knowing all the factors in each player’s decision, we can only consider each player’s football future as we take a look at whether, in our opinion, those seniors should return next season and then whether we think they will in fact return.

Only two Cal players – cornerback Camryn Bynum and linebacker Kuony Deng – seem to have a shot at getting taken in the 2021 NFL draft if they enter it, although opinions can change a lot between now and the April 29 draft.

Kuony Deng, Marcel Dancy, Jake Curhan and Camryn Bynum graduated in December, as indicated by this Call football tweet, and that affects their decision:

These men are now graduates of the No. 1 Public School in the World! 🌎 pic.twitter.com/OrLAaxLnjL
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) December 19, 2020

Offensive tackle Jake Curhan (5th-year senior)

Should he return? A four-year starter who played only two games this season because of contact-tracing, Curhan might improve his status with a big 2021 season. Plus, the 2021 NFL draft looks pretty strong in terms of offensive tackles. However, he has shown the pros what he can do.

Will he return? Curhan has accepted an invitation to the Hula Bowl, which is still scheduled to be played, and that suggests he will enter the 2021 NFL draft and not return for the 2021 college season.

Cornerback Camryn Bynum (5th-year senior)

Should he return? He was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection this season, so he has shown what he needs to show. He did not get many opportunities to play safety, and that versatility could have improved his draft status. He is still expected to get taken in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, and that is unlikely to improve with another year. He should turn pro.

Will he return? Bynum considered entering the draft last year, and he has already said that he will enter the 2021 NFL draft.

Inside linebacker Kuony Deng (5th-year senior)

Should he return? Deng had a solid 2020 season, but he was not the dominant force that some expected. He has the traits the pros love – athleticism, length, intelligence, motivation, hard work, a history of rapid improvement – and might be a late-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. But in the pros he would have to be an outside linebacker, a position he played only occasionally at Cal. He should come back for another year to demonstrate his improvement.

Will he return? The fear of injury is always a consideration when a player opts to return to college. The guess here is that Deng will enter the 2021 NFL draft and try to show his NFL skills to the pros in the days leading up to the draft.

Running back Marcel Dancy (5th-year senior)

Should he return? He received more playing time in 2020 than 2019 and averaged 5.0 yards per carry this season. Dancy is a long shot for a pro career but would help himself by playing another college season.

Will he return? The running back room is pretty full and Dancy announced on Twitter that he graduated this month, so we’re not going to guess whether Dancy will return as a post graduate.

Cameron Goode and Josh Drayden also graduated in December

Congrats to @camgoode19 and @TWOZER0_
now, Class of 2020 graduates from the University of California, Berkeley #Roommates #Teammates #Graduates #GoBears pic.twitter.com/ke9lNlsilk
— Drayden06 (@Drayden06) December 19, 2020

Defensive back Josh Drayden (5th-year senior)

Should he return? Drayden was a fulltime starter for the first time in 2020 after getting occasional starts in previous seasons. He had a good season, but an even better season in 2021 -- especially if he demonstrates more versaility -- would make him more attractive to NFL teams.

Will he return? Drayden has graduated, but we're guessing he will be back.

Outside linebacker Cameron Goode (5th-year senior)

Should he return? This is toughest case on Cal’s board. He showed considerable improvement this season when he was probably Cal's best player and was a second-team all-conference selection. But defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon noted that Goode might have trouble fitting into an NFL defensive scheme. Goode would have to be either an outside linebacker or defensive end in the pros, and he might not be ideal for either. He should return.

Will he return? Coming back for a sixth season is not often an appetizing option for a star player. We are guessing he will not return, but this is a difficult choice football-wise.

Peter Sirmon discusses Goode's pro prospects:

Quarterback Chase Garbers (fourth-year junior)

Should he return? Although he is athletically a junior, this is his fourth year at Cal and he has the option of entering the NFL draft if he chooses. Before the 2020 season began some wondered whether Garbrs might be pro-bound if he improved as much from his sophomore to junior seasons as he did from his freshman to sophomore seasons. Garbers had a decent 2020, but he is only 10th in the conference in passer rating. He has the size, speed and arm strength the pros are looking for, but he would benefit from at least one more year under Bill Musgrave's tutelage.

Will he return? I doubt Garbers ever seriously considered entering the 2021 NFL draft. He’ll be back.

Center Mike Saffell (4th-year senior)

Should he return? A bit small for an NFL center, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Saffell would get some attention as a draftable player in the 2021 draft, but would probably go undrafted. He had only four games to show his potential this season and another season would help his pro status.

Will he return? Saffell has already said he will return in 2021.

Offensive tackle Valentino Daltoso (5th-year senior)

Should he return? Daltoso, who was originally a walk-on at Oregon, played only one game in 2020 and would help his cause by returning.

Will he return? Whether Daltoso is seriously considering a pro career is unclear, but we think he will come back.

Safety Elijah Hicks (4th-year senior)

Should he return? He demonstrated his ability to play safety effectively this season and that versatility should help his draft status after being a cornerback the previous three seasons. However, another year of high-level play at safety would raise his draft status further.

Will he return? Another tough choice, but we are guessing he will not come back to Cal in 2021.

Defensive end Zeandae Johnson (6th-year senior)

Should he return? Johnson has been a consistent defensive end for two years, but can he raise his pro stock significantly with a seventh season?

Will he return? Johnson said before the season that his sixth season at Cal will be his last, and we don’t expect him to change his mind.

Outside linebacker Tevin Paul (4th-year senior)

Should he return? A starter in 2019, Paul opted out of the 2020 season, so if he has any pro aspirations, he needs to come back in 2021 and show what he can do.

Will he return? Expect Paul to return unless there are peripheral issues that convince him otherwise.

Fullback Drew Schlegel (5th-year senior, grad student)

Should he return? About half the NFL teams have a fullback on their rosters, so there may be some need for Schlegel’s services. Another year in Bill Musgrave’s offense, which makes use of a fullback, would improve Schlegel’s NFL prospects, although he presumably would have to make it in the pros as free agent. Schlegel is in the postgraduate certificate program, and if he wants to pursue his goal of becoming an alpaca farmer immediately, he should start now.

Will he return? Schlegel’s life decisions are difficult to predict, so we won’t guess.

Justin Wilcox talks about the addition of postgraduate certificate programs at Cal

Safety Daniel Scott (4th-year junior)

Should he return? He can only help himself by coming back to Cal in 2021.

Will he return? There is every reason to believe he will play for Cal in 2021.

Running back Bradrick Shaw (5th-year senior, graduate student)

Should he return? He had only 11 carries for 21 yards in 2020, and the Wisconsin grad transfer is unlikely to see an increase in playing time in 2021 with all -- or nearly all -- the running backs returning.

Will he return? Unless his academic goals require him to return, Shaw probably will not be back.

Running back Christopher Brown Jr. (3rd-year junior)

Should he return? Players can enter the NFL draft if they are three years removed from high school, and Brown’s productive 2019 season despite injuries suggested a big 2020 season might cause him to think about turning pro in 2021. But he was hurt most of 2020 and gained only 65 yards this season. Brown needs to play a season without getting hurt to demonstrate he is durable enough for the pros. He should return.

Will he return? Academics are a big deal with Brown, who has a high grade-point average, so even if he had had a big 2020 season, he probably would have returned in 2021. Given his tough 2020 season, he almost certainly will be back.

Cover photo of Kuony Deng by Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports

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