Cal football names Jake Curhan, Camryn Bynum, Evan Weaver as season-long team captains
With the Bears’ season-opener still four weeks away, Cal football’s depth chart remains shrouded in mystery. But Saturday’s practice did offer insight into the team’s leadership hierarchy.
Head coach Justin Wilcox announced that the program voted on team captains for the upcoming season, and named offensive tackle Jake Curhan, defensive back Camryn Bynum and inside linebacker Evan Weaver as the honorees. The three student-athletes are expected to retain starting positions when the season kicks off on Aug. 31.
“All three (players) are well-deserving and well-respected by their teammates,” Wilcox said. “Great ambassadors for us and what we’re all about on and off the field.”
Curhan, a redshirt junior who has started each of Cal’s last 25 contests at right tackle, received second-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2018. The most experienced returning lineman on the offensive front, Curhan enters the 2019 campaign as a fourth team selection on the Athlon Sports preseason All-Pac-12 Team.
As a redshirt sophomore last season, Bynum emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the conference, earning second team All-Pac-12 honors. He was named a captain for Cal’s 2018 games against BYU and Washington, and has grown into a more vocal leader while starting in every contest over the past two years.
Weaver, viewed by many as the face of Cal’s defense, will kick off this season just 29 tackles shy of program’s all-time top ten list. His 159 tackles in 2018 are tied for second on the school’s single season leaderboard and his preseason stock already includes four watchlist nominations.
“It’s such an honor to be elected by your teammates,” Weaver said. “To be able to be put on that pedestal and trusted by so many guys is truly an honor.”
Last season, tailback Patrick Laird and inside linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk represented the Bears as year-long captains prior to signing free agent contracts in the NFL.
Josh Yuen covers football. Contact him at jyuen@dailycal.org. Follow him on Twitter @joshcal2020.