Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Cal Football: Justin Wilcox Raves About Bears' Four Team Captains
Cal named four team captains for the season this week, and coach Justin Wilcox was as pleased with the process as he was by the outcome.
Players vote for their teammates at Cal and there’s no two-party system, no gerrymandering of the votes. We didn’t need to wait for CNN to project a winner. Nor did we have to wonder if someone who didn’t make the cut might appeal through the courts.
This was clean and straight forward and the four captains chosen by their peers were seniors Michael Saffell, Camryn Bynum and Kuony Deng and junior Chase Garbers.
Wilcox said it was hardly a landslide, noting the large number of other players who received “significant” votes.
“More so than any other team we’ve had in the past few years,” he said. “And that’s a good thing because there’s recognized leadership in the locker room from a number of people.”
Here are Wilcox’s comments on each of the Bears' captains:
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— Camryn Bynum, cornerback: A second-team All-Pac-12 selection last fall, Bynum has started the past 38 games for the Bears. This is his second season as a team captain.
Bynum opted out to prepare for the NFL draft late this summer after the Pac-12 postponed the fall season, then returned when the conference reinstated the schedule.
Wilcox called him “a great example for young guys in our program.”
“An incredibly steady performer. You always know what you’re going to get, not only on the field but off the field,” Wilcox said. “When it comes to meetings, how he’s living his life off the field. He is a very mature guy.”
— Kuony Deng, inside linebacker: A transfer to Cal from Independence (KS) Community College before the 2019 season, Deng collected 119 tackles in his debut season with the Bears. And Wilcox suggested, “I think he’s still scratching the surface.”
“As you know he was a junior college transfer (in 2019) and to be voted captain after a limited amount of time here says a lot about him and who he is,” Wilcox said. “He’s an incredibly intelligent guy, very mature. Knows what he wants to do on the football field, academically and personally. He’s a man on a mission and it’s noticed by everyone.”
— Chase Garbers, quarterback: The redshirt junior has started 19 games and the Bears are 13-6 when he’s at the helm. Played his best late last season, leading Cal to victories over Stanford, UCLA and Illinois at the Redbox Bowl.
“It’s always great when your quarterback is viewed that way. I think that helps everything,” Wilcox said. “Chase has played a ton for us and still only a junior. I think he’s continuing to get better and better. He hasn’t reached his ceiling yet. It’s been fun to watch him take on this new offense.”
— Michael Saffell, center: Saffell has played 24 games for the Bears since arriving in 2017, with 19 starts. Having overcome injuries each of the past two seasons, Saffell is a preseason candidate for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top center.
“Outstanding football player. A great leader for us. Extremely hard worker,” Wilcox said. “Has been through some injuries in the past. And then just how he represents himself and our team outside of football is really impressive.”
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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
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