Different Paths Lead to Opportunity For Cal RBs Ashton Stredick and Isaiah Ifanse

In its quest last spring to find a No. 2 running back behind Jaydn Ott, Cal landed a couple of Power 5 conference transfers in Byron Cardwell of Oregon and Justin Williams-Thomas of Tennessee.

But through two weeks of call camp, neither has practiced. Cardwell has been declared out for the season and there is no timetable on when Williams-Thomas might return from his injury.

That provides opportunity for others, and that’s all Ashton Stredick and Isaiah Ifanse have ever wanted.

Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital talks in the video at the top of this story about both players.

Both super productive as high school backs, neither was heavily recruited by big schools, primarily because they were considered a bit undersized.

They took different routes at that point, but now find themselves positioned to get meaningful playing time for the Bears.

Stredick, who rushed for 6,420 yards with 88 touchdowns at Needville High School in Texas, had scholarship offers from Baylor, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston but wanted to play out of state. He committed to Princeton of the Ivy League, then changed his mind and came to Cal as a preferred walk-on.

In three seasons at Berkeley, Stredick has carried the ball five times for 27 yards.

Now getting significant practice reps and after running for 71 yards in Sunday’s first fall scrimmage, the 5-foot-9, 200-pounder said of his prospects, “It’s very exciting. All the hard work is finally paying off. That’s what I came here to do. Not only proving it to other people but proving to myself that I can do that.”

Ifanse rushed for nearly 3,000 yards at Bellevue High School in Washington but his only FBS scholarship offers came from Army, Navy and Air Force, all of them involving a military commitment. Among FCS schools that pursued him, Ifanse chose Montana State over Wofford and Idaho.

It worked out well with the 5-9, 205-pounder setting a program record of 3,742 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns during his five seasons in Bozeman. He did all that despite playing on a torn left ACL since the 2019 season, an injury he finally had repaired in March of 2022.

“If I had to do it all over again, I would pick Montana State again. It was awesome,” Ifanse said. “Growing up I watched the Pac-12 all the time . . . it’s always been a dream playing in this conference.”

Ifanse, who already graduated from Montana State, is looking forward to milder Bay Area weather than he experienced at his previous stop. “I’ve been involved in some blizzard games and some practices that were below zero,” he said. “Overall, I had fun and I can look back and say it was a great time.”

From those different paths, Stredick and Ifanse now find themselves as teammates, each striving to get the chance they believe they are ready to embrace.

Ifanse said Stredick has been a huge help to him, showing him around and helping him catch to to learning a new offense. And he’s impressed by Stredick’s patience in pursuing his goals.

“I have a ton of respect for Ash — just seeing how he grinds in practice and in the weight room,” Ifanse said.

Could he have waited so patiently? “Honestly, I don’t know. I wanted to play.”

Without funds to pay his own way at a Pac-12 school, he chose the FCS scholarship, with no regrets.

Stredick admits his confidence dipped when he first arrived at Cal and wanted deep on the depth chart. Now he “definitely” sees opportunity.

His decision to come to Cal as a preferred walk-on rather than play at a lower level reflects more than his desire to attend the best school.

“That was just me betting on myself,” Stredick said. “I know I’m a hard worker and I’m dedicated to what I do. So I knew at some point I was going to get an opportunity.”

His academic opportunity was expanded when he recently was admitted into the Haas School of Business. And now the field is opening for opportunities on Saturdays.

“I’m glad that I came here,” he said. “It might not have bee the easiest route but I feel like I’ve gained the most out of everything. I’m not going to say it’s easy but definitely being patient was the key.”

Spavital talks more about Cal’s running back picture in the video below:

Cover photo of Ashton Stredick by Andrew Madsen, KLC fotos

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo