Cal Spring Football Practice Starts March 18
Cal will begin its spring football workouts on March 18, and the main attraction will be the start of the quarterback competition between Fernando Mendoza, Cal's starter the second half of the 2023 season, and North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers.
It is unlikely that a decision will be reached on a starting quarterback during the spring, but it might provide hints as to which quarterback will run the show when Cal begins its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall.
Cal released its entire schedule for spring football practice on Friday, and again it will be conducted in two segments.
The first session will begin Monday, March 18, and will include four practice sessions that week. A Cal Pro Day is scheduled for Thursday March 21, at which time pro-eligible Cal players will perform drills in front of NFL scouts, hoping to improve their draft or free-agency status.
Spring break at Cal is scheduled for March 25 through March 28, and no practices are schedule in that period.
The second session will begin Wednesday, April 3, and will last for three weeks, with practices being held Monday Wednesday, Friday and Saturday each week.
Spring ball will conclude with the Cal Football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20. All practices will be held at Cal's Memorial Stadium and are open to the public. Practice times will be announced at a later date.
Cal is coming off a 6-7 season in which it landed its first bowl berth since 2019 but lost 34-14 to Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl.
Cal's spring ball will include several of the transfers acquired by Cal in the offseason.
Among the key transfers on Cal's spring roster are wide receiver Mikey Mathews, who is Cal's highest-rated transfer after playing his freshman season at Utah in 2023; running back Kadarius Calloway, who averaged better than 7 yards a carry at Old Dominion last season; defensive back Marcus Harris, a first-team all-Big Sky pick last year at Idaho, and kicker Ryan Coe, who played for North Carolina last season.
Not listed on Cal's spring roster is linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who committed to Cal in December after playing the 2023 season for UC Davis. He is scheduled to arrive at Cal in June.
However, the most significant transfer is quarterback Chandler Rogers, a redshirt senior who was North Texas' starting quarterback for most of the 2023 season, when he threw 29 touchdown passes and five interceptions for a 149.71 passer rating.
He will compete with Mendoza, who performed well as a redshirt freshman when he started the Bears final eight games. He had 14 TD passes and 10 interceptions for a 133.58 passer rating, albeit at a higher level of competition than Rogers faced in the American Athletic Conference.
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has suggested the Bears might add another transfer quarterback, but that is unlikely to happen until other schools complete their spring workouts.
Cover photo of Fernando Mendoza by Petre Thomas, USA TODAY Sports
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