October 5, 2020 • 20 mins
The California Golden Bears have improved in every season under Justin Wilcox. Now, with veteran QB Chase Garbers and star DB Cam Bynum returning, they're ready to challenge for a North division title. Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth host a conversation with Coach Wilcox.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
It's been a long time. Wehave a lot of work to do.
We gotta be really smart about howwe do that work. And I'm just
our coaches, our players are alljust kind of chomping at the bit to
go out there. And there's stilljust a lot of logistics. It's going
to be unique. They're going tobe different protocols. We got to follow
the practice. It might not quitebe the same. Just how we get
(00:20):
from place to place. All thosethings will be different, and it'll be
a great challenge for us and agreat opportunity. Hi have Bear fans.
If you somehow missed Yogi Ross's Instagramlive this weekend, shame on you,
(00:44):
first of all. But second ofall, he picked the Bears as his
sleeper to win the Pac twelve North. Obviously it won't be easy. As
you look at the schedule, itdoes help to have Washington Stanford an organ
at home. I'm not sure Yogiabout Pullman in mid December Asu the divisional
crossover matchup, and then how aboutthe opener I should say you dub November
seventh. Bears have a chance tobeat the Huskies for the third straight year.
(01:08):
Any idea the last time they didthat no clue, no clue.
Okay, early two thousands, JustinWilcox was Cal's linebacker coach and he is
now, of course the head coach, and he joins us now. Justin,
it's great to see you. Iknow you're excited to have a schedule
to actually look at, but wegot to talk first and foremost Cal fans
fired up some big news on Monday, your best defensive player announced that he's
(01:30):
opting back in cam Binham wearing thatbear uniform for at least one more year.
What did it mean to you andhow did he tell you? Really
excited to have Cam back, andit's just such a unique set of circumstances
fully supported his decision over a monthago when he made the decision to move
on and start preparing for the NFL, and then when things changed here recently,
(01:55):
Cam, immediately we were in communicationand as you know and getting to
know Camp, he loves being apart of this program and part of the
team, and he was really lookingforward to coming back as soon as it
was announced that we were going tobe able to play, had the daily
testing lined up, and so we'reobviously pealed to have him back. And
I know he's excited to be back, and there's a couple of logistical things
(02:17):
that we're working through, but reallyjust couldn't be more, you know,
happy for him and our team tohave a guy not only caliber of his
play, but just the type ofperson that he is. So big news,
huge news to me. I thinkhe's the best DV returning in the
Pac twelve. He will not beplaying one of the LA schools, as
(02:38):
you guys are not playing USC orUCLA. What are your thoughts on that
and your crossover game against Arizona State. Yeah, you know, I think
if it was up to all ofus, we'd love to play an entire
schedule, and it's just such aunique year and we know that adjustments needed
to be made and we totally understandthat and are looking forward to playing our
(03:00):
schedule as it sits, and gotsome great teams on the schedule. The
crossover game at ASU obviously an excellentfootball team with talented players really well coach
I know, Coach Edwards has donea fantastic job with them, so we're
fired up about it. But mostimportantly, we're really just focused on getting
back on the field on Friday.We still have some things that we got
(03:21):
to work through in order to getthere. But our guys are sure excited
to get back going, and justwith all that's going on, it'll be
a real not I don't think it'sa relief, but just there'll be some
great energy once we were able toget back on the field on Friday and
start working towards that first game.You know, just and you return almost
(03:42):
all of your offense from last year. And one of our favorite stats that
Yogi always likes to remind everyone ofis that Chase Garber's returns as the winning
this quarterback in the Pac twelve undefeatedin games that he completed last year.
What's the next step for him?What do you want to see from him
this season? Well, Chase hasdone a fantastic job in his first couple
of years, just the matturation processat that position. He played a lot
(04:05):
for US early UH as a freshmanand did some really good things. He's
had some tough moments as well,and that's just part of UH, you
know, the growing process. Buthe's done a fantastic job of taking to
the new offense. In communication withBill Musgrave and Chase a very smart guy.
UM, he understands the concepts andthe language and the walkthroughs that we've
(04:29):
been able to have with him.You know, he's very sharp. He
knows what he's doing, he's knowswhat he's looking for, and so I
think, just um, you know, the next step for him is the
consistency, and we got to helpkeep him upright and protect him and how
not only in the past game butthe run game. And we're aware of
that, but Chase is uh doinga heck of a job for us.
(04:49):
And uh, as you probably notice, he's not the most vocal guy,
but he brings a consistency every singleday in his demeanor, his work ethic
and really excited to have him backfor his junior season. Only a couple
of spring practices who were able tobe had, so we don't really get
(05:09):
to see what this offense may potentiallybe. I know there's some gamesmanship,
but who do you who do youhope you guys are on that side of
the ball with this returning quarterback Othe best version of ourselves. You know,
we got some really good players comingback, a lot of experience O
line quarterback position, the running backposition, the receivers, tight ends,
so a lot of guys that haveplayed games for US, some really good
(05:32):
football players, and you know,having coach Musgrave here and implementing the offense.
I know, we only got fourpractices, but those four were critical
and laying a foundation so we couldspeak the same language and watch some video
over the course of this shelter inplace and throughout summer, so our guys
have really gone above and beyond andtrying to learn and digest the system.
(05:57):
And there is you know, multiplesto it. There's variables, and you
know, at the beginning, I'msure it probably felt like a lot for
them, but as they've worked throughthat process, you know, everything makes
sense. It's very systematic, andso I know they're excited to get on
the field because there's nothing quite likeyou know, getting out there in practicing
and playing after you've been meeting foryou know, months on end, I'd
(06:19):
say, yeah, well said,and I think everybody's obviously really excited.
And look, has that opener circledon their calendar against you dub a team
that you guys have fared well,very well against, the last couple of
years. As we mentioned off thetop, we talked to Jimmy Lake just
a few minutes ago and tried toget him to tell us who was starting
quarterback was going to be. Hewouldn't budge. But I'm wondering if Chase
(06:41):
can get any intel from his brotherEthan or even coach sermon with his son
or his nephew. There's a fewfew family connections there between these programs.
Yeah, there are, And obviouslyChase his younger brothers up there. Peter
Peterson plays there, and his nephewsa quarterback there, so, but I
doubt they'll say anything to our guyseither. So obviously they're an excellent team,
(07:05):
done a great job up there.Known Jimmy for a while, he'll
do a heck of a job.They got really good players. So really,
what's on our mind is starting practiceon Friday. You know, That's
what we're getting excited for because alot of logistics, it's going to be
unique. They're going to be differentprotocols, we got to follow the practice,
it might not quite be the same, just how we get from place
(07:27):
to place. All those things willbe different, and it'll be a great
challenge for us and a great opportunity. Yeah, I think that's such a
unique dynamic on every campus in thePAC twelve. Can you give us an
example of something that may be different. What do you guys do begin training
camp this weekend? Oh well yeah, let's see here. Well, it
starts with the testing, the dailytesting, which is great, glad to
(07:47):
have that in place. How wemeet is to be determined. Whether we're
gonna be able to meet in personor not. We're still waiting on that,
whether or not we can use thelocker room, So how we team
meetings are going to have to bevirtual or recorded. I would say,
yeah, the locker room issue,where we change how we get in and
(08:09):
out of the stadium. The groups, whether we have the entire team is
not likely. We're going it's possible. We have to do segments of the
team. So there's still a lotto be determined, and that's you know,
the state of California and the healthorders that we need to follow.
Thankfully, our doctors and trainers donea great job of putting some protocols in
(08:30):
place. But you know, that'sjust kind of the start of it,
you know, So it'll be different. It'll be a challenge, you know,
and I think the self discipline thatit'll take from all of us coaches,
players, everybody involved. Is goingto be a great test for us
and our self discipline and also understandingthe adjustments that need to be made because
of the situation we're in and notgetting frustrated. I think it's really easy
(08:54):
for all of us and all ofthis to get frustrated at times, and
you really got to fight the frustrationand just look look at as an opportunity
to prove yourself and how we canadjust. And we're going to need to
do that on a daily basis andmaybe weekly basis as we work through the
season. Coach, I want togo back to your defense and obviously big
news that cambine Them is coming back, but you still lost a lot of
(09:16):
talent, Ash and Davis, JalenHawkins, Evan, we were all drafted.
Luke Beckett transferred to Boston College beforeyou guys knew you'd have a fall
season. So just kind of walkme through how you feel about things on
that side of the ball, wherethey are right now, and who are
we going to be talking about atthe end of the year. Good questions.
You know, that's part of collegefootball is that turnover. And we've
(09:37):
had some really good players here ondefense in the last few years, and
some of them have moved on tothe NFL, which is exciting for them.
And it's also a great time forsome of these younger guys to make
a move. And I'm I'm lookingforward to watching those guys develop and whether
you're looking at some of those youngerD line and you know, Brett Johnson's
(09:58):
a guy who played a lot forus last year. I think it is
going to be a good player andgoing to get more and more opportunities,
or some other young D lineman whoare gonna have some opportunities to get reps
as well. Outside linebacker spots withuh you know Cam Good we've become accustomed
to and Cambell do some great thingsfor us. But Braxton Kroto and or
In Pottu and some of these otheryounger players have an opportunity the inside linebacker
(10:20):
spot opposite Coin Dang, you knowwhat's that going to look like? And
there's some going to be some verycompetitive downs in there. It may may
not be one guy we'll see.And obviously if the defensive back position,
the safety spot um with Ashton andJalen, you know, we've been spoiled
for three years, just you know, high quality people, high quality players
and uh, and those guys havemoved on, and but there's some young
(10:43):
players that are going to have someopportunities. So that's that's kind of the
fun part, you know, andwatch those guys develop and see where this
all lands. And we still gota lot of practice to do as we
prepare for that first game, butit'll be fun to watch that all sort
out. Oh shit, has beenfun to watch you build this program from
the day that you took it overto now. And now you guys are
in position actually reference on the topic. People are picking you guys to win
(11:07):
your respective division, maybe even theconference. You're noticing that the players hear
that, and you have to talkto them different than maybe in years passed
around championship or expectations of the season. Well, no, not necessarily.
I mean, I think anytime there'spositive talk around your program, that's a
good thing. But the standards withinthe program really don't change. They haven't
(11:28):
changed from the beginning. And youknow, I noticed it in our offseason
conditioning and lifting starting in January,just the intensity of the players, how
they're approaching workouts and meetings and aswe were working towards spring ball. Just
the urgency that they showed, SoI'm not concerned with that. I think
(11:50):
we expect to be good. That'skind of part of being a football player
and a football coaches. The expectationsshould be high. And you know,
it's it's good that they'veorism, butultimately, all that talk means nothing.
You know, we have to goout and produce, and I think our
guys understand that, and we're lookingforward to getting back to work so we
can try to do that. Yogihear that he said all your talk means
(12:11):
nothing, Just so you know,I hear that. I didn't mean it
like that. I just yeah,of course not. I know what you
mean. Now, we're looking forwardto it, and as Yogi alluded to
you, you've taken a step andthat program has moved forward in the in
the first three years you've been there, and looking forward to seeing the next
step for you guys this year.Thanks for the time. I know you've
got a lot on your plate,so best to luck this week with getting
(12:33):
camp going and we'll see it too, and Coach, thanks to you as
well. To be fair, yoee, I do think justin Wilcox cares about
what you say. I think yourwords do matter. You're not like the
rest of the media out there,So I just did want to point that
(12:56):
out. I don't want you tobe feeling badly. Yeah he doesn't.
I agree, he may care,just probably not on Instagram. Maybe that.
Yeah, that's true, he's not. Really he's not a big social
media guy. We know that.Yeah, okay, but let's talk about
a guy who is a big socialmedia guy and who just you know,
lit up Instagram on Monday when heannounced he was coming back can buying him.
He is. Anyone who has listenedto us on this podcast or paid
(13:18):
attention to what we've said throughout ourtime of the Pactrol networked the last couple
of years, everyone knows that youand I are huge fans of this young
man, not only for, asCoach said, who he is on the
football field and what he brings froma talent perspective, but also who he
is away from the football field.He is a leader, he is just
one of the most genuine human beingsI've had the pleasure of getting to know
over the last few years. Sohuge news, and I mean that that's
(13:41):
a game changer for them yos.Yeah, well you look at the dbs
that have opted out in the PACtwelve at least that we assume we're going
to remain opted out. Right,Paul sent a debo Javan Holland. Now
to me, I look at Cambuy him. He's a top TB in
the conference, not just in calor, not just in the North.
He really reminds me of Julian blackAnd as a player. Right, Remember
(14:01):
Julian started at safety, then wentto corner, and went back to safety.
Now he's playing for the Colts.Same thing with Camp. Right in
the limited spring practice as they had, he was all over the defense.
He was at safety, he wasat nickel, he's at corner. I
just think he brings such a maturityin terms of his playmaking ability, but
also a maturity to that defense.And Coach Wilcox talked about it like this
(14:22):
team needs to be disciplined, notonly to win games, but to make
sure that coronavirus doesn't infect this entireteam, and they have to be really
disciplined. And he brings that.You know, for him to come back,
what I think it'll do, it'llspeak volumes to the locker room because
they'll say, you know what,like if you aren't playing, or if
you want to go party, ifyou want to go to Greek Row,
like, don't because this guy cameback for a reason. And I love
(14:45):
that. Like, I just that'show teams work, that's the dynamic.
And cam Binham is the most respectedplayer in that locker room from everything that
I've seen and I'm told and thismove is another reason to just amplify that.
Yeah, amen to that, wellsaid. And I think you know
another thing justin alluded to him.We were talking about what his defense was
going to look like, was youknow, one of the big question marks
(15:07):
is who's going to be playing oppositecoin dang inside linebacker position. I don't
think that you can replace Evan Weaverjust from everything that he brought nut just
from the tackle machine that he was, but the SoundBite machine that he was,
the energy that he brought into thebuilding with him every single day.
But what do you make a Cow'sdefense overall? Well, I think it's
really talented. You know, Camerongood is a guy I remember he was
(15:30):
banged up a couple of years ago, came back. He's really undervalued.
Brett Johnson, coach, talked abouthim the way they've recruited the last couple
of years. But I look atMoio Sepha as a huge name. For
those listening, just google the nameand watch his tape. You know the
last name. Because his brother Jordanis a linebacker at USC. They held
on to him really late in recruitingash. I don't think day one he's
(15:52):
going to go start for them,but he's a next level type of player.
And I also think coin Dang isprepared to be the guy. You
know. I chance to connect withhim over the pandemic and he's he's dialed.
This is a guy who not onlyyou know, plays with great focus,
has great range. You look athis body type and it's so unique
at the linebacker, he's so long, you know, his hands are in
every throwing lane. But you diveinto and you do this so well into
(16:15):
his DNA. I mean, thisis a guy whose family is from South
Sudan. You know, uh,you know anything about what's gone on there
regarding you know, just a wartorn country to a large degree, and
his family was growing up they endedup moving to the United States, and
he's got a lot of that tohim, a lot of that grittiness that
comes with people who have you know, pass that are full of adversity.
(16:36):
So I think he's perfect. I'dlove to get they got from him.
You remember he was on Last ChanceYou a couple of years ago, so
he's got a chance to be Defensiveplayer of the Year. In my eyes,
I think that highly of him.As a player in this conference.
I think you get a chance tobe a next level player at a lot
of levels. And then you addin Peter Sermon, who's now the DC,
who is you know he does coachobviously linebackers as well. I think
(16:57):
everything set up for this team tohave a chance to win the North.
They just have to score. Andthat's the bottom line. That's been the
bottom line since Justin got there.Well, a big piece of that is
going to be you know, talkedabout Chase Garbars and you heard what Justin
had to say about him, andhe's taken a step and he's overcome some
stuff and he's now as healthy ashopefully he's been in a long time.
(17:19):
Who's it going to throw it to? How are they going to score points?
What is the key to this offensefiguring itself out this year? Well,
I think The key to Cal hasalways been under coach Wilcox, is
limit unforced errors. Right, Soyou look at any game other than really
Oregon with Justin Herbert, that gamehas kind of gotten out of hand when
they played them because he was sodynamic and so special. Over the last
(17:42):
couple of seasons, I think thisteam never really hurts themselves, so they're
in every game. But I thinkthis year that of course, is going
to play a huge role. Youlook at college fooball already this year,
most teams are crushing themselves early onand losing games, whether it's foolish penalties
or bad situational football. So they'llbe in games, but to be a
legit contender, they got a score. So to me, I look at
(18:03):
Nico Ramihio as can he be theguy who thought he was coming out of
Southern California in high school? Canhe be that game breaker? Can he
be someone in the slot that's amatchup nightmare? Can he be Chase Garber's
number one target? I look forwardto him and then at tight end because
they're gonna play with tight ends.Right. They've got this new offense,
brand new offensive coordinator. They onlygot four practices in but they'll be under
(18:26):
center. I think you'll see thetight ends play fullback. They'll they'll move
all over the place, they'll shiftin motioning it to death. So I
don't I don't know who's going tobe, but I know it needs to
be somebody, and they need tobe a threat on third down, like
when they play their opener against youdub If Washington just plays man a man
coverage, which they did last year. If Arizona State Week two just plays
(18:48):
man a man coverage, which there'san element of them that does that,
and their receivers can't beat the likesof Chase Lucas and Jack Jack Jones kelcent
Troll, you know they're not goingto be the team that you know they
got the capable to be in whichis a North champion. So that's what
it comes down to. And Ithink it's fun for that receiving group because
they've heard it. They've heard itfor years now. So who elevates and
(19:11):
if they can score and they gottwo big tests off the bat, if
they start off two and oh likelook out like Circle December fifth as a
big game against Oregon, let aloneof course the big game the week before
that, but they'll be a legitcontender if they can kick this thing off
to and oh yeah, they've gotsome fun matchups. Their schedule shapes up
well. And I think you knowI alluded to to it at the end
of Justin's interview, but there hasbeen palpable growth in each of his first
(19:34):
three years. They went from justmissing being bellligible his first year to becoming
bligible losing, to then his thirdyear becoming buligible and actually winning a bowl
game. So every single year therehas been a tangible level of progress and
that that's meaningful to the guys inthat locker room, I know, And
obviously it would be huge if theycould take the next big step this year
(19:55):
not only become belliligible, but maybehey, take the Pack twelve North twenty
twenty. Ever know what is goingto happen. Jimmy Lake, by the
way, highly complimentary of Justin Wilcoxin this COW program and the interview we
did with him, So a reminderyou can listen to that one as well
as every single interview we've done withall twelve coaches. You can catch those
right here on the PAC twelve Perspectivepodcast or on PAC dashtwelve dot com,
It's been a long time. Wehave a lot of work to do.
We gotta be really smart about howwe do that work. And I'm just
our coaches, our players are alljust kind of chomping at the bit to
go out there. And there's stilljust a lot of logistics. It's going
to be unique. They're going tobe different protocols. We got to follow
the practice. It might not quitebe the same. Just how we get
(00:20):
from place to place. All thosethings will be different, and it'll be
a great challenge for us and agreat opportunity. Hi have Bear fans.
If you somehow missed Yogi Ross's Instagramlive this weekend, shame on you,
(00:44):
first of all. But second ofall, he picked the Bears as his
sleeper to win the Pac twelve North. Obviously it won't be easy. As
you look at the schedule, itdoes help to have Washington Stanford an organ
at home. I'm not sure Yogiabout Pullman in mid December Asu the divisional
crossover matchup, and then how aboutthe opener I should say you dub November
seventh. Bears have a chance tobeat the Huskies for the third straight year.
(01:08):
Any idea the last time they didthat no clue, no clue.
Okay, early two thousands, JustinWilcox was Cal's linebacker coach and he is
now, of course the head coach, and he joins us now. Justin,
it's great to see you. Iknow you're excited to have a schedule
to actually look at, but wegot to talk first and foremost Cal fans
fired up some big news on Monday, your best defensive player announced that he's
(01:30):
opting back in cam Binham wearing thatbear uniform for at least one more year.
What did it mean to you andhow did he tell you? Really
excited to have Cam back, andit's just such a unique set of circumstances
fully supported his decision over a monthago when he made the decision to move
on and start preparing for the NFL, and then when things changed here recently,
(01:55):
Cam, immediately we were in communicationand as you know and getting to
know Camp, he loves being apart of this program and part of the
team, and he was really lookingforward to coming back as soon as it
was announced that we were going tobe able to play, had the daily
testing lined up, and so we'reobviously pealed to have him back. And
I know he's excited to be back, and there's a couple of logistical things
(02:17):
that we're working through, but reallyjust couldn't be more, you know,
happy for him and our team tohave a guy not only caliber of his
play, but just the type ofperson that he is. So big news,
huge news to me. I thinkhe's the best DV returning in the
Pac twelve. He will not beplaying one of the LA schools, as
(02:38):
you guys are not playing USC orUCLA. What are your thoughts on that
and your crossover game against Arizona State. Yeah, you know, I think
if it was up to all ofus, we'd love to play an entire
schedule, and it's just such aunique year and we know that adjustments needed
to be made and we totally understandthat and are looking forward to playing our
(03:00):
schedule as it sits, and gotsome great teams on the schedule. The
crossover game at ASU obviously an excellentfootball team with talented players really well coach
I know, Coach Edwards has donea fantastic job with them, so we're
fired up about it. But mostimportantly, we're really just focused on getting
back on the field on Friday.We still have some things that we got
(03:21):
to work through in order to getthere. But our guys are sure excited
to get back going, and justwith all that's going on, it'll be
a real not I don't think it'sa relief, but just there'll be some
great energy once we were able toget back on the field on Friday and
start working towards that first game.You know, just and you return almost
(03:42):
all of your offense from last year. And one of our favorite stats that
Yogi always likes to remind everyone ofis that Chase Garber's returns as the winning
this quarterback in the Pac twelve undefeatedin games that he completed last year.
What's the next step for him?What do you want to see from him
this season? Well, Chase hasdone a fantastic job in his first couple
of years, just the matturation processat that position. He played a lot
(04:05):
for US early UH as a freshmanand did some really good things. He's
had some tough moments as well,and that's just part of UH, you
know, the growing process. Buthe's done a fantastic job of taking to
the new offense. In communication withBill Musgrave and Chase a very smart guy.
UM, he understands the concepts andthe language and the walkthroughs that we've
(04:29):
been able to have with him.You know, he's very sharp. He
knows what he's doing, he's knowswhat he's looking for, and so I
think, just um, you know, the next step for him is the
consistency, and we got to helpkeep him upright and protect him and how
not only in the past game butthe run game. And we're aware of
that, but Chase is uh doinga heck of a job for us.
(04:49):
And uh, as you probably notice, he's not the most vocal guy,
but he brings a consistency every singleday in his demeanor, his work ethic
and really excited to have him backfor his junior season. Only a couple
of spring practices who were able tobe had, so we don't really get
(05:09):
to see what this offense may potentiallybe. I know there's some gamesmanship,
but who do you who do youhope you guys are on that side of
the ball with this returning quarterback Othe best version of ourselves. You know,
we got some really good players comingback, a lot of experience O
line quarterback position, the running backposition, the receivers, tight ends,
so a lot of guys that haveplayed games for US, some really good
(05:32):
football players, and you know,having coach Musgrave here and implementing the offense.
I know, we only got fourpractices, but those four were critical
and laying a foundation so we couldspeak the same language and watch some video
over the course of this shelter inplace and throughout summer, so our guys
have really gone above and beyond andtrying to learn and digest the system.
(05:57):
And there is you know, multiplesto it. There's variables, and you
know, at the beginning, I'msure it probably felt like a lot for
them, but as they've worked throughthat process, you know, everything makes
sense. It's very systematic, andso I know they're excited to get on
the field because there's nothing quite likeyou know, getting out there in practicing
and playing after you've been meeting foryou know, months on end, I'd
(06:19):
say, yeah, well said,and I think everybody's obviously really excited.
And look, has that opener circledon their calendar against you dub a team
that you guys have fared well,very well against, the last couple of
years. As we mentioned off thetop, we talked to Jimmy Lake just
a few minutes ago and tried toget him to tell us who was starting
quarterback was going to be. Hewouldn't budge. But I'm wondering if Chase
(06:41):
can get any intel from his brotherEthan or even coach sermon with his son
or his nephew. There's a fewfew family connections there between these programs.
Yeah, there are, And obviouslyChase his younger brothers up there. Peter
Peterson plays there, and his nephewsa quarterback there, so, but I
doubt they'll say anything to our guyseither. So obviously they're an excellent team,
(07:05):
done a great job up there.Known Jimmy for a while, he'll
do a heck of a job.They got really good players. So really,
what's on our mind is starting practiceon Friday. You know, That's
what we're getting excited for because alot of logistics, it's going to be
unique. They're going to be differentprotocols, we got to follow the practice,
it might not quite be the same, just how we get from place
(07:27):
to place. All those things willbe different, and it'll be a great
challenge for us and a great opportunity. Yeah, I think that's such a
unique dynamic on every campus in thePAC twelve. Can you give us an
example of something that may be different. What do you guys do begin training
camp this weekend? Oh well yeah, let's see here. Well, it
starts with the testing, the dailytesting, which is great, glad to
(07:47):
have that in place. How wemeet is to be determined. Whether we're
gonna be able to meet in personor not. We're still waiting on that,
whether or not we can use thelocker room, So how we team
meetings are going to have to bevirtual or recorded. I would say,
yeah, the locker room issue,where we change how we get in and
(08:09):
out of the stadium. The groups, whether we have the entire team is
not likely. We're going it's possible. We have to do segments of the
team. So there's still a lotto be determined, and that's you know,
the state of California and the healthorders that we need to follow.
Thankfully, our doctors and trainers donea great job of putting some protocols in
(08:30):
place. But you know, that'sjust kind of the start of it,
you know, So it'll be different. It'll be a challenge, you know,
and I think the self discipline thatit'll take from all of us coaches,
players, everybody involved. Is goingto be a great test for us
and our self discipline and also understandingthe adjustments that need to be made because
of the situation we're in and notgetting frustrated. I think it's really easy
(08:54):
for all of us and all ofthis to get frustrated at times, and
you really got to fight the frustrationand just look look at as an opportunity
to prove yourself and how we canadjust. And we're going to need to
do that on a daily basis andmaybe weekly basis as we work through the
season. Coach, I want togo back to your defense and obviously big
news that cambine Them is coming back, but you still lost a lot of
(09:16):
talent, Ash and Davis, JalenHawkins, Evan, we were all drafted.
Luke Beckett transferred to Boston College beforeyou guys knew you'd have a fall
season. So just kind of walkme through how you feel about things on
that side of the ball, wherethey are right now, and who are
we going to be talking about atthe end of the year. Good questions.
You know, that's part of collegefootball is that turnover. And we've
(09:37):
had some really good players here ondefense in the last few years, and
some of them have moved on tothe NFL, which is exciting for them.
And it's also a great time forsome of these younger guys to make
a move. And I'm I'm lookingforward to watching those guys develop and whether
you're looking at some of those youngerD line and you know, Brett Johnson's
(09:58):
a guy who played a lot forus last year. I think it is
going to be a good player andgoing to get more and more opportunities,
or some other young D lineman whoare gonna have some opportunities to get reps
as well. Outside linebacker spots withuh you know Cam Good we've become accustomed
to and Cambell do some great thingsfor us. But Braxton Kroto and or
In Pottu and some of these otheryounger players have an opportunity the inside linebacker
(10:20):
spot opposite Coin Dang, you knowwhat's that going to look like? And
there's some going to be some verycompetitive downs in there. It may may
not be one guy we'll see.And obviously if the defensive back position,
the safety spot um with Ashton andJalen, you know, we've been spoiled
for three years, just you know, high quality people, high quality players
and uh, and those guys havemoved on, and but there's some young
(10:43):
players that are going to have someopportunities. So that's that's kind of the
fun part, you know, andwatch those guys develop and see where this
all lands. And we still gota lot of practice to do as we
prepare for that first game, butit'll be fun to watch that all sort
out. Oh shit, has beenfun to watch you build this program from
the day that you took it overto now. And now you guys are
in position actually reference on the topic. People are picking you guys to win
(11:07):
your respective division, maybe even theconference. You're noticing that the players hear
that, and you have to talkto them different than maybe in years passed
around championship or expectations of the season. Well, no, not necessarily.
I mean, I think anytime there'spositive talk around your program, that's a
good thing. But the standards withinthe program really don't change. They haven't
(11:28):
changed from the beginning. And youknow, I noticed it in our offseason
conditioning and lifting starting in January,just the intensity of the players, how
they're approaching workouts and meetings and aswe were working towards spring ball. Just
the urgency that they showed, SoI'm not concerned with that. I think
(11:50):
we expect to be good. That'skind of part of being a football player
and a football coaches. The expectationsshould be high. And you know,
it's it's good that they'veorism, butultimately, all that talk means nothing.
You know, we have to goout and produce, and I think our
guys understand that, and we're lookingforward to getting back to work so we
can try to do that. Yogihear that he said all your talk means
(12:11):
nothing, Just so you know,I hear that. I didn't mean it
like that. I just yeah,of course not. I know what you
mean. Now, we're looking forwardto it, and as Yogi alluded to
you, you've taken a step andthat program has moved forward in the in
the first three years you've been there, and looking forward to seeing the next
step for you guys this year.Thanks for the time. I know you've
got a lot on your plate,so best to luck this week with getting
(12:33):
camp going and we'll see it too, and Coach, thanks to you as
well. To be fair, yoee, I do think justin Wilcox cares about
what you say. I think yourwords do matter. You're not like the
rest of the media out there,So I just did want to point that
(12:56):
out. I don't want you tobe feeling badly. Yeah he doesn't.
I agree, he may care,just probably not on Instagram. Maybe that.
Yeah, that's true, he's not. Really he's not a big social
media guy. We know that.Yeah, okay, but let's talk about
a guy who is a big socialmedia guy and who just you know,
lit up Instagram on Monday when heannounced he was coming back can buying him.
He is. Anyone who has listenedto us on this podcast or paid
(13:18):
attention to what we've said throughout ourtime of the Pactrol networked the last couple
of years, everyone knows that youand I are huge fans of this young
man, not only for, asCoach said, who he is on the
football field and what he brings froma talent perspective, but also who he
is away from the football field.He is a leader, he is just
one of the most genuine human beingsI've had the pleasure of getting to know
over the last few years. Sohuge news, and I mean that that's
(13:41):
a game changer for them yos.Yeah, well you look at the dbs
that have opted out in the PACtwelve at least that we assume we're going
to remain opted out. Right,Paul sent a debo Javan Holland. Now
to me, I look at Cambuy him. He's a top TB in
the conference, not just in calor, not just in the North.
He really reminds me of Julian blackAnd as a player. Right, Remember
(14:01):
Julian started at safety, then wentto corner, and went back to safety.
Now he's playing for the Colts.Same thing with Camp. Right in
the limited spring practice as they had, he was all over the defense.
He was at safety, he wasat nickel, he's at corner. I
just think he brings such a maturityin terms of his playmaking ability, but
also a maturity to that defense.And Coach Wilcox talked about it like this
(14:22):
team needs to be disciplined, notonly to win games, but to make
sure that coronavirus doesn't infect this entireteam, and they have to be really
disciplined. And he brings that.You know, for him to come back,
what I think it'll do, it'llspeak volumes to the locker room because
they'll say, you know what,like if you aren't playing, or if
you want to go party, ifyou want to go to Greek Row,
like, don't because this guy cameback for a reason. And I love
(14:45):
that. Like, I just that'show teams work, that's the dynamic.
And cam Binham is the most respectedplayer in that locker room from everything that
I've seen and I'm told and thismove is another reason to just amplify that.
Yeah, amen to that, wellsaid. And I think you know
another thing justin alluded to him.We were talking about what his defense was
going to look like, was youknow, one of the big question marks
(15:07):
is who's going to be playing oppositecoin dang inside linebacker position. I don't
think that you can replace Evan Weaverjust from everything that he brought nut just
from the tackle machine that he was, but the SoundBite machine that he was,
the energy that he brought into thebuilding with him every single day.
But what do you make a Cow'sdefense overall? Well, I think it's
really talented. You know, Camerongood is a guy I remember he was
(15:30):
banged up a couple of years ago, came back. He's really undervalued.
Brett Johnson, coach, talked abouthim the way they've recruited the last couple
of years. But I look atMoio Sepha as a huge name. For
those listening, just google the nameand watch his tape. You know the
last name. Because his brother Jordanis a linebacker at USC. They held
on to him really late in recruitingash. I don't think day one he's
(15:52):
going to go start for them,but he's a next level type of player.
And I also think coin Dang isprepared to be the guy. You
know. I chance to connect withhim over the pandemic and he's he's dialed.
This is a guy who not onlyyou know, plays with great focus,
has great range. You look athis body type and it's so unique
at the linebacker, he's so long, you know, his hands are in
every throwing lane. But you diveinto and you do this so well into
(16:15):
his DNA. I mean, thisis a guy whose family is from South
Sudan. You know, uh,you know anything about what's gone on there
regarding you know, just a wartorn country to a large degree, and
his family was growing up they endedup moving to the United States, and
he's got a lot of that tohim, a lot of that grittiness that
comes with people who have you know, pass that are full of adversity.
(16:36):
So I think he's perfect. I'dlove to get they got from him.
You remember he was on Last ChanceYou a couple of years ago, so
he's got a chance to be Defensiveplayer of the Year. In my eyes,
I think that highly of him.As a player in this conference.
I think you get a chance tobe a next level player at a lot
of levels. And then you addin Peter Sermon, who's now the DC,
who is you know he does coachobviously linebackers as well. I think
(16:57):
everything set up for this team tohave a chance to win the North.
They just have to score. Andthat's the bottom line. That's been the
bottom line since Justin got there.Well, a big piece of that is
going to be you know, talkedabout Chase Garbars and you heard what Justin
had to say about him, andhe's taken a step and he's overcome some
stuff and he's now as healthy ashopefully he's been in a long time.
(17:19):
Who's it going to throw it to? How are they going to score points?
What is the key to this offensefiguring itself out this year? Well,
I think The key to Cal hasalways been under coach Wilcox, is
limit unforced errors. Right, Soyou look at any game other than really
Oregon with Justin Herbert, that gamehas kind of gotten out of hand when
they played them because he was sodynamic and so special. Over the last
(17:42):
couple of seasons, I think thisteam never really hurts themselves, so they're
in every game. But I thinkthis year that of course, is going
to play a huge role. Youlook at college fooball already this year,
most teams are crushing themselves early onand losing games, whether it's foolish penalties
or bad situational football. So they'llbe in games, but to be a
legit contender, they got a score. So to me, I look at
(18:03):
Nico Ramihio as can he be theguy who thought he was coming out of
Southern California in high school? Canhe be that game breaker? Can he
be someone in the slot that's amatchup nightmare? Can he be Chase Garber's
number one target? I look forwardto him and then at tight end because
they're gonna play with tight ends.Right. They've got this new offense,
brand new offensive coordinator. They onlygot four practices in but they'll be under
(18:26):
center. I think you'll see thetight ends play fullback. They'll they'll move
all over the place, they'll shiftin motioning it to death. So I
don't I don't know who's going tobe, but I know it needs to
be somebody, and they need tobe a threat on third down, like
when they play their opener against youdub If Washington just plays man a man
coverage, which they did last year. If Arizona State Week two just plays
(18:48):
man a man coverage, which there'san element of them that does that,
and their receivers can't beat the likesof Chase Lucas and Jack Jack Jones kelcent
Troll, you know they're not goingto be the team that you know they
got the capable to be in whichis a North champion. So that's what
it comes down to. And Ithink it's fun for that receiving group because
they've heard it. They've heard itfor years now. So who elevates and
(19:11):
if they can score and they gottwo big tests off the bat, if
they start off two and oh likelook out like Circle December fifth as a
big game against Oregon, let aloneof course the big game the week before
that, but they'll be a legitcontender if they can kick this thing off
to and oh yeah, they've gotsome fun matchups. Their schedule shapes up
well. And I think you knowI alluded to to it at the end
of Justin's interview, but there hasbeen palpable growth in each of his first
(19:34):
three years. They went from justmissing being bellligible his first year to becoming
bligible losing, to then his thirdyear becoming buligible and actually winning a bowl
game. So every single year therehas been a tangible level of progress and
that that's meaningful to the guys inthat locker room, I know, And
obviously it would be huge if theycould take the next big step this year
(19:55):
not only become belliligible, but maybehey, take the Pack twelve North twenty
twenty. Ever know what is goingto happen. Jimmy Lake, by the
way, highly complimentary of Justin Wilcoxin this COW program and the interview we
did with him, So a reminderyou can listen to that one as well
as every single interview we've done withall twelve coaches. You can catch those
right here on the PAC twelve Perspectivepodcast or on PAC dashtwelve dot com,
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