As we did last year, we will use this space to keep track of all the transfer news for the Bears this winter. I am expecting Cal to be plenty active in the coming weeks, so there will be plenty of news to watch. This top post will be where I keep track of all the additions and departures for the Bears, so make sure to check back here to see what the overall picture looks like this transfer season.

Additions
– DL Tyson Ford (Notre Dame | Dec. 13)
– K Kyle Cunanan (Charlotte | Dec. 15)
– CB Jaden Mickey (Notre Dame | Dec. 20)
– CB Hezekiah Masses (FIU | Dec. 20)
– OL LaJuan Owens (New Mexico | Dec. 21)
– OL Tyson Ruffins (Nevada | Dec. 21)
– OL Lamar Robinson (Georgia State | Dec. 22)
– DB Tristan Dunn (Washington | Dec. 23)
– OL Leon Bell (Mississippi State | Dec. 27)
– ILB Buom Jock (Colorado State | Dec. 27)
– QB Jaron Sagapolutele (Oregon | Jan. 5)
– P Brook Honore Jr. (Arkansas State | Jan. 6)
– OL Jordan Moko (Charlotte | Jan. 6)
– OLB Jayden Wayne (Washington | Jan. 6)
– TE Mason Mini (Idaho | Jan. 8)
– LS Caleb Johnston (Washington | Jan. 8)
– WR Jacob de Jesus (UNLV | Jan. 10)
– WR Dazmin James (Arkansas | Jan. 13)
– DB Dru Polidore (Montana State | Jan. 17)
– QB Devin Brown (Ohio State | Jan. 21)

Departures
– OL Matthew Wykoff (Dec. 1) – committed to Houston
– TE J.T. Byrne (Dec. 2) – committed to Georgia Tech
– TE Nate Rutchena (Dec. 2) – committed to UC Davis
– DB Brooklyn Cheek (De. 5) – committed to Wyoming
– P Bobby Engstler (Dec. 5) – committed to Arkansas State
– WR Nyziah Hunter (Dec. 9) – committed to Nebraska
– QB Fernando Mendoza (Dec. 10) – committed to Indiana
– LS David Bird (Dec. 13) – committed to Alabama
– WR Josiah Martin (Dec. 19) – committed to Oklahoma
– WR Mikey Matthews (Dec. 23) – committed to UCLA
– K Derek Morris (Dec. 23)
– DB Matthew Littlejohn (Jan. 3)
– QB Chandler Rogers (Jan. 6)
– QB CJ Harris (Jan. 17)
– OLB David Reese (Jan. 21)

And today was announced as a new inductee for the College Football Hall of Fame!
Go Bears!

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Ohio State junior quarterback Devin Brown has officially signed with Cal today signaling the end of his recruitment. He committed to the Bears a while back but wanted to focus on the CFP so kept it under wraps (poorly). He'll join incoming freshman Jaron Sagapolutele and College of San Mateo transfer Dominic Ingrassia as the newcomers to the quarterback room with the Bears.

Brown, who was the No. 4-ranked quarterback in the 2022 class by Rivals and a top-100 prospect, was never able to get on the field consistently in Columbus but does have at least some experience. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Arizona native played in nine games this season and went 11 for 20 for 114 yards and a touchdown. He'll have two seasons of remaining eligibility left with the Bears.

There are lots of speculation but who will it be ?

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Done deal. Cal has signed Jaron Sagapolutele this morning after his commitment last night now is public. A huge deal for the Bears, and he'll be who the program builds around going into the future. I'd still expect Cal to continue looking at quarterback options but Sagapolutele will be the focus of this offseason at the position.

Nice physical win and Blackshear actually was clutch as the end.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401724808/california-nc-state

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As I mentioned in the other thread, I am in Hawaii this week for the Polynesian Bowl. Arrivals begin today but for Cal that means two guys just have to pop over to Waikiki since they are already on the island, and the other one has already made his way back home from Berkeley for the game. The Bears will be represented by three players in the game, which will take place Friday, with quarterback transfer/freshman Jaron Sagapolutele being the top name on the list. Fellow 2025 recruits Aiden Manutai and Lebron Williams will also participate in the event this week.

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Another name to know will be defensive back Madden Soliai who plays at Kahuku HS with Manutai and Williams and is a member of the 2026 class. There are going to be 20 underclassmen participating in the event this year for the first time.

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I'll be tracking all the Cal commits this week in practice and will provide updates here. Today is the check-in day so no field work but will try and grab all three for interviews.

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Working up a full story with more ...

I’m headed out to Hawaii today for the Polynesian Bowl (three Cal commits on the roster) today so will be away for a big portion of the day. Ryan will take care of you guys in regards to any news happening.

The Navy All-American Bowl is taking place today and Cal is the favorite for 2025 OL Justin Hasenhuetl who will announce at the event.

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Cal down 11 at the beginning of the second half. JOJ, Mady and Campbell are caring us offensively. Blacksher is 1-8. Andrej is also 1-8 but regularly double teamed. Jeremiah struggled. Defense giving up too many open mid-range shots and drives to the hoops.

And cover photo on ESPN.com…nice!

Don’t think there is one of these and I’m having a hard time keeping up.

We have 8 OL in this cycle? Music to my ears

@Matt Moreno can you help us list out all the post-signing day additions?

Arkansas (RS) freshman WR Dazmin James has committed to Cal. 6'2" 4.29 40, 10.4 100m. Offensive MVP in Liberty Bowl.

Today’s game just was unacceptable for a variety of reasons and very hard to watch as a Cal fan and as a game that featured the same bad and reoccurring problems just like those that occurred in earlier games from which we should have learned more than a few lessons. I mentioned to seatmate Gen4 and my guest before the tipoff that it was a mistake to start Blacksher instead of Wilkinson and that perhaps JOJ should be starting in the place of Rytis (although that admittedly is a close call). Instead, Mark continued to start Blacksher, and once again we get off to another rotten start which ultimately cost us the game. When things are not working very well with a starting lineup, why not try to fix the issue with a different starting lineup? Blacksher’s +/- was a very poor (our team’s worst) -15, and Wilkinson’s +/- was a team best + 6. Blacksher shoots a miserable 2-9 from the field (1-7 from the 3-point line) and as a PG running our offense, he had a grand total of just 1 assist as he dribbles around aimlessly). In stark contrast, Jeremiah went a respectable 6 for 13 from the field and 1 for 3 from the 3 point line. Those stats scream out why Jeremiah needs to start and play significantly more minutes instead of Blacksher. If Blacksher is not right physically, then that factor may also suggest that change is needed ASAP. Even though JOJ versus Rytis seem to be a push due to their respective strengths and weaknesses, it seems like we could use more scoring threats on the court at the game’s start (Rytis was 0-5 from the field, with JOJ going 2-6); our game's starting scoring drought is seemingly a glaring deficiency that JOJ can help solve, while playing decent defense and rebounding well as a very athletic player. We also seem to have to try to get Andrej more involved in our offense in the first half, because during the last two games we have seen a different and better Andrej in the second half and a challenged Andrej in the first half for reasons that are unapparent to me. IMO, if we are going to win as many games (13) as last year, Mark and his staff need to change the way that they are preparing for games and coaching during games.

Matt has the story on the German prospect!

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Cal has added another College of San Mateo player to the roster for 2025 after edge rusher John Gayer announced his commitment just a few minutes ago. The Bears just came in with an offer to Guyer a couple days ago and he jumped on it. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher was the defensive player in the state after setting multiple records at CSM this season. He finished the year with 53 tackles (tied the team lead) to go along with a school-record 15.5 sacks plus 21.5 tackles for loss and 2 pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

He will have 3 years to play 2 seasons with the Bears and is a December grad meaning he will be on campus here soon clearing the way for him to participate in spring practice. UTEP, UMass, Akron, UC Davis and Bowling Green had been some of the other schools pursuing him. He took a visit to Bowling Green in the fall.

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With all the additions, what would the starting line look like? Would Vatikani start at LG if healthy?

Jones and his family lost their home in the fires.

GAME INFO

Who: Cal (7-7, 0-3 ACC; last game: 80-68 loss to Clemson) vs. Virginia (8-6, 1-2; last game: 70-50 loss to Louisville)
When: 8:00 p.m. PT
Where: Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, California
TV/streaming: ESPNU | Roxy Bernstein (PxP) and Jerod Haase (analyst)
Radio: 810 AM | Justin Allegri (PxP) and Theo Robertson (analyst)
All-time series: Virginia leads 2-0
Odds: Cal (-4.5), O/U (132.5) – via BetMGM

Cal goes back to work and is favored heading into tonight's matchup with the Cavaliers in the first game at Haas Pavilion in close to a month. Stick around for updates and join the conversation throughout the game.

Read Kenzo's latest analysis piece here ahead of tonight's matchup.

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I stepped out to get some dinner before the basketball game and Cal got another commitment haha

Simon Mapa is the fourth CSM commitment for the Bears in the 2025 cycle. He averaged 10.9 yards per catch in 2024.

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Nevada transfer OL Tyson Ruffins has flipped his commitment from Stanford to Cal. If I find out anything from the Stanford end, I’ll let you guys know.

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Figured this probably needed its own thread. Cal has landed a commitment from former four-star edge rusher Jayden Wayne. The 6-foot-6, 262 pound outside linebacker began his career at Miami before returning home to Washington and will have two seasons of remaining eligibility at Cal. Wayne played in 11 games this season for the Huskies and came up with 6 tackles (4 solo) and a pass breakup. He was once rated as the No. 83 prospect in the 2023 class but has had a tough time breaking through so far in his career.