4. Cal College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– There’s no excuse for the Cal defense to be anything less than a killer. Head coach Justin Wilcox is a big-time defensive mind, and defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon is a good one. The D was fine, but it needs a lot of tweaking. It finished third in the Pac-12, held up reasonably well, and despite the lack of a pass rush and almost no takeaways, it wasn’t bad. It should be a whole lot better in 2021.
– 11 of the top 12 tacklers are expected to be back starting with the linebacking tandem of Kuony Deng and Cameron Goode. They’re 245-pound big hitters who can move, and they’re getting help from a veteran front line that gets almost everyone back to anchor the 3-4. Now the pass rush needs more more help outside of Goode.
– The loss of CB Camryn Bynum is the one big issue. The rest of the secondary is loaded with experience and size, starting with 6-2, 205-pound Daniel Scott and 5-11, 200-pound senior Elijah Hicks at safety. These two can pop, but the secondary needs another corner to emerge on the other side of Josh Drayden with Bynum done.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Cal Schedule Analysis