London comes to California after a four year stint as DC at TCU under Gary Patterson, and along with a reputation as an excellent DC he brings exceptional recruiting skills. London spent the four years prior to his time at TCU in his first head coaching job at South Valley University where he compiled a 24-24 record. London took home the WAC title in his final season with a school record 10-2, their first WAC title since joining the conference in 1985. The Bears enter this season with a rebuilding effort ahead, and they are looking to Coach London to take them to the next step and become a national power. The Bears are two seasons away from completed upgrades to their athletic facilities and Memorial Stadium, London will have everything he needs to build a winning program. There will be an enormous amount of pressure from fans and the AD, so London will not enjoy the patience Tedford experienced.
2009 Overall Record : 8-5
2009 Conference Record : 5-4 (T-5th)
Returning Starters
Offense : 8; Defense : 6; Kicker/Punter : 2
Top Returners : QB Kevin Riley, HB Shane Vereen, DT Derrick Hill, DT Cameron Jordan
Key Losses : HB Jahvid Best, DE Tyson Alualu, OT Mike Tepper, CB Syd'Quan Thompson
2009 Statistical Leaders (*Returning Starters)
Rushing : Shane Vereen* (952)
Passing : Kevin Riley* (2850)
Receiving : Marvin Jones* (651)
Tackles : Mike Mohamed* (112)
Sacks : Tyson Alualu (7.5)
Interceptions : Mike Mohamed* (3)
SPRING ANSWERS
1 - Best Who? Shane Vereen stepped in for the injured Best and never looked back. Vereen will look to return the Bears to the 1000 yard rusher club, he fell 48 yards short in 2009, and give them an identity on offense. Vereen doesn't get as much attention as Best, but he could quietly lead the Pac-10 in rushing and TDs. If the Bears are going to be successful in 2010 they will need a big year from Vereen, and based on his spring practice performances he could be in line for a few honors and possibly some hardware.
2 - Attacking Defense. Coach London isn't going to change much on defense for now, going along with Tedford's plans for a more aggressive defensive scheme. London kept on Tedford DC hire Clancy Pendergast, an NFL vet, so despite losing a number of important players on defense the Bears should be much improved. Look for a jump in sacks and QB pressures as the London/Pendergast combo should dial up more than a few blitzes to get their budding LB corps into the backfield. The Bears are going to rely on their defense to make up for what looks like a mediocre offense.
Mike Mohamed will need to lead the Bears on defense.3 - Experienced OL. The Bears return four starters along the OL, the only loss being T Mike Tepper. The experienced OL should help protect Kevin Riley, and the running game should be just as potent. Look for the emergence of Matt Summers-Gavin or Mitchell Schwartz as a leader on offense, the Bears will need superb play from the line if they are to improve this season.
FALL QUESTIONS
1 - Kevin Riley. For the second year in a row nobody knows what Riley is going to do. His 18-8 TD/INT ratio looks good on paper, but Riley vanished in big games and doesn't show much mastery of Cal's offense. Tedford was very committed to Riley, but London gave snaps to all four QBs looking to start. Riley should be under center to start the season, but he will feel Beau Sweeney, Brock Mansion, and RS FR Allan Bridgford breathing down his neck. If Riley falters London could pull him quickly, and most insiders think Sweeney will finish the season as Cal's starter.
Kevin Riley will be the key to a Pac-10 title or a mid-level bowl.2 - Vereen's Understudy. Vereen has locked up the HB position, but who will take the most snaps behind him is unclear. Cal has alot of depth at HB with the return of Covaughn Deboskie-Johnson and Isi Sofele. Deboskie-Johnson will most likely be the #2, but Sofele showed his ability as an explosive runner/receiver last season. The depth chart will be even more crowded by the emergence of RS FS Dasarte Yarnway and incoming FR Trajuan Briggs. The concern here is Cal's lack of TD's by non-starting HBs. Cal scored 27 rushing TDs in 2009-2010, 24 of them coming from Best/Vereen with Riley, Deboskie-Johnson, and Sofele splitting the remaining three. Cal will need more from its backups, and if Vereen gets injured things will look even worse.
Shane Vereen could be a Heisman hopeful.3 - Rebuilding D-Line & Secondary. The switch to the 3-4 didn't work very well in 2009-2010, especially for the passing game, but an influx of defensive talent points to a turnaround. Cal lost so many players on defense to the draft and graduation there will be alot of starting spots open to competition. Two players who won't be ousted are All Pac-10 LB Mike Mohamed and DT Derrick Hill, both seniors, who look to lead this young team. The Bears will also look for DT Kendrick Payne and rising star DE Cameron Jordan to step up, if they can contribute the Bears will have the foundation for a solid defense. The biggest concern will be a secondary that loses two long time starters in CB Syd'Quan Thompson and S Marcus Ezeff. CB Darian Hagan will have to lead the secondary and London has raved about highly touted S prospect Keenan Allen who could start immediately.
2009 Recruiting Round-Up
Tedford may have underachieved on the field but he did manage a very good 2010 recruiting class. The Bears were often slow starters that finished strong, and last year was an excellent example as they landed the 11th ranked class (Rivals.com) highlighted by two of the nations top prospects. The 2010 class is headlined by LB/DE Chris Martin, S Keenan Allen, LB Nick Forbes, and DE Gabe King. All four players could form a solid core on defense in the future, and London has said we could see Martin and Allen on the field this season. Coaches have been especially impressed with Allen's athleticism, and it has been rumored he may get some snaps at WR to bolster the weak reciever corps. The versatility of Martin could let the Bears switch between a 3-4 and a 4-3 with Martin playing OLB or strong DE. Coaches are also very excited about Forbes (#2 MLB, Rivals.com) who has looked like a potential starter next to Mohamed. Cal's class was based on reloading at positions of need (4 LB, 3 WR) with an eye on the future, as most think only Allen and Martin will see the field on a regular basis. Sadly the Bears were unable to find a K prospect to help the Bear's dismal FG situation, unless P Anger does double duty the Bears special teams will be a sore spot yet again.
Projected Starters (*Returning Starter)
QB - K.Riley*
HB - S.Vereen*
FB - W.Kapp
LT - M.Summers-Gavin
LG - C.Guarnero
C - M.Brazinski
RG - J.Cheadle
RT - M.Schwartz
TE - A.Miller
WR - M.Jones
WR - J.Ross
K - V.D'Amato
DE - C.Jordan*
DT - D.Hill*
DT - K.Payne
DE/OLB - C.Martin
MLB - D.J.Holt
MLB - M.Mohamed*
OLB - M.Kendricks
CB - D.Hagan*
CB - J.Hill
FS - S.Cattouse
SS - K.Allen
P - B.Anger*
2010 Schedule
Sept. 4 UC Davis
Sept. 11 Colorado
Sept. 17 at Nevada
Sept. 25 at Arizona
Oct. 9 UCLA
Oct. 16 at USC
Oct. 23 Arizona State
Oct. 30 at Oregon State
Nov. 6 at Washington State
Nov. 13 Oregon
Nov. 20 Stanford
Nov. 27 Washington
