CAL’S WEAVER EARNS TOP HONORS IN PAC-12
Bears standout named conference’s DPOY; offensive coordinator taking Cal Poly job
The leader of Cal’s standout defense was recognized Tuesday as the Pac-12’s top player on the defensive side of the ball.
The conference named Evan Weaver, the Bears’ tackling machine/inside linebacker, its Defensive Player of the Year, as voted by the league’s coaches.
Weaver led the conference and the nation in solo tackles (95) and total tackles (173) during the Bears’ 7-5 campaign, including three games of more than 20 tackles— Cal’s win at Ole Miss and losses to No. 12 Utah and Oregon
State. It was his second straight season of leading NCAA Division I in tackles after he racked up 159 stops last season.
“Evan loves football as much or more than anyone I’ve ever coached,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said via a team release.
Weaver was a finalist for the Butkus Award honoring the na
tion’s top linebacker, but that award went to Isaiah Simmons of Clemson.
Joining Weaver among Pac-12 honorees were second-team all-league selections cornerback Camryn Bynum and safety Ashtyn Davis. Offensive lineman Jake Curhan, linnebackers Kuony Deng and Cameron Good, safety Jaylinn Hawkins and defensive lineman Zeandae Johnson were named honorable mentions.
Weaver will play his final game with the Bears in the RedBox Bowl against Illinois Dec. 30 at Levi’s Stadium. He’ll also represent Cal in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 25 as the nation’s top seniors face off and showcase their talents for NFL coaches one last time.
ALL-PAC-12 HIGHLIGHTS >> Utah’s Zack Moss earned Offensive Player of the Year, while USC quarterback Kedon Slovis was named the Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Utah’s Kyle Whittingham earned Coach of the Year, while Oregon’s Kayvon Thibedeaux was Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
STANFORD HAS 8 RECOGNIZED >> Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo highlighted a list of eight Stanford players who earned All-Pac-12 honors. Adebo was a firstteam selection, while junior center Drew Dalman, junior tight end Colby Parkinson and fifth-year outside linebacker Casey Toohill earned second-team recognition.
Sophomore defensive end Thomas Booker, senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson, junior right tackle Foster Sarell and junior kick returner Connor Wedington earned honorable mention.
BALDWIN A MUSTANG? >> Cal could have a new offensive coordinator by the time the Bears take the field for the Redbox Bowl.
Or at least, they will be in need of a new coordinator.
Playcaller Beau Baldwin is reportedly the new head coach at Cal Poly.
Football Scoop broke the news Monday that Baldwin was headed to the Mustangs “barring a late-stage break down in talks.”
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura confirmed the move Tuesday, noting that Baldwin will be introduced Wednesday.
Baldwin’s tenure in Berkeley has been uneven, with the Bears struggling to generate high-level offense to matched their stout defense.
Issues with personnel and injuries have contributed to the three years of tepid production under Baldwin’s watch.
Baldwin, who was the head coach at Eastern Washington before joining Justin Wilcox’s staff in 2017, could remain with the Bears through the bowl game.
If he departs prior to the Dec. 30 kickoff, Wilcox would likely promote an assistant to the role of interim coordinator. MERCHANDISE MISHAP >> Much to the amusement of folks at Cal and on Twitter, T-shirts and other items promoting the Redbox Bowl were being offered online with the glaring mistake: Cal being referred to as “Cal State.”
Cal’s star linebacker Evan Weaver showed off online skills by tweeting: “Do it for State!’ along with a “Cal State” hashtag.
A closer look at the Tshirts reveals more mistakes than simply linking Cal with the 23 other state colleges in California. Logos used for both Cal and Illinois were outdated. Worse yet, Redbox’s vendor went ahead with production of the gear despite Cal’s athletics department flagging the mistakes.
The vendor finally did take down all links to the mistake-ridden merchandise. But not before the funny folks at CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com took some shots, including intentionally misidentifying Redbox nine times.