Tim DeRuyter hadn’t been at Cal too long before he had his first experience with “The Weav.”



DeRuyter, then the newly hired defensive coordinator on Justin Wilcox’s staff, was trying to pick up the pieces of what had been the nation’s No. 125 defense the previous season when a young defensive end dropped by his office.



“You know, coach, I’m the best player here,” said Evan Weaver, who had made 16 tackles as a reserve for the Bears in 2016 and won the team’s award for being the most intense freshman competitor.



“All right, big boy,” DeRuyter shot back. “You know I’ve watched your tape. That’s like being all-state in Rhode Island. There’s a reason why we’re (the new defensive coaching staff) here.”



Weaver now is the nation’s leading tackler and the ringleader of what has become one of the country’s toughest defenses — and most...