Zach Kline the Oregon State Beaver: Not quite what we expected

NOTE: All of these responses were written before the news came out that Sonny did not in fact sign off on the Oregon State move...

Vlad Belo: I'm happy for Zach that the door is open for him to have a chance to be a starting quarterback. But I am sad that he is leaving Cal. He has a wonderful personality and he was a true Bear through and through. That said, and I know I'm probably in the minority in this, but I wouldn't have allowed an intraconference transfer. Coach Dykes is a better man than I in that regard.

Leland Wong: Personally, this is a lose-lose situation. Kline is a Bear, so I do want to see him succeed. However, it's gonna suck if he does well while staying within the Pac-12 North, especially because I wanted to see him get a start with a full week of first-team reps (let's rehash this conversation!). Even if he lost every game against Cal, it would still sting a bit to see him succeed.

TwistNHook: If Dykes hadn't allowed this transfer, I think that would have been in bad taste. We may have never known, but if Dykes isn't going to give him the shot at Cal (rightly or wrongly), he shouldn't stand in the way of Kline's success elsewhere. Yes, that success may come at the expense of Cal. If Kline is who Dykes thinks he is, then Dykes won't have anything to worry about, right??

Ruey Yen: I am fine with Kline staying in the Pac by going to Oregon State. That is a much better institution than a Boise State. By the time when he may have won the OSU starter role in 2015, I don't anticipate the Bears to have improved that much (particularly defensively given the slowness in a potential change in the coaching staff) by that point that we would definitely beat anyone (I would hope for at least a 6-6 season and a mediocre bowl for 2015). That game could be a fun shootout between Kline and Goff (but I would probably bet on Luke Rubenzer being the Cal starter by then), running very different offensive systems.

LeonPowe: I would've rather he went to a non-Pac-12 school, but I wish him well and at the end of the day, he's gotta do what is right for him and not be beholden to anyone. He doesn't owe Cal fans anything, so if OSU is the right place for him, then great. He seems like a great kid - hope things work out, except for against Cal.

Berkelium97: That's very classy of Dykes to allow him to transfer to a team that is not only in the Pac-12, but in our own division. I would rather have seen him transfer outside the conference. If he wins the job at OSU, there's a chance he could lead the Beavs to a victory over us. That would be a pretty embarrassing blow to the coaches (assuming they're still around when this hypothetical situation takes place).

Mike Riley's offense is a much better fit for Kline, so he could thrive. He has had an excellent track record with recent QBs, which makes OSU a good destination for Kline. Although he is no longer a Bear, I'll still be rooting for him. He was a great ambassador for the program during the post-Tosh upheaval. That kind of character and leadership is hard to find.

Sam Fielder: I hate it. Zach was someone that stuck with Cal in the midst of a ton of turmoil and never was anything than a through and through Golden Bear. I'll always root for him to succeed and I really hope he's happy at OSU. It just makes me a little sad since he seemed like he loved Cal and Berkeley so much and also seemed like such a great fit in the campus and community, but sometimes life works out that way, so I definitely wish him nothing but the best as he moves on. And kudos to Sonny for letting him transfer in conference. It was the right move, even if it comes back to bite us.

JahvidKnowsBest: Classy move on Dykes' part in allowing Zach to transfer within the conference, and within the division for that matter. I really don't know what the standard is on coaches doing this. Is this considered pretty unusual? Anyway, unfortunately, I could also see this coming back to hurt Cal in the future. Oregon State will be a place where Kline will be instantly comfortable, in that he will get to run the prostyle offense that he ran in high school. I also think he'll be able to compete for the starting job once he is eligible, and could have some real success in the Beaver's offense. I don't think you can judge Kline's ability on the few moments we saw him this year. Given an entire season as a starter, in an offense he feels comfortable in, I could see him being a force.

I was also surprised that he chose Oregon State of all school in the PAC 12 to go to, but he must have his compelling reasons. Seems like a recruit of that caliber could get a spot on most Pac 12 teams, in my opinion.

Charley Lu: From everything I've read and learned about him, Zach is true blue. He seems like a fun-loving kid with great personality [1][2]. It's a shame things didn't work out under Sonny. Plenty of Bay Area transplants have flourished in Corvallis. I hope Zach takes the world by storm and show his true worth after sitting out 2014.

Our BearRaid commander is clearly Jared Goff for the next couple of years. I am keeping my fingers crossed that boosters have the patience long-term so Sonny can show improvement similar to Duke's trajectory under David Cutcliffe.