Golden Nuggets: McIlwain is Ready to Compete

Football

• Now that he’s eligible to play after red-shirting last year, Brandon McIlwain is ready to compete for the starting job. (Also, that guy screaming from the Cal dugout at baseball games? That’s Brandon, who is red-shirting for them as well)

“Taking a year off is just a good chance to learn, and between watching Ross (Bowers) last year and from being around coach Tui,” McIlwain noted, “it’s just getting more reps. I got to get into the playbook a lot to just learn, now it’s just applying it on the field.”

For now, it comes down to a competition to earn those reps. McIlwain, who started three games during his true freshman season, has to unseat Bowers, as well as outdo both Chases (Forrest and Garbers) to make his way to the top spot.

”All the competition,” McIlwain added, “it just makes us better, we’re competitors. You saw Ross win some great close games and have some big upsets for us last year, and it’s been great. The better people that you can be around, the more that you’re going to learn, and the more that you’re going to push yourself.”

• Last Halloween, Patrick Laird paid a visit to one of his biggest fans, Patrick Sproul (yes, related) during schooltime.
• Jon Wilner says that Cal Athletics’ stock is actually up, because of the CSA report showing a more optimistic light on the program’s future.
• Scout subscription required: A Polish kicker with the last name Janikowski paid a visit to Cal recently... but he’s not Sebastian and he probably isn’t even related. Would be a cool recruit to get regardless!

Baseball

• A treat for Giants fans as JT Snow, doing color commentary for the Cal/Utah series on Pac-12 Network, reunited with Darren Baker prior to the Bears’ series win.

go bears!