Senior Spotlight: Cal Defensive Tackle Mustafa Jalil Anchors Improved D-Line
By Kevin McGuire
This weekend the Cal Bears will look to go 4-0 when they visit Washington to open Pac-12 play. Cal defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil, a San Diego area native, continues to anchor a Cal defensive line that has shown some good promise early on this fall. After a wild game on the road at Texas, Jalil and Cal's defense hope to bear down a little bit tighter on the Huskies.
In addition to his offer from Cal, Jalil held an offer from San Diego State coming out of high school in the Class of 2011. A four-star recruit, Jalil was a nice addition to Cal's recruiting haul at the time and he continues to have an impact on Cal's defensive line today. Jalil has just five tackles so far this season, but he has forced a fumble and recorded a tackle for a loss in the early going of the season.
Jalil came to Cal in 2011 and immediately started to live up to some of the recruiting hype surrounding him. He was one of three true freshmen to appear in all 13 games Cal played in 2011, and that included a start against rival Stanford. His role was reduced in 2012 for his sophomore season, as Jalil came off the bench in seven games, but he remained a player to keep an eye on moving forward in his collegiate career.
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Unfortunately, Jalil was forced to redshirt his junior season in 2013 due to injury. Despite the setback, he remained an inspirational leader in the Cal football program. He was recognized for his dedication and sportsmanship with Cal's Joe Roth Award. This is an award that demonstrates the best a Cal football player has to offer on and off the field, which proves the impact Jalil had even while unable to play a game for the Bears in 2013.
Last season, Jalil made his return to the field after sitting out of spring practices. He started in all 12 games for Cal, and his impact helped guide Cal's defense to a much-improved level of play. Cal's rushing defense trimmed 44 yards from its per-game average the previous season, and having Jalil plugging a hole in the middle of the line is a big reason why. He ended the season with 35 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and the first individual credited safety in school history (the NCAA began recognizing individual players for recorded safeties in the record books last season).
Jalil is looking to lead Cal back to the postseason after the Bears just missed becoming bowl eligible a year ago. Few things would be more fitting than to see him end his fifth season at Cal with a bowl trip and victory. After all he has offered the program, it would be a perfect ending to his Cal career.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
