Cal’s 3 Spring Issues: Sam Jackson V, New Offense, Offensive Line

Coaches seldom pinpoint concerns, but the public has three questions about the Bears as spring practice began Wednesday.

All three are on offense:

---Will the new offense under new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital solve the offensive shortcomings Cal has experienced ever since Justin Wilcox became head coach?

---Can TCU transfer Sam Jackson V be the answer at quarterback in a Pac-12 conference that will be loaded with elite quarterbacks in 2023

---Will the offensive line show significant improvement after being one of the team’s problems in 2022?

Before addressing those three issues, we should note that Tennessee transfer running back Justin Williams-Thomas, a redshirt freshman, will miss all of spring ball with an injury, while Illinois transfer wide receiver Brian Hightower missed Wednesday’s workout with an injury but is likely to participate later in the spring.

Now the three offensive issues:

Issue No. 1 -- The new offense will be dramatically different from the pro-style offense Cal ran under last year’s offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave. Now it’s more spread out, more up-tempo, more geared to the skills of the new quarterback, Jackson.

“It’s a lot different from what we ran in the past,” said sixth-year Cal wide receiver Monroe Young, who has seen several offenses come and go at Cal. “It’s a lot more no-huddle stuff. It’s a lot more receiver-friendly, a lot more passing, opening up for receivers.”

That style requires offensive players to be in excellent physical condition.

“If you’re going to play with tempo you’d better be ready physically to do it,” Wilcox said.

Offensive lineman Brian Driscoll has noticed the difference in offseason conditioning training.

“I definitely think there’s a greater emphasis on conditioning,” Driscoll said. “We’re a lot more fast-paced.”

The offense will be centered on Jackson, which brings us to issue No. 2.

Issue No. 2: Jackson is dramatically different from Cal’s 2022 starting quarterback, Jack Plummer. Plummer was an experienced, 6-foot-5, 215-pound pocket passer who ran only in an emergency. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Jackson has thrown only six college passes, but he is athletic, will often roll out to throw and adds a running threat at the quarterback position.

“I feel he brings a more dynamic quarterback in the backfield for defensive coordinators to sort of game plan around that, it makes it a lot harder,” Young said.

You don’t need a stopwatch to see that Jackson is fast, and you don’t need a tape measure and scale to see that he is not very big. Is his size a concern?

“No,” said Wilcox. “He’s not the tallest guy in the world; he’s not the biggest guy. If you look across college football and pro football, there’s a lot of different body types playing that position now. I think it’s different than it was 10, 15, 20, 30 years ago, and schematics adjust accordingly.”

The 5-foot-10 Kyler Murray has done all right in the NFL, and the 6-foot Bryce Young might be first overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

But we don’t have much information about what Jackson can do in game situations. His limited playing time all came in mop-up duty at TCU.

Will he have the openings to show his speed as a runner or the time to succeed as a passer? That brings us to issue No. 3

Issue No. 3 --New offensive line coach Mike Bloesch is responsible for improving an offensive line that was a weakness in 2022.

Driscoll said the footwork techniques are slightly different under Bloesch than they were with Angus McClure, last season’s offensive line coach, but there is not a big difference.

You wonder whether the up-tempo style and putting the quarterback on the move will help the offensive line be more effective.

“The offense is fast-paced and fun to run,” Driscoll said.

Only game action will reveal whether the Bears' offensive line is better is this offense.

Cal’s next spring workout is scheduled for Saturday, and it is likely to be wet as rain is forecast for that day.

Cover photo of Justin Wilcox by Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

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