Justin Wilcox ‘disappointed’ to see Mendoza leave; Cal QB for LA Bowl Uncertain

Justin Wilcox ‘disappointed’ to see Mendoza leave; Cal QB for LA Bowl Uncertain

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said he was “disappointed” about it Fernando Mendoza’s decision to enter the transfer portal and said Cal did everything it could to keep him. Wilcox’s comments on this matter are noted later in this report. But now Wilcox must turn his attention to figuring out who the Bears’ starting quarterback will be in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18 against UNLV.

The quarterback decision is complicated by the fact that not only is Mendoza out of the game, but his backup, Chandler Rogers, has not yet fully recovered from an injury he suffered in the final game of the regular season against SMU , and is questionable for the LA Bowl.

Right now, it looks like either redshirt sophomore CJ Harris, who played briefly against SMU, and true freshman EJ Caminong will be vying to be the starter against the Rebels. Caminong did not throw a pass as a college player, while Harris’ only passes were thrown in the game against SMU. He was 6 of 11 for 75 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception in that game after replacing Rogers when Rogers was injured.

“Right now, CJ and EJ are taking over the majority of representation,” Wilcox said Wednesday. “Chandler is day to day so we’ll see how he goes tomorrow. He did a little bit more today (Wednesday) and threw the ball.”

The other question is who will call the offensive plays for Cal’s quarterback. It won’t be Bryan Harsin, who was named the Bears’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach this week, and apparently it won’t be Mike Bloesch, who was Cal’s offensive coordinator last season before being replaced at that position by Harsin.

Wilcox said game calling is a “collective effort” and that it probably isn’t the most efficient way to manage a game plan.

Cal will be in a similar situation to UNLV, which lost head coach Barry Odom, who left to take the head coaching job at Purdue. Rebels offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is still on the UNLV staff and is being considered for the head coaching job. He could also follow Odom to Purdue to become the Boilermakers’ offensive coordinator. UNLV’s interim head coach for the LA Bowl is Del Alexander.

Questions remain about Cal’s coaching staff, particularly whether Bloesch will remain the Bears’ offensive line coach and what will happen to quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert after Harsin is named quarterbacks coach. Wilcox declined to reveal what other changes will be made to the coaching staff.

Other than Rogers, Cal appears to be remarkably healthy. Inside linebacker Cade Uluave and the Bears’ leading rusher running back Jaivian Thomas, both of whom missed the SMU game due to injuries, are expected to play in the LA Bowl. The offensive line also appears to be relatively healthy, with guard Sioape Vatikani also expected to return.

However, Mendoza’s absence will be difficult to cope with. Wilcox declined to comment on the discussion he had with Mendoza before the redshirt sophomore quarterback made his decision, but the head coach responded when asked if he was surprised by Mendoza’s decision to leave be.

“Surprised? “Disappointed for sure,” Wilcox said in the video accompanying this report. “I don’t think anything surprises me anymore in college football.

“We did our best to support and promote Fernando. We did everything we could to keep him and as I mentioned, these guys have tough decisions to make. I feel for the players at that time because there is a lot going on. It’s very, very complicated.

Wilcox was asked how confident he was that Cal would be able to attract and retain top talent given the deep financial resources of college football programs, as revenue sharing and direct pay to the college’s players are expected to be in will come into play next season.

“Very,” Wilcox said. “Very confident.”

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