After Cal’s third spring football practice on Saturday, inside linebacker Cade Uluave tried to wrap his arms around the reality that his college football is half over.
“It’s crazy that I’m already a junior,” Uluave said. “It’s gone by incredibly fast.”
Those two seasons aren’t the only thing that’s gone. Uluave’s mentors all have departed.
*** Uluave talks in the video above about Cal’s other inside linebacker prospects
Uluave soaked in the knowledge of fellow inside linebackers Jackson Sirmon and Teddye Buchanan, whose combined 11 years of college football experience were a priceless resource for a young player. They’re now both gone, as is Cal defensive coordinator and position coach Peter Sirmon, who last month took a job with the New Orleans Saints
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional,” Uluave said. “Things are going to change. The way that you embrace it, the way you take it on is how it’s going to affect you.
“So with all these people leaving, I can either say, this is not going to go my way. Or I can say, OK, it’s time for me for look for different ways to help myself grow.”
Michael Bruno, promoted from defensive analyst to inside linebackers coach, expects Uluave to take the right path.
“I definitely want to see him keep taking the next step, kind of like Teddye did last year,” Bruno said. “Really lead the group in everything, from how we operate in the meeting room to the weight room to on the field and communication throughout the entire group and the team.”
Uluave was a sensation as a freshman. He moved into the lineup after Sirmon suffered a season-ending injury and not only rang up 63 tackles in seven starts but made game-changing plays. Coaches made him the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
He was on his way to another great season last fall — including three straight games with at least 11 tackles — when a lower-body injury shelved him for four games.
“It was pretty frustrating. The trajectory of the season was really high but it just kind of dropped with the injury,” Uluave said. “Just looking to stay as healthy as I can going forward.”
Cal coach Justin Wilcox expects big things.
“Cade’s a very, very good football player. He’s got a demeanor fit for football. I expect him to have a great season,” he said. “Just the experience of being in your third year in the system. The comfort level.
“He’s got very good instincts for the game and now it’s the nuances of playing that position, those little nuggets that you can pick up that allow him to play that much faster. And he plays fast as it is. He’s an explosive player. It’s all little things at this stage.”
Bruno is a disciple of Sirmon, having worked alongside him for seven of the past nine seasons at three different schools. “Nothing’s really going to change in terms of how we operate,” Bruno said. “Same words, same techniques.”
Uluave’s goals for this season start with winning. Despite the Bears losing Buchanan and his 114 tackles and four starters in the secondary, Uluave believes reinforcements will deliver. “The Cal defense is going to be good,” he said.
His contribution to that goal includes evolving as an upperclassman leader.
“My maturity has grown tremendously. Coach Sirmon helped me with that a lot,” Uluave said. “Now that coach Sirmon has another job with the Saints, it’s time for me to grow without him.”
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