Healthy Again, Cal's Mavin Anderson Expecting `Biggest Smile Ever'

The redshirt junior can't wait for the Bears' season-opening game vs. UC Davis

Mavin Anderson / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The wait ends this afternoon for Cal fans eager to see their football team make its season debut against UC Davis at Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. and no one is more excited than redshirt junior wide receiver Mavin Anderson.

He promises to wear “the biggest smile ever” as he takes the field.

“Super excited. I feel like we’re all on the same page as far as we want to see somebody else other than our own guys across from us,” Anderson said.

Anderson caught 37 passes as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and had big expectations for last season.

“I thought I was going to have the year,” he said.

Instead, he caught eight passes all season, limited by a groin injury that forced him to miss four games and ultimately required surgery.

In the free-flowing era of the transfer portal, Anderson admits he gave a brief offseason thought to finding a new football home. But he stayed put.

“I feel like as far as education goes, probably the best move would be to stay,” he said. “It was interesting because experiencing that and being in the midst of all of it, you realize you’ve just to got to take a step back and realize why what happened actually happened.

“I know that I’m capable of being out there and playing. I’m just not playing because I’m hurt. Once I deduced that, it was kind like OK, there’s no bad feeling between me and any of the coaches or anything like that. I’m just down right now and it is what it is.”

He’s down no longer. “It’s all about how you bounce back,” he said.

He has regained strength in his legs “way better than I would have ever expected.” And that has helped lift his confidence to what he called “an all-time high, I’m not going to lie.”

Cal coach Justin Wilcox did not announce whether it will be Fernando Mendoza or Chandler Rogers as the starting quarterback. But whichever player gets the call will have his choice of a deep group of receivers.

Transfers Tobias Merriweather (Notre Dame), Kyion Grayes (Ohio State) and Mikey Matthews (Utah) are potential starters, although Merriweather and Matthews have missed portions of fall camp with injuries, leaving their status for today a bit uncertain.

The group is good enough that Trond Grizzell, who led the Bears last season with 39 receptions, may not start against the Aggies. 

Others in the mix include returnee Mason Starling, New Mexico State transfer Jonathan Brady, redshirt freshman Nyziah Hunter and freshmen Josiah Martin and Trevor Rogers.

“We’ve just got a boatload of talent. We’ve got guys from big-time programs,” Anderson said. “We’ve got a lot of proven talent in the room this year. I feel like that’s something that’s different.”

Anderson feels great about being part of the equation. “It’s nice to be back in action, back in the rotation, for sure,” he said. “I’m looking forward to making plays, kind of keep the bus rolling.”