Cal Football: Defensive Grades for 2024

If there’s one thing that Justin Wilcox does pretty well, it’s building a legit defense. The 2024 season was no different, as Cal Football ranked 36th in the nation in total defense. That isn’t that great, but when you consider injuries and the lack of production from the offense at times, it doesn’t tell the whole story. From forcing turnovers to being top 20 in the nation in third-down conversions, it’s fair to say that the defense as a whole carried the team for most of the season with a few games being the exception. I break down my grade for each position group below.

Cal Football Defensive Grades

Defensive Line – B-

Having a good defensive line makes it much easier for the rest of the defense to do their jobs. Getting pressure on the quarterback, stuffing gaps, and getting your hands up are the traits of a good defensive line. Like most defensive lines, Cal utilized a hefty rotation of players. This season, the main defensive tackles for the Bears included Aidan Keanaaina, TJ Bollers, Nate Burrell, Ricky Correia, Stanley Saole-McKenzie, and Derek Wilkins. This unit went up against some pretty good offensive lines throughout the season but never looked overmatched. Keanaaina, Burrell, and Bollers were the most productive out of the bunch, accumulating five sacks and eight and a half tackles for loss between the three of them. The defensive line was a sturdy group, but their lack of interior pressure hurt the Bears’ secondary at times.

Outside Linebackers/Edge Rushers – B

As an outside linebacker, the name of the game is to rush the quarterback and maintain containment on run plays. Cal’s best pass rushers were Xavier Carlton and David Reese, although the impact that Ryan McCullouch had shouldn’t go unnoticed. The three outside linebackers accumulated 16.5 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, while Carlton accounted for a majority of the sacks. Cheikhsaliou Fall also provided some juice off the edge when McCulloch went down with an injury. All of these guys can generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but their lack of creating turnovers was an issue. At times, their inability to generate pressure left the secondary to get picked apart. It was a solid group, but they definitely left meat on the bone.

Inside Linebackers – A

Watching Teddye Buchanan and Cade Uluave fly sideline to sideline was an otherworldly experience for Bears fans. Between the two of them, they stuffed the stat sheet every game. The two combined for 185 total tackles, five and a half sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. Unfortunately, Uluave was sidelined for a handful of games due to injury, but the backup linebackers Hunter Barth and Liam Johnson made the most out of their opportunities. The Bears played against some prolific offenses this past season, but they were never dragged up and down the field, and a lot of that has to do with how this unit played in particular. There’s always room for improvement, but this was the best Cal linebacker unit in recent memory.

Cornerbacks – A-

There’s a reason why Nohl Williams was named as a consensus All-American this season. He had one of the best, if not the best, performance by a Cal cornerback ever this past season. His resume certainly speaks for itself. The other cornerback, Marcus Harris, was pretty good, too. The two were a major reason why Cal had success in forcing turnovers during the season. Williams and Harris combined for nine interceptions and one forced fumble. Cal fans will have the pleasure of watching each player on Sundays next season. The other cornerbacks that Cal ran out there consisted of Cam Sidney, Matthew Littlejohn, Lu-Magia Hearns III, Isaiah Crosby, and Ja’ir Smith. This group played well collectively for most of the season. There were times they got sliced and diced, but overall, they were a great group.

Safeties – B+

The safety position for Cal Football this year was headlined by Craig Woodson. Plain and simple, the veteran safety finished his final season with the Bears in outstanding fashion. He had 70 total tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass deflections. To be a good safety, not only do you have to be great in coverage, but also willing to come up and make a tackle. Woodson did just that all season and that’s why he was named to the Third Team All-ACC. The other safety, Myles Williams, who also spent his entire career at Cal, had one interception and one fumble recovery that he took to the house against Wake Forest. This dynamic duo exemplified toughness and what it means to be a California Golden Bear. Sophomore Ryan Yaites also got playing time this season and was impressive in the limited action he saw.

Overall grade – B

This grade would have been higher if not for the lack of offense for the Bears. At times, you could tell the defense was gassed towards the end of the game. Cal struggled in the first half on offense in a lot of games early on, and that left the defense on the football field too long and too early. The Bears’ defense for the most part held their own though while playing against a lot of high-powered offenses and players. You would hope with the amount of guys who are going to the draft from this defense that they would have been a tad bit better, but there are multiple reasons why that didn’t happen.

As mentioned earlier, the defense did carry this team for a majority of the season, and the reason why they were in so many tight ball games. This Bears defense was excellent at times, but there were little lapses here and there that made it more difficult than it needed to be. Still, Cal fans should be happy with what they saw. With so many players declaring for the draft from that side of the ball, Justin Wilcox has to fill some pretty big holes.