California has dismissed junior defensive end Chris McCain, citing "conduct detrimental to the team" in a terse one-sentence statement.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound McCain had long been one of the most mercurial talents on the Golden Bear roster, with the athleticism to take over games (four tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks in last season's upset win over UCLA) and the immaturity to disappear from them.
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McCain had 11 tackles and one forced fumble in three games this season, starting two as a defensive end in Cal's new 4-3 defense. McCain earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition last season after posting 8.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks last season as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
McCain clashed with strength and conditioning coach Mike Blasquez over the summer, BearTerritory.net reported, while his propensity for exaggerating injuries became a running joke among teammates and fans.
McCain has legitimate NFL talent, but he has never been able to fully tap into it. This embarrassing and public rebuke might be the wake-up call needed to fully harness it, either by transferring and redshirting before playing his senior season or dropping down to a lower level of competition and playing immediately next season.
For Cal and first-year head coach Sonny Dykes, the move to dismiss McCain does not come lightly. The injury-riddled defense has given up 30 or more points in every game this season, surrendering 55 to Oregon this past Saturday. Cal's other top defensive end, Brennan Scarlett, is out indefinitely because of a hand injury.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
