With little over a month before Cal opens the season against Northwestern, the team still does not have a starting quarterback. Right now, there are three candidates vying for the spot — Austin Hinder, Jared Goff, and Zach Kline. Each has a very different play style and would take the offense in a different direction from his competitors. When Fall camp opens on Aug. 5, look for one of these three to take the starting role.
Austin Hinder
- Redshirt junior
- Height: 6 feet, 4 inches
- Weight: 200 pounds
Austin Hinder’s strengths lie in his legs and his leadership.
He’s the most agile quarterback of the bunch and the most likely to move the chains with a well-timed scramble. In the spring game in March, he ran for 37 yards on just four carries. He’s listed as a pro-style QB, but with the way he moves on his feet, he could easily be seen as a dual-threat one.
It would make sense for Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin to make him the starter in the fall, as they have both stated that they want a quarterback who can move in the pocket and make throws on the run the way Hinder can.
It would also make sense from a leadership perspective — Hinder is the only upperclassman in the mix for the starting job. Though he doesn’t have a start under his belt, he still has the most experience out of the three.
While his throwing ability doesn’t look to be as polished as that of Kline or Goff, his other abilities may push him over the top come August.
Jared Goff
- True freshman
- Height: 6 feet, 4 inches
- Weight: 205 pounds
Jared Goff is the youngest of the three, but don’t count him out.
Goff is a true pocket passer, and during spring training his passes looked crisp and on target. While accuracy and timing are his main strengths, alo working toward Goff’s advantage is a familiarity with Dykes’ system, as he ran a similar spread-style offense in high school.
The concern with him is that as a true freshman, he may need more time to develop to compete at the college level. He may also need to put on more weight — though he is listed at 205 pounds now, he was listed at 185 pounds just a few months ago and looks much smaller in pads — making injuries a concern.
An investment in Goff would be a major investment in the future for Dykes and company. Due to his youth, it may make more sense to redshirt him and bring him out in a few years, when he has developed his game more. But if he proves to have the most talent, there is no reason to not start him now.
Zach Kline
- Redshirt junior
- Height: 6 feet, 2 inches
- Weight: 200 pounds
Zach Kline’s abilities begin and end with his arm. He’s a gunslinger in every sense of the word — able to make the big throws but not without the occasional struggles in his accuracy.
He may be the best passer of the three vying for the starting position. Kline threw for 124 yards, the most of the three in Cal football’s spring game in March.
But there are two major concerns with Kline. The first is consistency, which he has struggled with during practices and in camps. He’ll make an amazing play just to come back with an errant pass the next. But if he can solve that issue, he’ll be lethal.
His other major concern is the offensive system he is being put into. Kline was recruited by Tedford, who ran a pro-style system similar to what Kline ran in high school. Under Dykes’ spread style, things will be very different, and Kline will be forced to adjust.
But if he can adjust to the fast new system and continue to make those great throws with better consistency, he may just be the most talented of the bunch.