For Craig Woodson and Miles Williams, sixth-year starters at security for Cal, Saturday’s regular-season finale at No. 9 SMU is an surprising pleasure as a bridge to their previous.
Woodson and Williams are amongst 20 Golden Bears from Texas, and a visit again to the Lone Star State is one thing neither might have envisioned after they dedicated to Cal out of highschool in 2019.
“I’m trying to capture it, take it all in,” stated Williams, who grew up within the Dallas suburb of Mansfield. “SMU was my first offer — March 22, 2017. It’s crazy to go back, crazy how everything just works out.”
Woodson was raised in Grand Prairie, even nearer to Dallas and simply 19 miles from Mansfield. Woodson and Williams knew one another casually as highschool seniors and have change into shut at Cal.
“It’s going to be beautiful, man,” Woodson stated. “When the schedule first came out and seeing that we were going to end the season at SMU, it was amazing. It kind of feels like a homecoming.”
Each gamers anticipate upwards of a dozen relations and buddies when the Bears (6-5, 2-5 ACC) battle the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0) at Ford Stadium. SMU already has clinched a spot within the ACC Championship Sport and Cal has secured bowl eligibility.
SMU is a potent and balanced group, fifth nationally in scoring (39.3 factors per sport) and only a tick behind Cal as essentially the most stingy protection within the convention.
Cal has fared effectively in Texas, each in recruiting and on the sphere.
Former Golden Bears with Texas roots embrace operating backs Justin Forsett and Daniel Lasco, quarterback Davis Webb and linebacker Cameron Goode, all of whom have performed within the NFL.
All of them made the transfer from Texas earlier than Cal performed in a convention with a faculty within the state.
“We’ve had some real good success with guys from Texas coming out here. The state of Texas gets recruited heavily by most everybody — there’s a lot of good football there,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox stated. “Obviously, we want to start here in California but Texas has been good. We’re going to continue to recruit Texas.”
Two highschool prospects who’ve dedicated to signal with Cal subsequent week are Texans.
That is the Bears’ sixth journey into the state for a sport within the twenty first century. Cal has gained 4 of the earlier 5, together with a wild 45-44 victory over the Texas Longhorns in 2015.
Of all of the Texas-born gamers on the Cal squad, none have had the affect of Woodson and Williams.
Woodson redshirted his freshman season, performed simply 4 video games in 2020 because of the trimmed-down COVID schedule then missed all of 2021 after an ACL tear in coaching camp. However he has made up for misplaced time, and has 235 tackles and 5 interceptions in 44 profession video games, together with 60 tackles and two picks this season.
Williams by no means began a sport in his first 5 seasons, taking part in largely particular groups. However he stayed with it and, like Woodson, has began each sport this fall. He has 47 tackles, fourth-most among the many Bears, and one of many group’s 17 interceptions.
“I could talk a long time about those two guys. Craig and Miles have meant a lot to us,” Wilcox stated. “It’s been a joy to watch those guys grow up as football players and as men.”
The 2 have change into buddies as teammates.
“It’s always just a comforting feeling I get,” Williams stated, “when we’re in the heat of battle and I look over and me and Craig both got the same look on our face, like we’re about to go hit somebody. I love it.”
“We’re locked in for life,” Woodson stated. “Hopefully we can both go out, making inceptions, making plays on the ball showing everybody we still got that Texas football in us.”
