Cal Outside Linebacker David Reese Brings the Energy

His coaches and teammates says the one-time Florida Gator has become a leader on Cal's defense

David Reese strips the ball from WSU quarterback Cam Ward. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Outside linebacker David Reese spent five years at the University of Florida. He earned his degree in education sciences but injuries limited him to just 20 games, in which he totaled nine tackles. Never had a tackle for loss. Never had a sack.

Reese transferred to Cal before for the 2023 season and it took him more than half a season to find his footing. He recorded his first career sack in Week 2 against Auburn, but the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder didn’t make much noise again until November.

Then, with the Bears needing victories in their final three regular-season games to secure bowl eligibility, Reese blossomed.

He had six tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in Cal’s 42-39 win over Washington State. Then three tackles, a half sack and another pass breakup in a 27-15 victory over Stanford.

And finally, four tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble to earn Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week honors as the Bears routed UCLA 33-7.

The experience has allowed Reese to answer the question whether confidence leads to performance or performance creates confidence.

“My history with not playing and (now) being able to get out on the field . . . It’s different from when you say you can do something rather than actually going and doing it,” Reese said early in fall camp. “My confidence is where I want it to be at.”

Healthy and comfortable in the Bears’ defensive scheme, Reese said he was simply ready to make a difference.

“I was just coming into my own,” he said. "I wanted to make the most of every opportunity and I feel I did that.”

Now, beginning his seventh year of college football, Reese knows what he can do, and that has allowed him to flourish as a team leader.

Inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who transferred to Cal last spring after four seasons at UC Davis, talks in the video at the top of this story about how Reese has been a great model for his teammates.

“David is an amazing leader. He’s a veteran guy. Just the energy he brings every day is huge for us,” Buchanan said after the Bears’ scrimmage on Saturday. “I told him today that I appreciate the energy he brings just because it’s so consistent and that’s what we need as a defense. Energy and being able to feed off each other.”

Coach Justin Wilcox is expecting big things from Reese, who had 5.5 of his 6.5 sacks last year over the final month of the schedule. 

He appreciates what Reese brings to practice on a daily basis.

“Reese is a really competitive dude. He brings that every day,” Wilcox said. “He’s a vocal guy. He’s an Alpha — that’s his mentality. I love the energy he brings to practice. He does it every single day.”

Since last spring, Reese said his goal has been to help bring his teammates together as a tight, cohesive unit. Things will inevitably go awry at times, he knows, but a close team can weather those ups and downs.

“It really comes down to knowing I’ve got my teammate’s back and he’s got my back,” he said. “Everybody sets out to win but not everybody always wins. So really just becoming a true team, molding and jelling together so we have each other’s back.”

The Bears open their season a week from Saturday (Aug. 31) at home against UC Davis. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza said he values what Reese brings on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

“Reese is a fantastic leader and he’s going to have a great career past Cal,” Mendoza said. “He’s been great for our defense — a sparkplug for our mentality.”