Cal’s Jaydn Ott, Jeremiah Earby Midseason Freshman All-Americans
Two Cal players were named to the On3 2022 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team, which was announced on Tuesday.
Running back Jaydn Ott, who is second in the Pac-12 in rushing, was named to the team as an all-purpose offensive player, and Jeremiah Earby was named at one of the two cornerback positions on this freshman All-America squad.
Only 23 players were named to this true freshman squad, so it consisted of first-team selections only.
Cal was one of five schools with two players named to this squad, joining Kentucky, Alabama, Penn State and Texas A&M, while LSU was the only team with three freshmen named to this midseason squad.
Ott and Earby were two of four true freshmen who were in the Golden Bears' starting lineup in their most recent game against Washington state. Defensive lineman Nate Burrell and offensive guard Sioape Vatikani were the other two.
Ott is averaging 106.6 rushing yards per game, and that ranks 14th in the country and first among true freshmen. His 7.3 yards per carry ranks sixth in the nation and second among true freshmen.
Ott's 274 rushing yards against Arizona were the most in a game by any back in the country this season until Pittsburgh's Israel Abanikanda rushed for 320 yards this past weekend.
Here is what On3 said about Ott:
While there are several other true freshman running backs who drew heavy consideration for this team, Jaydn Ott seems like an obvious choice. The Norco (Calif.) High product has emerged as one of Cal’s top skill players through five games. Ott has rushed for 533 yards and five touchdowns on 53 carries (7.3 yards per carry). He’s also proven to be a dangerous target in the passing game, catching 16 passes for 103 yards and two more touchdowns. The 6-foot, 205-pounder had a breakout game in Cal’s week four win over Arizona, rushing for 274 yards and three touchdowns. His 127.2 yards from scrimmage per game is currently second in the Pac-12.
Ott was an On3 Consensus four-star prospect and ranked as the top prospect in Cal’s 2022 rcruiting class.
Earby made his first career start in the Oct. 1 loss to Washington State, but he leads the team in pass-breakups with three to go along with one interception.
Here is what On3 said about Earby:
Jeremiah Earby has earned a starting job in Justin Wilcox’s Cal defense. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has been a pleasant surprise after making the transition to a full-time corner after playing both ways in high school. Earby has shown good ball skills in coverage, coming down with an interception and breaking up two passes thus far. He’s allowed six catches for 92 yards on 14 targets, per Pro Football Focus.
The tall corner is a Bay Area product, starring at East Palo Alto (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton before making his way over to Berkeley. Earby ranked as a three-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus.
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Jack Plummer Ready to Go
Cal quarterback Jack Plummer, who was replaced late in the game against Washington State when he appeared to injure his leg, said he is ready to go for this week's game against Colorado.late in the game against Washington State.
Head coach Justin Wilcox said last week he expected Plummer to be ready to start this week's game against winless Colorado, which has an interim head coach (Mike Sanford) after Karl Dorrell was fired last week.
Plummer said he probably could have played this past weekend if Cal had had a game scheduled. Cal and Colorado both had bays this past weekend.
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Calhoun, Mangum Out for the Season
Redshirt freshman Akili Calhoun and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Mason Mangum will miss the rest of the season because of undisclosed injuries, head coach Justin Wilcox announced Tuesday.
Neither had started a game this season, but Calhoun played in four games, and Mangum saw action in three games before getting hurt. Mangum caught one pass for 31 yards this season, while Calhoun recorded three tackles.
