Cal Football: Bill Musgrave Envisions a `Golden Age' of Golden Bear Receivers
Cal offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave chooses his words carefully and rarely dishes hyperbole. His remarks to reporters are generally reserved.
But when asked Wednesday about Cal’s young receivers — Jeremiah Hunter, J.Michael Sturdivant, Mavin Anderson and Tommy Christakos — Musgrave was effusive in his response.
He began slowly: “They’re still young. They’re doing some outstanding things but we’ve got a long way to go with that group.”
Then he warmed up.
“Once they get there, it might be the golden era of receiver play here, even with DeSean Jackson and Keenan Allen and Wesley Walker and Brian Treggs and (Sean) Dawkins. It would be the golden era of receiver play here if those guys do what we expect of them.”
Wow. That’s high praise for a group that, with the exception of Hunter, has never made a catch in a college football game.
Hunter, despite playing just eight games last fall, caught 21 passes and averaged 18.5 yards per receptions. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior is easily the Bears’ most accomplished pass catcher.
But Sturdivant and Anderson, both redshirt freshmen, and Christakos, a junior, all have shown good things this spring. Three of the four boast good size (Anderson is the shortest, although still 6 feet tall) and there is speed in the group as well.
“It sure helps the quarterbacks to have a wide catching radius. Those guys are big people who can really move,” Musgrave said. “They’re smart and they’re playing all kinds of different positions. It’s really a promising position group for our offense.”
For those who need a refresher, Jackson, Allen, Walker, Treggs and Dawkins were prolific receivers for the Bears. Each of them topped 2,000 career receiving yards in college and the five totaled 734 catches for 11,463 yards and 105 touchdowns at Cal.
Walker, Jackson and Allen were the most productive of the group in the NFL, totaling 10 Pro Bowl selections. Walker, a 13-year member of the New York Jets through the end of the 1980s, averaged a whopping 19.0 yards per catch as a pro and scored 71 touchdowns.
Allen, who just turned 30 on Wednesday, has 730 receptions, including 48 TDs. Jackson, nearing the end of his NFL days at the age of 35, has caught passes for 11,110 yards.
Cover photo of wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter by Darren Yamashita, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
