Cal Football: Five Players Whose Massive Contributions Were Unexpected

Fernando Mendoza, Trond Grizzell, Jack Endries, Cade Uluave and Mateen Bhaghani have been surprises for the Bears.

Cal’s road to bowl eligibility did not follow a script anyone could have imagined when the season began.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was a third stringer when the Bears opened at North Texas.

Freshman linebacker Cade Uluave wasn’t even listed on the two-deep flip card for that game.

Wide receiver Trond Grizzell and tight end Jack Endries, both walk-ons, were starters on opening day but Grizzell had played just one game previously and Endries was about to make his college debut at Denton, Texas.

Freshman placekicker Mateen Bhaghani, also a walk-on, had no realistic expectation of getting on the field over Michael Luckhurst, who appeared ready to take over the placekicker role.

The unexpected emergence of those five players was a significant storyline in the Bears' run to the postseason, made possible by three consecutive victories closing the regular season:

Fernando Mendoza / Photo by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

— FERNANDO MENDOZA, quarterback: After a series of uneven performances at quarterback, the Bears threw Mendoza into the starting lineup just in time for a stretch of four consecutive games against Top-25 opponents. Cal lost all four games, but Mendoza never blinked and he helped the Bears score at least 42 points in two of those.

A redshirt freshman from Miami, whose only other scholarship offer out of high school was from Penn, Mendoza has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,447 yards in seven starts and has shown poise and an understanding of the offense. He has thrown at least two touchdowns in six of his seven games, although his seven interceptions confirm the obvious — he is not a finished product.

— TROND GRIZZELL, wide receiver: A redshirt sophomore walk-on from Park City, Utah, Grizzell impressed during workouts last spring and continued to show promise in fall camp. But getting it done on games days is a different story, and Grizzell has delivered.

He saw action in one game his first two seasons, without a reception. At 6-foot-4, he has become a dependable target this fall, with 35 catches for 510 yards and five touchdowns. Grizzell was a headliner in the Bears’ 27-15 win over Stanford in the Big Game, catching seven passes for 136 yards and two TDs. His 14.6 yards per catch season mark is best on the team.

— JACK ENDRIES, tight end: Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital recently called Endries the key to Cal’s offense. He wasn't suggesting that Endries is the Bears’ best player but that because he can remain on the field as both an effective pass catcher and blocker the Bears don’t have to substitute and can maintain the quick tempo they want.

A preferred redshirt freshman walk-on from Danville, Endries has 32 receptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns after not playing in 2022. That makes him the Bears’ most productive tight end since Stephen Anderson in 2015, and Anderson was a hybrid wide receiver-tight end.

— CADE ULUAVE, inside linebacker: A true freshman from South Jordan, Utah, Uluave has emerged as a freshman All-America contender thanks to his play since All-Pac-12 senior Jackson Sirmon was injured at mid-season.

A 6-foot-1, 230-pounder, Uluave saw action in Cal’s first five games without a defensive statistic. He had four tackles vs. Oregon State after Sirmon was injured then saw his production skyrocket. Over the past six games he has 54 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries (including one for a touchdown) and 2 forced fumbles. 

His performance vs. Washington State to trigger the current three-game win streak, including the 51-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a game-saving interception just before the end zone, earned Uluave both Pac-12 defensive player of the week and freshman of the week. He won Pac-12 defensive honors again this week.

— MATEEN BHAGHANI, placekicker: Bhaghani took over after Michael Luckhurst struggled through four games, making just three of nine field goal attempts and misfiring on three of 14 PAT tries. A freshman walk-on from San Diego, Bhaghani has solidified the position with consistent performances over the past eight games.

He is 27-for-27 on PATs and 8-for-9 on field goals, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance Saturday against UCLA, when he connected on kicks of 43, 36, 32 and 20 yards. Bhaghani has made his past six field-goal attempts and his 89-percent success rate ranks second in the Pac-12.

Cover photo of Trond Grizzell (83) celebrating a touchdown with teammate Taj Davis by Kyle Terada, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo