Cal ILB Evan Weaver named Pre-season All-American by Athlon Sports

Cal Senior Inside Linebacker was named a First Team Pre-Season All-American by Athlon Sports. He becomes the first Cal player to make the Pre-Season First Team since Jahvid Best made the list in 2009.

Take a look at Weaver’s Breakout season, stats and notes below

ALL-AMERICAN (FIRST-TEAM)

Evan Weaver, ILB, 6-3, 245, Sr., 3L, Spokane, WA (Gonzaga Prep)

Cal Career (2016 – Present)

• Has played in 36 of 37 possible games with 17 starts since his arrival at Cal in 2016 and posted career totals highlighted by 230 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss (-52 yards), 6.0 sacks (-35 yards) and two interceptions that he has returned for 47 yards and one touchdown on a career-long 37-yard return against Washington as a 2018 junior• Cal’s active career leader in tackles who will begin the 2019 campaign 29 stops shy of the school’s all-time top 10 list

Senior (2019)

• First-team (Athlon) and second-team (Phil Steele) preseason All-American

• First-team preseason All-Pac-12 (Athlon Sports, Phil Steele)

• One of 42 student-athletes on the watch list for the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy that goes annually to the nation’s top defensive player

Junior (2018)

• Second-team All-American (Pro Football Focus)

• First-team (Associated Press, Pro Football Focus) and second-team (Athlon, Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele) All-Pac-12

• Recipient of Cal’s Bear Backers Award as the team’s Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player

• Recorded career highs of 159 tackles to rank tied for second on Cal’s all-time single-season list, 9.5 tackles for loss (-42 yards), 4.5 sacks (-28 yards), and two interceptions that he returned for 47 yards and his lone career touchdown

• Tied for fifth nationally with 6.4 solo tackles per game and eighth in total tackles with 11.9 per contest

Congrats to Evan!