Cal Football: No Surprise - No Big QB Announcement After Spring Showcase

Justin Wilcox said both Fernando Mendoza and Chandler Rogers have improved over the past month.

None of Cal’s quarterbacks absolutely clinched the starting assignment on Saturday for the Bears’ 2024 season opener against UC Davis.

And none of them followed the modern-day college football crowd by vaulting into the transfer portal.

The Bears held their spring showcase event before an estimated crowd of 2,500 at Memorial Stadium, and no dramatic news emerged after the two-hour practice that was televised by the Pac-12 Network.

In what was his least surprising response of the day, coach Justin Wilcox declined to specify whether returning start Fernando Mendoza or North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers will be the No. 1 man four months from now.

“Both of those guys have done a really good job this spring,” Wilcox said. “Fernando is a better player now than he was and that’s exactly what we’re looking for. Chandler’s done a really good job as well. They’re different styles of player but both of those guys can play. We just want to continue to grow those guys.”

Both players were upbeat and eager for what’s next after Saturday’s event.

“You watch the Day 1 tape for myself and then today’s tape, my footwork was a lot better, my accuracy is a lot better, I’m bigger and stronger so I feel really confident going into the summer,” said Mendoza, who became the Bears’ starter at midseason last fall.

“The competition has been great for me. I think it’s always good to have someone to push you. But I want to play to my ceiling, to my potential.”

For now, at least, Mendoza is the starter. He had the better performance Saturday, although the scrimmage was hardly a thorough test, given the fact that 25 players were held out of the event. 

Mendoza was 6-for-9 for 92 yards, including a 60-yard completion to Trond Grizzell on the first snap of the scrimmage and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Notre Dame transfer Tobias Merriweather.

Rogers, who threw for 3,382 yards with 29 touchdowns last fall at North Texas, was 4-for-10 for 29 yards with an interception.

Before the Bears reconvene at the start of August for fall camp, there will be roster changes, thanks to the transfer portal. As players at every school evaluate their place following spring football, movement is inevitable.

“There will be activity, both ways. That’s just the era we live in in college football,” said Wilcox, who will hold meetings with players next week to conduct post-spring evaluations. “Then we evaluate our roster, the needs we have and the areas we can improve in the transfer portal,” he said.

Rogers said any exodus won't involve him. “I plan to be here,” he said. “I plan to be the guy.”

Among the players who were held out of the Bears’ spring game were star running back Jadyn Ott and defensive starters Cade Uluave, Craig Woodson, Marcus Harris, David Reese and Xavier Carlton.