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Gerald Alexander arrived at California in 2017 and has spent the last three seasons as the team's defensive backs coach. Alexander has been instrumental in turning the defense and specifically the defensive backfield into a group that is among the nation's elite.
Alexander's defensive backs dubbed "The Takers" have played a huge role in Cal's defensive success with the group on the 2019 roster combining for career totals of 32 interceptions and 84 pass breakups to total 116 passes defended. Jaylinn Hawkins finished his career with 10 interceptions to tie for eighth on Cal's all-time list, while Ashtyn Davis had seven. Davis added 12 pass breakups to total 19 passes defended, while also contributing START HERE Hawkins added seven pass breakups for 17 passes defended. Both players have been invited to play in collegiate all-star games with Davis receiving a Senior Bowl invite and Hawkins invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Traveon Beck (
Camryn Bynum will head into his 2020 senior campaign with 27 pass breakups that are already tied for fifth al-time at Cal and only nine shy of the record of 36 set by Syd'Quan Thompson from 2006-09. Bynum is also Cal's active career leader in tackles (169) and interceptions (5).
Hawkins led the Bears in interceptions each of the past two seasons including a career-high six in 2018 that led the Pac-12 and ranked tied for third in nationally, while his average of 0.5 picks per game tied for fifth in the nation.
in 2018 when the Bears finished in the top 10 nationally and paced the Pac-12 in interceptions (21, No. 2 NCAA), defensive touchdowns (5, No. T4 NCAA), turnovers gained (28, No. 6T NCAA) and passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg, No. 9 NCAA) with defensive backs were responsible for 17 of the 21 interceptions and three of the five defensive touchdowns, while playing a role in three of the seven fumbles that were recovered.
They were also a critical part of a defense that in addition to the top 10 national numbers paced the conference and ranked in the top 20 in the country in pass efficiency defense (107.26, No. 11 NCAA) and first downs allowed (227, No. 18 NCAA), while also being 15th nationally in total defense (317.2 ypg) and 22nd in scoring defense (20.4 ppg), registering third in the Pac-12 in both areas.
The six defensive backs that combined for the 21 interceptions combined to make 55 starts in 2018 including 51 of 52 possible at the cornerback and safety positions with the one exception a start by Quentin Tartabull at safety when Jaylinn Hawkins missed the first half of the UCLA game due to a targeting penalty late in the Arizona contest. Davis and Bynum each started all 13 games at safety and cornerback, while Hawkins made 11 starts at safety. Hicks (11) and Drayden (2) combined to make 13 starters at the cornerback spot opposite Bynum, while Beck made four at nickel back..
Hawkins' six interceptions ranked tied for third nationally and led the Pac-12. Hawkins had a bowl-record three of his interceptions in the Cheez-It Bowl to earn the game's Defensive Player of the Game honors and be named to Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl team.
Every returning defensive back that had at least one start in 2018 also had at least one interception with Hawkins followed on the list by Davis (4), Beck (3), Bynum (2), Drayden (1) and Hicks (1). Davis, Drayden and Hicks also each had a pick six. Bynum paced the team for the second consecutive season in pass breakups (10) and passes defended (12), while Davis led all defensive backs and ranked third on the squad with 56 tackles.
Davis and Bynum were recognized with All-Pac-12 honors for their contributions during the 2018 season with Davis earning first-team recognition from the Associated Press and Athlon Sports, a second-team nod from Phil Steele and honorable mention honors from the league's coaches. Bynum was a second-team (Associated Press, Athlon Sports), third-team (Phil Steele) and honorable mention (league's coaches) selection.
All six of the returning defensive backs with starts in 2018 were also contributors to a 2017 Cal defense that allowed 14.2 points less per contest than in 2016 the year before Alexander's. Much of the 2017 team's success came from its big-play ability on defense keyed by the defensive backs with Cal ranking among the nation's best for much of the season in nearly every defensive category related to turnovers before finishing tied for 21st in defensive touchdowns (4), tied for 27th in fumbles recovered (10), tied for 29th in turnovers gained (24) and tied for 32nd in passes intercepted (14). Cal's seven takeaways in a 37-3 win over then No. 8/9 Washington State equaled the most by an FBS team in 2017.
All told, the 2017 Cal defense had better total numbers and rankings than the 2016 squad in 14 of the primary 15 team defensive statistics tracked by the NCAA. Even more impressively the Bears' average improvement in the national rankings was just under 40 spots per category in those 15 defensive statistics.
Bynum made all 12 of the team's starts at one cornerback spot in 2017 and earned the team's Bob Tessier Award as its Most Valuable Freshman after leading all defensive backs and ranking fifth on the team with 58 tackles in his first season of action as a redshirt freshman. He was also the team's leader with eight pass breakups and 10 passes defended, while co-leading the squad with a pair of interceptions.
Hawkins (11), Hicks (7) and Davis (6) also started games in the team's secondary in 2017 while returnees Beck and Drayden saw extensive action by playing in all 12 games off the bench.
Prior to his arrival at Cal in 2017, Alexander was the secondary coach at Montana State in 2016 and helped the Bobcats improve in both passing yards allowed per completion and passing efficiency defense.
In 2015, he was the secondary coach at Indiana State after working as a graduate assistant for a Cactus Bowl team at Washington in 2014 when he coached a talented group of defensive backs including current NFL players Budda Baker and Sidney Jones. Baker was a 2014 Freshman All-American who would go on to unanimous All-American honors in 2016 when Jones was a second-team All-American. Both would be selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft after foregoing their final season of collegiate eligibility at Washington with Baker taken by Arizona with the 36th overall pick and Jones chosen 43rd overall by Philadelphia. Alexander was also reunited at Washington with Huskies’ then-first-year head coach Chris Petersen, who was an assistant during Alexander’s first four seasons as a player at Boise State and the Broncos’ head coach in his final campaign.
Alexander's first collegiate coaching position was as an undergraduate assistant at Arkansas State in 2013 for a Sun Belt co-championship squad that also captured the GoDaddy Bowl.
Alexander started his coaching career as a volunteer at his prep alma mater Rancho Cucamonga High School in 2012 for a team that reached the semifinals of the Southern Section Inland Division playoffs.
In addition to his collegiate and prep coaching positions, Alexander has also had a pair of stints in the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with Tennessee in 2015 and Tampa Bay in 2016. The program’s objective is to use NFL clubs’ training camps, offseason workout programs and mini-camps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate, gain experience and ultimately acquire a full-time NFL coaching position.
Prior to launching his coaching career in 2012, Alexander spent five seasons as a player in the NFL (2007-11) after his collegiate playing career at Boise State (2002-06).
Alexander's five NFL campaigns started in Detroit (2007-08) and also included stops in Jacksonville (2009-10), Carolina (2010) and Miami (2011). In addition, he was on the New York Jets roster towards the end of the 2011 campaign but did not see any game action. Alexander was selected by the Detroit in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft and started all 16 games as a rookie with the Lions in 2007, finishing with career highs of 81 tackles, 2.0 sacks, six passes defended and two interceptions that he returned 70 yards. He also started 10 games for the Jaguars two seasons later in 2009 and put up 55 tackles, five passes defended, two interceptions that he returned 70 yards and a career-high three forced fumbles.
Alexander was a three-year starter (2004-06) and four-year letterwinner (2003-06) at Boise State, where he was part of four straight Western Athletic Conference championship teams that compiled a 46-6 overall record and a 31-1 conference mark. He was a 2006 senior in Cal head coach Justin Wilcox’s first season as Boise State’s defensive coordinator for a squad that finished 13-0 overall, won the Fiesta Bowl and ended the campaign ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25. He was also a redshirt freshman when Wilcox was a graduate assistant at Boise State in 2002.
Alexander, who earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Boise State in 2009, was a prep standout in both football and track and field at Rancho Cucamonga High School before graduating in 2002.
Alexander and his wife, Krystina, have three sons – Kaelin, Kamari and Kaleel, and one daughter, King.
Gerald Alexander File
Birthdate: June 28, 1984
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
High School: Rancho Cucamonga HS
College: Boise State, 2009, Bachelor’s in Communications
Family: Wife, Krystina; Sons, Kaelin, Kamari, Kaleel; Daughter, Kahrye
Coaching History
*Season: Team – Position (Champions, Postseason)
2012: Rancho Cucamonga HS – Volunteer (South Section Inland Division Playoffs)
2013: Arkansas State – Graduate Assistant, Defensive Backs (Sun Belt Co-Champions, GoDaddy Bowl)
2014: Washington – Graduate Assistant, Defensive Backs (Cactus Bowl)
2015: Indiana State – Secondary
2016: Montana State – Secondary
2017: California – Defensive Backs
2018: California – Defensive Backs (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California – Defensive Backs (Redbox Bowl)
*Season in which postseason was played
Last Updated
January 22, 2020
