Ott, others held out of fan-friendly spring showcase
BERKELEY >> The Cal football spring showcase turned out to be a showcase for the Bears' top two quarterbacks and a handful of starters mixed in with lesser-known players.
Cal held out 25 players, including star running back Jadyn Ott, from its spring game on a sunny Saturday afternoon in front of an estimated crowd of 2,500 fans at Memorial Stadium. Others kept on the sidelines for cautionary reasons included defensive starters Cade Uluave, Craig Woodson, Marcus Harris, David Reese and Xavier Carlton.
The two-hour event, televised by the Pac-12 Network, was as much as anything a fan experience. Cal accepted children's book donations to its summer reading program and players signed autographs afterward.
Recruits, including those in the transfer portal, also watched from the sidelines.
The Bears, headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall after more than a century in the Pac-12, expect to add several more players, including perhaps help at outside linebacker and offensive line. A third scholarship quarterback also may be on the transfer portal shopping list.
The QB competition this spring has involved redshirt sophomore incumbent Fernando Mendoza dueling newcomer Chandler Rogers. Mendoza is listed as the starter and nothing that happened in 15 spring practices changed that.
“Both of those guys have done a really good job this spring,” said Cal coach said Justin Wilcox, who declined to provide a timetable for firming up the pecking order. “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.”
On Saturday, 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 passed for 3,382 yards with 29 touchdowns last fall at North Texas, was 4 for 10 for 29 yards with an interception.