Cal Football: Cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III Still Barely 170, But Pulling His Weight

Cal coach Justin Wilcox chuckled a bit when asked to confirm that cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III weighed 160 pounds as a freshman starter last season.

“Yeah, 160 pounds,” Wilcox said, unconvincingly.

However he tipped the scales, Hearns was a success story for the Bears, a starter by his fifth college game. He wound up with 28 tackles, a team-best 10 pass breakups and an interception against Stanford in the Big Game.

“Honestly, if you would have told me he would come in and learn it as quickly as he did, you never know,” Wilcox said. "It’s the best we could have hoped for. Glad he’s on our team.”

In the video below, Wilcox the qualities that make Hearns a good cornerback.

Hearns, who came to Cal from Northern California powerhouse De La Salle High School, admits he was surprised by his early collegiate success.

“The first week of fall camp it hit me fast. They’d throw a lot of stuff at you. There were all these different concepts, so it definitely was a lot,” he said. “But once I was able to wrap my mind around it and just play fast it all worked out for me.”

Hearns has added about 5 to 10 pounds to his 5-foot-10 frame, which still leaves him at maybe 170 on his best day. He is easily the lightest player on the Cal roster — barely half the 335 pounds that junior nose guard Ricky Correia is carrying after losing 30 pounds in the offseason.

Wilcox sees a change in Hearns. “Physically, he looks different than he did a year ago. You look at his shoulder and arms — he’s put on good weight and he still has the foot quickness,” he said.

It’s other aspects of the package Hearns brings to the field that contributed to him earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors from the league’s coaches, as well as honorable mention Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.

Hearns combines speed, footwork, technique and confidence. He said the game is more clear to him now.

“Definitely play more free. I can see some of the concepts already just by looking at the formation of the offense,” he said. “But I’m still improving.”

Asked where he needs to take the next step, Hearns didn’t hesitate.

“Definitely my tackling,” he said. “Just being more physical at the line and making more plays."

In the video above Wilcox — who spent one season at cornerback during his playing days at Oregon — explains the ways a player can compensate for a lack of size while tackling. There are strategies that Hearns can use.

Hearns’ ability to play the position correctly leads Cal wide receivers coach Burl Toler III to encourage his players to test themselves against Hearns whenever possible.

“We call him Cool Hand Luke. He’s just a low-key guy but he turns it up,” Toler said. “He understands the game, he understand spacial awareness, he has great technique, he’s confident. It’s hard to get open on him. So I encourage my guys all the time to step up and get reps from Lu.”

Junior wide receiver Tommy Christakos, who stands six inches taller than Hearns at 6-4, embraces the chance to duel him in practice.

“Great kid. Super-smart, fast, great feet,” Christakos said. “He just makes me better because those are the kind of guys I know I’m going to be going against on Saturdays. He’s something special.”

Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said Hearns showed maturity beyond his years as a freshman and, as a result, was able to grow into the greater responsibilities he was given.

In the video below, Sirmon said the coaching staff believes that same approach will allow Hearns to continue developing.

“He made a lot of plays for an inexperienced player. What we want to see out of Lu is just that same maturity, that same work ethic, just understanding the techniques, understanding his leverage, where he can take some risks and where he needs to be able to play to some help,” Sirmon said.

“Really, for Lu, it’s continuing to take as many reps as he can. As his confidence grows and his physical development, I think his best days are still ahead of him.”

Cover photo of Lu-Magia Hearns III

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo