Cal football position preview: Secondary

In the buildup to the start of preseason camp Aug. 1, The Chronicle is analyzing Cal position-by-position. The sixth installment focuses on the secondary, which is looking to recover from some key losses:

The starters: NB Cameron Walker (5-10, 185, Sr.); CB Antoine Albert (6-1, 190, Sr.); CB Darius Allensworth (6-0, 190, Jr.); S Khari Vanderbilt (6-1, 195, Sr.); S Evan Rambo (6-3, 205, So.)

Two years ago, Cal’s secondary was a national laughingstock. An injury-depleted group was last among FBS schools with 367.2 passing yards allowed per game, and the 42 touchdown passes it surrendered were the most ever by a Power Five school.

So it was no small feat last season when the Bears finished sixth in the Pac-12 in pass defense. Of course, building on that breakthrough year could prove tricky.

Starters Darius White and Stefan McClure are with the Indianapolis Colts, and safety Damariay Drew — the team’s top returning tackler — suffered a season-ending ACL tear in spring practice. Then Griffin Piatt, a candidate to replace Drew in the starting lineup, left the team after a long string of injuries.

There is still reason for optimism. Walker is back at nickelback, a position that maximizes his versatility. Allensworth is a preseason candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back, after recording a team-high 12 passes defended. Ten of the 26 letter-winners returning on defense are defensive backs.

In other words, the Bears’ secondary is filled with players who’ve appeared in games — even if they’ve never started. After playing sparingly their first year in Berkeley, former JUCO transfers Albert and Vanderbilt are challenging for starting jobs. Rambo, a standout in practice last season, is the front-runner for McClure’s old safety spot.

In the spring, Sonny Dykes said, “We have depth for the first time.” That depth has since diminished a bit, but this is hardly a dooms-day scenario like 2014.

The backups: NB Trey Turner (6-0, 195, So.); CB Malik Psalms (6-2, 185, R-Fr.); CB Camryn Bynum (6-1, 180, Fr.); S Luke Rubenzer (6-0, 195, Jr.); S Jaylinn Hawkins (6-1, 200, R-Fr.)

To keep pace with the spread offenses that riddle the Pac-12, the Bears try to rotate their defensive backs regularly. Their stable of young — albeit largely unproven — players should be capable of spelling the starters from time to time.

Rubenzer, back at safety after a brief return to quarterback in the spring, is Cal’s top returning tackler available. After showing flashes as a freshman of his playmaking potential, Turner will settle into a regular rotation gig. Psalms and Hawkins could contend for starting jobs with strong training camps.

Another name to know: CB Marloshawn Franklin (6-0, 180, Jr.)

Franklin had planned to enroll at Cal in the spring before learning he needed to finish up a class at Mesa Community College (Ariz.). Though his later-than-expected arrival in Berkeley hurt his chances of starting this season, Franklin boasts the makings of a training-camp revelation: college experience, a Pac-12-ready frame and a high football IQ.

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com . Twitter: @Con_Chron