Cal aerial game in good hands

Hawkins, Jackson draw raves
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Lavelle Hawkins stretches out flat, sacrificing his body to make the catch. DeSean Jackson catches the ball, makes a quick move and explodes past the defender.
Cal's two new wide receivers -- bona fide training camp sensations with their breakaway speed and playmaking ability -- are changing the Bears' passing game.
"They bring another dimension, guys who are very fluid, very fast and with great hands," coach Jeff Tedford said.
Cal has just one returning starter at wide receiver, sophomore Robert Jordan.
And with Geoff McArthur, Chase Lyman, Jonathan Makonnen and Burl Toler gone, this should be a rebuilding year. Instead, it has the making of a landmark year.
Hawkins, a junior college All-American from City College of San Francisco, and Jackson, a high school All-American at Long Beach Poly and one of the mostly highly rated recruits in the country, have already made their imprint on the receiving corps.
"The whole dynamic of the group has changed," receivers coach Eric Kiesau said.
Kiesau says he doesn't want to diminish the contributions of his earlier players. In fact, Lyman had exceptional speed and McArthur excellent receiving skills. Still, this new group is different.
"Before you were trying to pull out every ounce of talent out of kids," Kiesau said. "And now you've got kids with natural-born abilities. Now all you have to do is get them to work hard and know the offense. Then let them do what they do best."
Sophomores Noah Smith, Sam DeSa and Sean Young -- all second-tier receivers last year -- are having good camps and are in the mix.
"These guys have raised the level of the entire group," Kiesau said. "Competition is the easiest way to coach."
Added Tedford, "They've brought it to a new level, the way they dive for balls, the effort they give."
Kiesau isn't concerned about the unit's collective youth.
"We're very, very young and the good thing is maybe they don't know, maybe they're a little naïve," he said. "The other good thing is they're going to build that leadership, that work ethic and that trust over time."
Jordan -- also having a great camp -- has been a critical part of the improvement.
"The reason DeSean and Lavelle have done so well, so early is because of the leadership Robert has shown -- going over the offense, showing them everything he knows," Kiesau said.
And behind the scenes, McArthur has stayed close to his old unit. He is taking the year off from football to mend injuries that slowed him his senior year; he'll attempt to make the NFL next year. He stayed in Berkeley over the summer and served as a mentor.
Hawkins and Jackson say that McArthur gave them primers on Cal football. And Jordan -- suddenly a veteran at 19 -- continued the lessons.
"A lot of the things that Geoff handed down to Rob, Rob is now handing down to these guys," Kiesau said. "It's a neat little ladder of leadership."
The heralded newcomers -- and their egos -- have fit in nicely.
"They have that kind of edge to them," Kiesau said. "I sat them down and talked about not saying too much. Just come out here, work hard and earn the respect of your peers. People know who you are."
Both Hawkins and Jackson are soft-spoken in interviews. Both say they have the same strength -- getting clear after the catch.
"It just comes naturally," Hawkins said. "If you've got to think about a move, you're going to mess around and hurt yourself. You catch the ball, and when that guy comes at you, you just get out of the way."
Jackson makes it sound equally easy. "I'm just trying to make them miss and score," he said. Both are making the adjustment to the Division I game.
"It's tough with all the plays, the backside routes and things like that, " Hawkins said. "But I'm starting to get better."
Jackson, right out of high school, faces a larger step.
"The game is real fast," he said. "But I think I'm adjusting real well. I'm running by a couple guys here and there." Tedford and Kiesau haven't settled on a rotation or a depth chart at receiver. But there's little doubt about Hawkins and Jackson.
"They're going to play," Tedford said with a smile.