SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jordan Kunaszyk and Evan Weaver shared the Bear Backers Award as Cal's Most Valuable Defensive Player for the 2018 season, while Patrick Laird (Offense) and Steven Coutts (Special Teams) were named the top players on offense and special teams to highlight a series team awards announced recently during the squad's trip to the Cheez-It Bowl.

Eighteen student-athletes combined to earn 20 awards with Kunaszyk and Laird the lone members of the group taking home more than one. Kunaszyk also picked up the Andy Smith Award for the Most Big C Playing Time (most snaps) while Laird added the Ted Agu Award for being the most consistently involved in community service.

Below is a complete list of award winners. Extended bios are available by clicking on each student-athletes' name.

2018 CAL FOOTBALL TEAM AWARDS

Henry Bazakas – Stub Allison Award (Commitment To Strength And Conditioning)
Rusty Becker – Ken Harvey Award (Academic Commitment And Improvement)
Luc Bequette – Brick Muller Award (Most Valuable Lineman – Defense)
Camryn Bynum – Berkeley Breakfast Club Award (Outstanding Player In The Big Game)
McCallan Castles – Dink Artal Award (Offensive Scout Team Player Of The Year)
Steven Coutts – J. Scott Duncan Award (Most Valuable Special Teams Player)
Chase Forrest – Joe Roth Award (Courage, Attitude And Sportsmanship)
Alex Funches – Ken Cotton Award (Most Courageous Player)
Chase Garbers – Bob Simmons Award (Most Valuable Freshman)
Jordan Kunaszyk – Bear Backers Award (Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player), Andy Smith Award (Most Big C Playing Time)
Patrick Laird – Bear Backers Award (Most Valuable Offensive Player), Ted Agu Award (Most Consistently Involved In Community Service)
Aaron Maldonado – Clint Evans Award (Most Intense Freshman Competitor)
Malik McMorris – Frank Schlessinger Coaches Award (Outstanding Athletic Ability And Academic Success)
Collin Moore – Dink Artal Award (Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year)
Erick Nisich – Dink Artal Award (Defensive Scout Team Player Of The Year)
Addison Ooms – Brick Muller Award (Most Valuable Lineman – Offense)
Chris Palmer – Bob Tessier Award (Most Improved Lineman)
Evan Weaver – Bear Backers Award (Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player)

AWARDS WINNERS 2018 NOTES

Henry Bazakas, OL, 6-6, 315, RJr., 1L (Berkeley, CA/Berkeley HS)
Stub Allison Award (Commitment To Strength And Conditioning)
• Played in one game off the bench before suffering a season-ending injury

Rusty Becker, 6-4, 285, RSr., 2L (Maple Grove, MN/Minnesota State Community And Technical College/Maple Grove HS)
Ken Harvey Award (Academic Commitment And Improvement)
• Contributed career highs of 20 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss (-5 yards), 0.5 sacks (-3 yards) and one fumble recovery
• Earned CoSIDA Academic All-District® recognition for the second straight season
 
Luc Bequette, DE, 6-2, 295, RJr., 2L (Little Rock, AR/Catholic HS)
Brick Muller Award (Most Valuable Lineman – Defense)
• One of 10 players including six on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Registered career highs of 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss (-31 yards), 5.0 sacks (-29 yards), one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick
• Co-led the team in sacks while ranking first among defensive linemen and fourth overall in tackles
• Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors and was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week against USC when he had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (-20 yards), 2.0 sacks (-19 yards) and one forced fumble
 
Camryn Bynum, CB, 6-0, 180, RSo., 1L (Corona, CA/Centennial HS)
Berkeley Breakfast Club Award (Outstanding Player In The Big Game)
• One of 10 players including six on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Contributed 48 tackles as well as a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss (-3 yards), and a career-high-tying two interceptions and a career-high 10 pass breakups with the latter also a team high
• Had three tackles and a pair of pass breakups in the Big Game
• Earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors from the Associated Press and Athlon Sports as well as third-team by Phil Steele while he was an honorable mention selection of the league's coaches
 
McCallan Castles, DE, 6-2, 290, RSo., 1L (Little Rock, AR/Catholic HS)
Dink Artal Award (Offensive Scout Team Player Of The Year)
• Played in three games and had one reception for 15 yards
 
Steven Coutts, OL, 6-4, 225, RJr., RS (Brisbane, Australia/Louisiana/University of Queensland/Citipointe Christian College)
J. Scott Duncan Award (Most Valuable Special Teams Player)
• Punted 72 times for 2985 yards and a 41.5 average while trapping opponents inside their own 20-yard line 37 times, forcing 25 fair catches and booting nine punts for 50 or more yards including a 73-yarder that is the second-longest in the Pac-12 in 2018
• Had a career-high nine punts in the Cheez-It Bowl against TCU that is also tied for the most in the Pac-12 in 2018
• Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 and first-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors while he was the Pac-12 Special Teams against Colorado when he punted eight times for a career-high 371 yards for a 46.4 average while pinning the Buffaloes inside their 20-yard a career-high-tying five times without a touchback and forcing them into a pair of fair catches while Cal also recovered a pair of fumbles on his punts, Colorado had another fumble for a no gain return and a negative return on two others and totaled minus-six yards in punt returns
 
Chase Forrest, QB, 6-2, 200, RSr., 3L (Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei HS)
Joe Roth Award (Courage, Attitude And Sportsmanship)
• Saw his lone action at the Cheez-It Bowl when he played the entire second half and completed 5-of-14 passes for 71 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 49.74 quarterback rating while rushing once for a loss eight yards
 
Alex Funches, OLB, 6-2, 240, Sr., 1L (Denton, TX/Trinity Valley Community College/Ryan HS)
Ken Cotton Award (Most Courageous Player)
• One of 10 players including six on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Registered 38 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss (-48 yards), and a career-high and team co-leading 5.0 sacks (career-high -31 yards), as well as three quarterback hurries, and his lone career pass breakup and forced fumble
 
Chase Garbers, QB, 6-2, 205, RFr., RS, Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar HS)
Bob Simmons Award (Most Valuable Freshman)
• Started 10 and played in 12 of the team's 13 games at quarterback and completed 159-of-260 passes for 1506 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 119.89 quarterback rating while rushing 98 times for 420 yards and two touchdowns as the team's second-leading rusher
• Earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention recognition
 
Jordan Kunaszyk, ILB, 6-3, 235, RSr., 2L (Sacramento, CA/American River College/Roseville HS)
Bear Backers Award (Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player), Andy Smith Award (Most Big C Playing Time)
• One of 10 players including six on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Compiled career highs of 148 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss (-55 yards), 4.0 sacks (-24 yards) and five forced fumbles, as well as a career-high-tying one fumble recovery, one interception that he returned for seven yards, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries
• Earned second-team All-American (Sports Illustrated), as well as first-team (Athlon, Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele) and second-team (Associated Press) All-Pac-12 recognition while also being one of eight national semifinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy
• Ranks second in the Pac-12 and third in nation with 7.3 solo tackles per game while he is third in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally with 11.4 total tackles per contest
• Had a career-high 22 tackles against UCLA for the most by a Cal player since 1993 as well as the most by a Pac-12 player and tied for the fifth most nationally in 2018
• One of two season team captains along with Patrick Laird
 
Patrick Laird, RB, 6-0, 205, RSr., 2L (Arroyo Grande, CA/Mission Prep)
Bear Backers Award (Most Valuable Offensive Player), Ted Agu Award (Most Consistently Involved In Community Service)
• One of 10 players including four on the offensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Paced the team in rushing with 961 yards and five touchdowns on the ground while he also had a team-high 51 receptions for 288 yards and co-led the squad with four touchdown catches
• A member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®
• One of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy and one of 10 for the Senior CLASS Award, while he was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy
• Named first-team Pac-12 All-Academic and also picked up CoSIDA Academic District® 8 recognition
• One of two season team captains along with Jordan Kunaszyk
• Hosted the Patrick Laird Summer Reading Challenge with participants who completed the challenge receiving an opportunity to meet Laird following Cal's 2018 season-opener against North Carolina at California Memorial Stadium and receive four complimentary tickets to the game
• Had over 3,600 students sign up for the challenge and promoted the event thru social and traditional media, as well as during visits and speaking engagements with 23 schools and three camps in the Bay Area and his hometown area of Arroyo Grande on the Central Coast
 
Aaron Maldonado, NG, 6-3, 295, Fr., HS (La Puente, CA/Bishop Amat HS)
Ken Cotton Award (Most Intense Freshman Competitor)
• Played in nine games all off the bench and registered eight tackles as well as 1.5 tackles for loss and sacks (-8 yards)
 
Malik McMorris, FB, 5-11, 290, Sr., 3L (Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei HS)
Frank Schlessinger Coaches Award (Outstanding Athletic Ability And Academic Success)
• Played in all 13 games with seven starts and contributed seven receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns that tied for third on the team as well as two rushes for five yards, two kick returns for 21 yards and three tackles
• An honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic selection
 
Collin Moore, TE, 6-4, 230, RFr., RS (Novato, CA/San Marin HS)
Dink Artal Award (Special Teams Scout Team Player Of The Year)
• Played in one game off the bench against Idaho State but had no statistics other than participation
 
Erick Nisich, DE, 6-4, 275, Fr., HS (Goleta, CA/Dos Pueblos HS)
Dink Artal Award (Defensive Scout Team Player Of The Year)
• Played in one game off the bench against Idaho State and made two tackles
 
Addison Ooms, OL, 6-4, 295, RSr., 3L (Laguna Niguel, CA/Mater Dei HS)
Brick Muller Award (Most Valuable Lineman – Offense)
• One of 10 players including four on the offensive side of the ball to start all 13 games but recorded no statistics other than participation
 
Chris Palmer, DE, 6-2, 295, RJr., 2L (Little Rock, AR/Catholic HS)
Bob Tessier Award (Most Improved Lineman)
• Played in all 13 games with 10 starts and contributed career highs of 2.0 tackles for loss (-9 yards), 1.0 sack (-7 yards) and six pass breakups with the latter ranking tied for second on the team
 
Evan Weaver, ILB, 6-3, 245, Jr., 2L (Spokane, WA/Gonzaga Prep)
Bear Backers Award (Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player)
• One of 10 players including six on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games
• Recorded career highs of 158 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss (-42 yards), 4.5 sacks (-28 yards), two interceptions that he returned for 47 yards and his lone career touchdown, six pass breakups and one quarterback hurry
• His 158 tackles were the third-highest single-season total in school history
• Ranks second in the Pac-12 and fourth nationally with 6.7 solo tackles per game as well as second in the Pac-12 and seventh nationally with 12.2 per contest
• Had 10 double-digit tackle games including a career-high 18 tackles against Colorado and led or co-led the team in tackles 11 times, both team highs
• Named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week by both the league and College Sports Madness when he had 11 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and a pick-six 37-yard interception return that was Cal's lone touchdown in a 12-10 win over eventual Pac-12 champion Washington
• Earned second-team All-American (Pro Football Focus) honors as well as first-team (Associated Press, Pro Football Focus) and second-team (Athlon, Pac-12 Coaches, Phil Steele) All-Pac-12 recognition