Cal Poly Football Team Opens Three-Week Winter Camp on Friday

Xavier Moore shifts away from the blocking pad.

Cal Poly Football Team Opens Three-Week Winter Camp on Friday

1/26/2021 6:08:00 PM | Football

MUSTANG INSIDER WITH BEAU BALDWIN

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly football fans accustomed to seeing two slot backs and a fullback in the backfield of the Mustangs' Triple Option offense the last 13 seasons will have to make some adjustments.

In fact, Mustang faithful might not see anyone in the backfield at times. Instead, one might see four wide receivers and a tight end or perhaps even five wide receivers on the field. Customarily, it will be one running back, three wide receivers and a tight end.

That's just one of many changes in store for Cal Poly's 2020 football squad as first-year head coach Beau Baldwin, the Mustangs' almost entirely new coaching staff and the 115-player squad get ready for what is hoped to be a six-game Big Sky Conference schedule in the late winter and early spring of 2021.

Beau Baldwin is four weeks away from his first game as Cal Poly head coach.

Beau Baldwin is four weeks away from his first game as Cal Poly head coach.

The arduously long 15-month offseason prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic hopefully will be climaxed by a three-week preseason practice period (Winter Camp) beginning Friday, Jan. 29, inside Doerr Family Field. The six-game Big Sky campaign opens Feb. 27 with Cal Poly visiting UC Davis inside UC Davis Health Stadium.

Baldwin will have at his disposal about 50 returning lettermen, including 14 who started at least five games in 2019 (eight on offense, six on defense), along with 25 redshirts or returning injured players (some of whom played up to four games under the NCAA's new rule preserving the redshirt year), eight who were on the roster but did not play in any games a year ago, six transfers and 35 who played football in high school in 2019 but have yet to see a down in college.

The offseason began in late November 2019 with the retirement of 11-year head coach Tim Walsh. Baldwin, 85-32 in nine seasons at Eastern Washington with five Big Sky titles, six FCS playoff berths and a national title in 2010, followed by three years as offensive coordinator at Cal, was hired 17 days later.

The 2020 Spring Camp, however, was canceled due to the pandemic. Still anticipating a normal fall schedule of 11 games, Cal Poly's Summer Access Period, limited to eight hours of weight training, conditioning and film review per week, was limited to 11 days in July. The four-week Fall Camp (which replaced the customary Spring Camp), scheduled for late October and much of November, was cut short to just five days by the pandemic.

How have the Mustang players handled the changing landscape, particularly the installation of new offensive and defensive schemes along with a plethora of Zoom meetings replacing on-the-field practice sessions, since winning the 2019 season finale at Northern Colorado?

"I am so appreciative of the group as a whole in terms of how they work, how they compete," said Baldwin. "They have that typical chip on their shoulder of being an FCS football player who wants to go attack things and show that 'I can take it a notch above whatever I was out of high school.'

"There is that edge with these guys too," Baldwin added. "I saw this over the years coaching at the FCS level. There is a different edge and a different hunger and this group has that. This group has a lot of talent in a lot of spots, they have that chip on their shoulder, they have that edge, they have that 'want to to get better' mentality.

"Their capacity mentally allows us to put a lot on their plate and they can handle it," Baldwin continued. "They make certain things that aren't easy look smooth, whether we're implementing new things, giving a new schedule to follow, demanding that we need this or that. That's not easy to do. This is just a really fun group to be around."

A detailed look at each position:

Quarterback

Jalen Hamler returns for his sophomore season, but even though he started all 11 games in 2019, he faces stiff competition in his effort to keep the job, Baldwin says.

"It's still wide open," Baldwin said in March and reiterates in January. "Jalen did some really good things and I am excited about what he can bring back. I know it was in a different offense, but I am excited about what he can bring to the table."

Junior Kyle Reid also returns. He stepped in for Hamler in the second quarter of the Northern Colorado game and rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown while completing four of nine passes for 45 yards as Cal Poly bounced back from a pair of 14-point deficits for the 28-21 win.

Also in camp are junior Conor Bruce, redshirt freshman Cole Powers and two newcomers -- junior Hunter Raquet from Monterey Peninsula College and freshmen Jackson Pavitt from Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Calif.

"With Jalen coming back, we have some data and some film from the year previous, so that definitely gives us some information," said Baldwin. "But with Kyle, it's minimal. Really, however, between all five of these guys, we were able to get a decent amount of reps in the short amount of practice time we did have in October and November. It's a good battle. It really is, something that quite honestly it'll probably take some time to surface itself.

They all have some different skill sets to bring to the table."

As a redshirt freshman, Hamler completed 57 percent of his passes (62 of 108) for 1,156 yards and a dozen touchdowns. He was intercepted just five times. Hamler also called his number 194 times in the Triple Option, rushing for 522 yards and another nine scores.

Raquet played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Monterey Peninsula College sandwiching a redshirt year at Fresno State. In two seasons with the Lobos, the San Benito High School graduate completed 331 of 598 passes for 5,013 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Pavitt passed for over 5,200 yards and 60 touchdowns in his last two varsity seasons at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, leading the Cardinals to the CIF-North Coast Section Division 3 co-championship in 2018 and CIF-NCS Division IV title and state 3-AA crown in 2019. Cardinal Newman was 25-2 in those two campaigns.

Running Back

The Triple Option under Walsh with its two slot backs and fullback has been transformed into one running back under Baldwin's multiple-formation offense. The preseason roster has over 10 players who filled three spots in the Mustang backfield a year ago but are now vying for playing time in one position. Of course, there will be a need for a fullback on certain downs as well.

Duy Tran-Sampson rushes down the sideline.

Duy Tran-Sampson rushes down the sideline.

Heading the list of running backs is junior Duy Tran-Sampson (left), the 23rd Mustang to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season when he amassed 1,037 yards and eight touchdowns as a fullback in 2019.

Other challengers for the starting nod include seniors Lepi Lataimua and Chuby Dunu, junior Will Semone, sophomore Mark Biggins and redshirt freshmen Shakobe Harper and Sam Stewart

"Shakobe and Stewart opted out in the fall," said Baldwin. "Of the guys who were out there, Chuby probably took as many reps as anybody. He was healthy and showed some really good things.

"Lepi definitely showed why he made a lot of plays with the previous staff," Baldwin added. "Will stepped up and did some things. Duy is just a completely different type of running back, a unique running back with such top-end speed, and he's big. We've got to find ways to truly fit Duy into what were doing.

"Biggins didn't get as many reps as some of the other guys in the fall, but when he was able to practice he showed some serious stuff. I can't tell you who emerged as this guy or that guy just because it was such a small a sample size and some of the guys didn't get as many reps as the others."

Lataimua gained 274 yards and scored one touchdown in 2019.

How are all the slot backs and fullbacks of last season adjusting to the fact that there will be just one running back on the field most of the time?

"They're smart and they know it's a different offense with a different style, but you always go through a year needing three, four or five different running backs still contributing to what you do offensively," said Baldwin. "The guys not getting the reps they might want have to stay patient.

"Everyone wants to be a starter, everyone wants a ton of reps, they all are working toward that and I respect that," Baldwin added. "The reality is that there's only one football and, in our offense, just one running back most of the time, not all the time. You've got to be patient, gotta grind and gotta compete. Plus, there's always the possibility of guys potentially having position flexibility somewhere else."

When a fullback is needed, Tran-Sampson, Stewart and Semone are available.

Wide Receiver

While the candidates carrying the football have just one spot in which to compete, the number of positions for those catching the football has grown from two to as many as five.

"We definitely could use three, four, could even get to five wide receivers, but definitely three or four wide receivers at a time," said Baldwin. "That is a big transition for our players and coach Nick Edwards did a real good job with that in the fall.

Quentin Harrison with a catch.

"Some of our quarterbacks were familiar with that type of offense in high school, so it wasn't as big a transition for them. Some of our wideouts had the same transition, but had to relearn those skills sets, running those three-, four- or five-route combinations and understanding that what you're doing will open up space for others," Baldwin added.

"They're not just running to get open, but they're understanding spacing, pre-snap spacing and just relearning skill sets to run a much more extensive route tree than they may have had before."

J.J. Koski, Cal Poly's leading receiver the last three seasons, is now wearing a Los Angeles Rams uniform, but the Mustangs have plenty of depth heading into the preseason.

Senior Quentin Harrison (right) caught 17 passes, five for touchdowns, in 2019, while sophomore Xavier Moore made three catches, including an eight-yard scoring toss against Oregon State. Junior Eli Shelton caught one pass.

"Q has made a lot of plays, so he steps out," said Baldwin. "Xavier steps out as a really well-rounded guy. He was in a little bit of a different role in the previous offense, which was quite a bit different for him. With Q, there are some similarities with what he's done before and what he's doing within our offense."

Juanie Campbell missed most of the 2019 campaign due to injury, playing in just the final four games to preserve his redshirt option. He caught three passes and rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns as a junior in 2018.

"Juanie gives you a lot within that slot position," Baldwin said of the 5-7 senior. "He is definitely a little different with what he's doing in our slot position. A number of other guys have made plays as well and I am excited to see what they can do."

Other candidates high on the preseason depth chart include junior C.J. Cole and redshirt freshman Mitch Anderson.

In addition to pass catching duties, wide receivers in the Triple Option were adept at blocking as well to spring the slot backs loose.

"They might not do quite as much blocking in a game nowadays, but it's definitely not less of an emphasis when we do do it," said Baldwin. "Even when we threw for a lot of yards at Eastern Washington, our wide receivers took a lot of pride in playing the game within the game. Blocking is all a part of the 11 players on the field.

"No, there is not less an emphasis at all in blocking, but we might just do it a little bit less in a game and a season than before," Baldwin admitted. "That's the only way you get big plays. Big plays in the run game come from wide receiver blocking. That last line could be the difference between an eight-yard play and a 50-yard play."

Tight End

Foreign to many Mustang fans the last 13 years, the tight end is back in Cal Poly's offensive formation with Baldwin at the helm.

"It's fun working with a position that definitely is doing something different than whatever they were doing before," Baldwin said.

Junior Michael Roth and senior Nick White both played some downs as tight ends in short-yardage situations a year ago. Neither made a catch. Sophomore Ryan Rivera was a backup fullback the last two seasons.

"Roth definitely jumped out as a guy who can really fit in to our system," said Baldwin. "White showed some things and Rivera as well. Those were the three that jumped out and are three of the veterans on the roster.

"Roth is very versatile. White presents a lot of length, can be tough on the edge, and still has soft hands. Rivera has a lot of physicality, a lot of snap, a lot of pop. He can do a lot of things and also can get out and catch the ball."

Offensive Line

Perhaps the biggest change in offensive schemes affects the linemen. Of course, there are still five positions up front, but their assignments are much different today than under the Triple Option of years past.

"The change in the offensive scheme with this group can be the most extreme of all the positions," said Baldwin. "Some are learning some things for the first time, some are relearning some of the skill sets they used in high school, especially as it pertains to pass blocking and zone blocking, rather than some of the scramble blocking prevalent in the Triple Option.

"With his experience, Coach (Paul) Wulff understands so well the progression that it takes to get a guy from point A to point B to point C," Baldwin added. "That was fun to watch in the fall, the development of those guys and their understanding what we want from them and the progression with our individual drills and the walk-throughs, leading all the way to seeing some growth in that area of the O-line.

"I'm excited about this group. A veteran group, it's a deep group and also a lot of returners, not only for this year but next year as well."

Junior Nicolo DiFronzo, who played all 11 games at right guard in 2019, including five starts, moves to center this year. Junior Wade Willet, the only returning lineman with 11 starts a year ago, returns at left guard while junior De'Jon Stuckey made eight starts at right tackle.

"Nicolo does a really good job up front, understanding his role so well," said Baldwin. "He's so sharp, a great guy at the center position understanding what's going on, making calls and scrapping in there. De'Jon showed a lot of good stuff with what we're doing and Willet gives us a lot of ability at both the guard or tackle positions."

Other top candidates to fill the spots vacated by the departed Paul Trujillo-Langdon, Tyler Whisenhunt, David Chellsen, Junior Gaitan and Apefai Taifane include junior Garrett Weichman (a redshirt last year) at right tackle, redshirt freshman Charles Lincoln at left tackle and Hunter Jones, also a redshirt freshman and a transfer from Rice, as a center.

"Garrett has a lot of position flexibility and some serious ability there. Lincoln has a really good shot at making the transition from defense to offense. I think it's a better-suited position for him, probably one of the best spots it could be for him," Baldwin said of the San Luis Obispo High School graduate who was recruited as a defensive lineman.

"The young bucks all showed some stuff too. Between the solid freshman group that came in a year ago and Jones as well, we've got a number of guys to work with. Some of these guys emerged into first string reps in Fall Camp."

Other top candidates include sophomores Eli Otero and Vatulele Finau along with redshirt freshman Payson Campisano.

Defensive Line

The basic formation of Cal Poly's defense is still a 3-4, but there are some changes within the system.

"Our players are learning a few things differently than they had in the past," Baldwin said. "There's a little bit more emphasis on some pass rush stuff than in the past. We weren't pass rushing so much before, but we were able to develop those skills in the fall."

Mustang fans may well remember the Jordan Beck-Chris Gocong-Kyle Shotwell Era from 2004-06. The back-to-back-to-back Buck Buchanan Award winners were part of three teams that averaged 51 sacks per season. Gocong led the way with 23.5 sacks in 2005 and 42.0 for his career, both Division I school records.

Myles Cecil moves in on a tackle.

Since then, the number of sacks has fallen significantly. Cal Poly has accumulated 20 or more sacks in a season just once since 2011 and the 2019 squad earned just eight sacks in 11 games.

"We're moving some guys around, finding out where they might fit better, whether it's the hybrid outside linebacker-defensive end position or the end-tackle spot," Baldwin said. "You can see them turning the corner with understanding what we're asking our defensive linemen to do."

Top returnees on the defensive front include seniors Ryan Boehm, Richard Watkins and Lance Vecchio, juniors Myles Cecil (left), Joey Ruiz and Pouono Faaagi and sophomore Jojo Falo. Ruiz (39 tackles), Cecil (35 tackles) and Boehm (32 tackles) made 10 or 11 starts in 2019.

"Ruiz is just all over the field," said Baldwin. "He brings ability, but on top of that he maximizes everything. Boehm did a good job during the fall. Watkins is very athletic for a guy that big (315 pounds) inside. Cecil is going to continue to fit and continue to make plays within our abilities. A lot of those guys are making plays for us."

Junior Kain Su'a and redshirt freshman Dusty Mitchell also will be in the mix for significant playing time up front.

Outside Linebacker

One of the outside linebacker spots is the hybrid position with end responsibilities as well and will be filled by Ruiz, Vecchio or sophomore Dustin Grein.

"Ruiz, Vecchio and Grein all showed some good stuff at the outside linebacker-defensive end position in the fall, so I am excited about that group," said Baldwin.

The other outside linebacker position also is a hybrid with the nickel back and Baldwin said using five defensive backs could be more common with the Mustangs this season.

Matt Shotwell slides across the field.

Junior Aaron Cooper, primarily an outside linebacker with 67 tackles and seven pass breakups in 11 starts a year ago, tops the preseason depth chart in this position, backed up by sophomore Corey Thomas and other safeties.

"Cooper is a guy who's got to be on the field," said Baldwin. "He'll be out there playing the nickel position, which is very much a linebacker position in a lot of ways. He also will be an outside linebacker rushing the passer too. He's just got a lot of tools and we've got to find a way to utilize him and possibly move him around a little bit."

Inside Linebacker

Though not all the inside linebackers practiced in the fall, Baldwin feels good about the group, headed by senior Matt Shotwell (right), the team's No. 1 tackler for the second straight year with 89 stops in 2019, one less than in 2018.

Senior Laipeli Palu (14 tackles), junior Fenton Will (38 tackles) and sophomore Timothy Miller are others vying for the starting nod at the two positions.

"I think this is a strong group with the guys we have out there," said Baldwin. "We didn't have everybody in the fall with a couple guys opting out but, obviously Shotwell with all the experience and understanding he has, is our No. 1 guy.

"Palu really showed some athleticism in the fall," Baldwin added. "Will doesn't carry much weight (6-0, 225) as the guys you normally see there, but he packs a punch and he moves well. Miller is a grinder going through the injury beast, but he competes his butt off.

"This is a veteran crew with some guys that will come up and fit into that group, a stout group."

Cornerback

Injuries and opt-outs reduced the number of reps for the leading cornerback candidates, but Baldwin liked what he saw from the younger players in the fall.

"We didn't get to see as many bodies as I'd like," Baldwin admitted. "Jaylen Morgan was a little limited in practice and we hope to get him back out on the field. I was hoping to see him a little bit more. Jamarri Jackson and Isaiah Jernagin both did a very good job in the limited time they had when both of those guys showed up."

Morgan, who was at Ohio University for two years and transferred to Cal Poly after one season at El Camino College, played just four games as a junior a year ago with no tackles. Jernagin played in three games as a true freshman and preserved his redshirt year while Jackson has played one season at both College of San Mateo and Northern Arizona.

The depth chart at cornerback also includes senior Cameron Crump and a pair of sophomore transfers -- Julian Reed (American River College) and D'Angelo McKenzie (Washington State) -- along with true freshmen Xavier Oliphant and Michael Briscoe. McKenzie played in three Mustang games in 2019.

"Reed continues to get used to the defensive terminology and showed some things in the fall," said Baldwin. "It also was good to see McKenzie show some serious flashes of where he can be. It's just a matter of getting over that hump.

"And then the young guys, Briscoe and Oliphant, got more reps than some of the young guys at other positions," Baldwin added. "We're real thin at corner at different times. Both those young guys got a lot of reps in the fall and I think their future is bright."

Safety

Seniors Bradley Mickey (21 tackles, three pass breakups, one interception) and Freddie Gaines along with junior Brandon Davis played in all 11 games at safety in 2019 and the group at safety also is bolstered by redshirt freshmen Dawson Hurst and Caden McCloughan.

"This may be one of the strongest groups from top to bottom, and at times we're going to have three of those guys on the field in the nickel package," said Baldwin. "Top to bottom, we have a number of guys all the way from the ones, the twos and even the threes that you can win ball games in this conference with.

"I am excited about that position and excited about having that kind of depth at this position," Baldwin added. "You can be strong through the length of the season where you know there will be some injuries and you're going to need to split time. And it also adds to the special teams piece because those are the type of bodies that usually are all over those positions.

"All of them were battling back and forth in the fall. Every one of those guys all showed up at different times in practice. It's tough to single anyone out, in a positive way."

Special Teams

A walk-on in the spring of 2019, Durham High School graduate Mason Davis likely will handle punting chores in the 2020-21 spring season. Colton Theaker will take care of place kicks and kickoffs, backed up by Davis.

In his fourth year academically at Cal Poly, Davis has yet to play in an official game, though he kicked punts of 30 and 38 yards in the 2019 Spring Game.

Theaker made all of his 34 PAT kicks as a true freshman in 2019 and was seven of 13 on field goals with a long of 52 yards. The Arroyo Grande High School graduate averaged 59.9 yards on 54 kickoffs with 22 touchbacks.

"Theaker showed a lot of promise in the fall in my opinion," said Baldwin. "The thing I saw that he struggled with last year was his consistency. We put him through some challenging situations to try to simulate some pressure moments and he handled it really well. I am excited about his skill set but also maybe some steps he's taken mentally this year. The future is bright for him."

Senior Sawyer Sobelman returns as the Mustangs' long snapper, backed up by freshman Cruz Rubio from Mater Dei High School, while the holder will be Davis or Reid.

The return specialists figure to be Campbell and Moore for punts and kickoffs.

Photos courtesy of Matt Brown | Matt Brown Photography