California linebacker Teddye Buchanan ready to face old friends

Teddye Buchanan is trying to treat Saturday’s game against UC Davis as “just another game.”

He doesn’t fool anyone.

Buchanan, who will start at inside linebacker in his Cal debut, played the last four seasons at Davis. Saturday at 2 p.m., the Aggies will be on the opposite sideline at Memorial Stadium.

“I think it’ll be fun. It’ll be a good challenge,” Buchanan said. “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for those guys and I know a lot of them. You just have to look at it like another game and, at the end of the day, we’re here to win.”

Buchanan, who played basketball at St. Ignatius Prep High School in San Francisco, says there is no ill will in any sense.

“They’re very encouraging,” he said of his former teammates’ reaction to his move. “There’s no hard feelings.”

Cal coach Justin Wilcox is pleased with the arrangement.

“We’re really happy to have him instead of playing against him, I can tell you that,” Wilcox said.

At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Buchanan will team with Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year Cade Uluave to give the Bears a powerful inside linebacker tandem.

Uluave says Buchanan was an excellent choice.

“Teddy is a dog. You look at him and you think, ‘Man, this guy looks serious.’ He’s a big, strong, fast, physical guy. I can’t wait to play with him.”

“He’s a fun guy. He brings a lot to the (linebacker) room. We’re lucky to have him. He’s a guy you want to be around. Teddy and I are ready to go out there and do our thing.”

Buchanan led the Aggies last season with 71 tackles and three interceptions. In four seasons, he has totaled 208 tackles, including 14.5 for loss, and eight interceptions in 36 games.

ESPN listed him among 32 players who could surprise fans nationwide.

Cal coaches weren’t surprised. They remember him from two years ago, when Buchanan had eight tackles and an interception in the Bears’ 34-13 win over the Aggies.

“He’s a very impressive young player. Physically, he’s a very talented player, we knew that when we played against him,” Wilcox said. “What’s even more impressive is his approach to football. He’s an absolute professional when it comes to training, meetings, visits, the way he takes care of his body, the lifts, all that. He’s a very, very motivated and responsible player.”

“The fact that he came here this summer and he’s where he is mentally with the defense, you can say he’s got the right stuff.”

Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon was particularly impressed with how quickly and thoroughly Buchanan adopted the Bears’ defensive system.

“Teddy has continued to show great maturity,” Sirmon said. “He’s been exceptional in the meeting room, asking the right questions. UC Davis, I can’t give them enough credit, they’ve done a fantastic job of raising a football player.”

Wilcox appreciates the emotions Buchanan may be feeling Saturday, but says his situation is hardly unique these days with the constant stream of player movements through the transfer portal.

“In this day and age, it’s become commonplace,” he said. “There will be more and more situations where players will play against their former team.”