O-line’s Saffell steps up as leader
He sets sights on bigger role as sophomore
Never mind that Cal was facing a 4th-and-1 situation against fifth-ranked USC when Michael Saffell made his debut last season.
The Bears still opted for a play that called for him to be the lead blocker.
He pulled from his rightguard spot and knocked a linebacker clear past the numbers on the left side of the field to spring Vic Enwere for a first down.
“It was really impressive. It’s just not common,” Cal offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin said of Saffell. “It says a lot about his readiness. His body came in ready, but more than anything, he showed that he understood the system and was mentally strong enough to not worry about going up against USC veterans in his first action.”
The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder proved he could make a contribution as a true freshman, a rarity for FBS offensive linemen, and he has his sights set on establishing an even more vital role as he consistently runs with the first team as a sophomore.
The thought last season was that Saffell would be a backup center, using the year to develop and study under Addison Ooms. Injuries forced Saffell into action against USC, and by season’s end, his talent and desire had helped force him into the starting lineup.
“Part of wanting to be great is the ability to make sure you’re never satisfied,” Saffell said. “That’s kind of the mindset I’ve tried to stay in.”
As Ooms put it: “He’s like a pit bull. That dude just comes off the ball, and he’s trying to put them on the ground every time. It’s so great playing with a guy like that.”
The winner of the Clint Evans Award as the team’s most intense freshman, Saffell’s competitiveness comes out in nearly everything he does.
During Sunday’s team-wide bowling night, Saffell made sure his squad won and jokes that he “got a little chippy” in making sure he told everybody about it while the beatdown was taking place. When some of his friends told him about being accepted to a handful of extracurricular clubs last year, he took it as a challenge.
“Coming in as a true freshman, you kind of have your head in the clouds and think you can’t handle anything beyond football and academics,” he said. “But once my friends starting talking about getting into four or five clubs, I knew I needed to do something.”
Saffell, who plans to major in business administration, remembered teammate Collin Moore telling him about a group he helped found that was intersecting sports and business.
The club worked with both the A’s and the Earthquakes, with Saffell’s group focusing on the soccer team. They identified problems with attendance numbers, especially the optics of cameras catching glimpses of seats vacated by fans attracted to Avaya Stadium’s Scoreboard Bar.
After presenting their findings to the Earthquakes’ brass, Saffell found himself fistbumping members of his group.
“It felt like a win,” he said. “Eventually, you have to transition to a career away from football. But staying in sports and parlaying your football career into a business career allows you to stay competitive and maintain the team aspect.”
Saffell has a history of leading productive teams.
His squads went 36-13 with three Sunset League titles during his four years at EdisonHuntington Beach (Orange County). In his senior year, Edison averaged 404.9 yards total offense and 36.9 points per game.
He believes this year’s Cal line should be even better than the one that was the third in school history to block for both a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same year. The Bears return that entire group (seven players who combined for 60 starts), and the cohesion has been evident in camp — well beyond their off-field attire of coordinated Hawaiian shirts and Crocs.
The linemen’s understanding of each other’s games and communication has allowed the offense to operate at a steeply increased tempo, and the few times the pace has stalled during camp, Saffell has let his teammates know about it.
“He just keeps growing,” Baldwin said. “I’m excited about him, because he definitely brings a presence. He brings leadership at a young age, because of how he plays the game and the attitude he brings into practice.”