Cal’s Jacob Anderson emerges as surprise of training camp

Fourth string on the depth chart last month, Anderson is pushing senior Khari Vanderbilt for the starting safety job opposite Evan Rambo.

“He plays really fast, has a real knack for being in the right place at the right time, and I’ve been very, very pleased with him,” head coach Sonny Dykes said.

There’s always one or two guys that really make a jump from one year to the next, and I think with him, it was just about finding the right position and getting comfortable.

Anderson entered his senior year of high school with big expectations.

After recording 43 tackles as a junior, he seemed to find an ideal fit at safety.

A productive season, his coaches told him, would allow Anderson to build upon the couple offers he held from Division II programs.

After missing the Tillers’ 2012 opener with a bruised quad, he returned the next week to face rival Foothill High of Santa Ana.

Soon after, returning starter Damariay Drew suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

When training camp opened this month, Anderson was behind Vanderbilt and Luke Rubenzer — Cal’s top returning tackler — on the depth chart.

With Vanderbilt sidelined by minor injuries, Anderson earned the majority of first-team reps in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, after the media scrum surrounding him broke up, Anderson allowed himself to reflect on his circuitous path to a Pac-12 rotation.

Biaggio Ali-Walsh has committed to Cal, the three-star running back announced Sunday on Twitter.

Ali-Walsh, grandson of the late heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, rushed for 2,451 yards and 33 touchdowns on 203 carries as a junior last season.