Twenty-two. That’s the number of positions Cal coach Sonny Dykes said are unsettled after the third day of practice. The entire roster is up in the air.
And nowhere is the position more up in the air than quarterback.
Austin Hinder began the day and immediately threw an interception to Jalen Jefferson. Ouch.
“Very first play — I loved it,” Jefferson said of his interception. “I almost had three today.”
Hinder probably didn’t love it quite as much.
The interception didn’t rattle Hinder, as he came back to make some tough throws later in the practice. Unfortunately, he threw another pick later in the day. Though his performance wasn’t bad by any stretch outside of those two interceptions, they put a damper on his day and definitely did not help him in the race.
Zach Kline also had two picks throughout the day, breaking his goal of having no turnovers throughout camp on just the third day. But Kline was able to make some other big throws, including several that were threaded between tight defensive coverage.
“Kline is showing off his arm strength, and he’s also showing touch on his pass,” said wide receiver Bryce Treggs. “That’s something I feel he didn’t have in the spring.”
Jared Goff, meanwhile, easily had his best day of camp and hit Chris Harper and Bryce Treggs on some downfield throws. The true freshman also showed off his running ability when he scrambled for about a 10-yard gain during 11-on-11s.
“Today was probably Goff’s best day,” Dykes said. “He looked more comfortable today than he did the other two days.”
Dykes also had words of praise for Hinder and Kline too, so don’t think that the race is any closer to its conclusion because of Goff’s performance.
Meanwhile, on defensive, it was Jalen Jefferson’s turn to shine. He had the aforementioned pick from Hinder and generally seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
“He is just playing so fast right now,” Dykes said about Jefferson, whom he named as one of the players that stood out to him.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was Bryce Treggs’ show. The sophomore receiver caught several deep balls and was constantly breaking away from defensive backs.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Treggs said. “I do want to be a game changer.”
Chris Harper, the other star receiver on the squad, also made some big plays. He had a one-handed diving catch in the corner of the end zone that drew cheers from the crowd of about 50 people at the practice.
Meanwhile, two skirmishes that broke out between the offense and the defense put a damper on the practice. One happened during offensive and defensive line drills, and the other occurred during 11-on-11s. This is the third in three days — including one that broke out on Monday.
It’s unclear who started both, but Dykes is not worried about them yet, because the skirmishes — which haven’t been serious enough to call full-blown fights — prove that the players care.
“I’ve been places where I was begging them to fight,” he said. “No one was competitive enough to fight.”
Contact Riley McAtee at [email protected]