AJ Alany brings you a closer look at the Red Raiders ahead of tomorrow's game in Shreveport.

Well that escalated quickly

$50 Amazon gift card to the winner -- sorry for late notice, but let's get those predictions in for tonight.

Login to view embedded media
Notre Dame transfer defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina is set to take a visit to Cal this weekend, beginning Friday. The grad transfer is currently ranked No. 210 in the Rivals Transfer Portal rankings. He was a four-star recruit as a high school prospect in the 2020 class out of Mullen High School in Denver. His most productive season came this year as he played in six games and registered 7 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. He's played in 11 games over four seasons with the Irish.

He has two seasons of remaining eligibility left. He's set to earn his degree in business administration from Notre Dame this winter.

Arizona and Charlotte are the two other schools that have offered him since entering the portal last week.

You can read a little more on him at the link below.

In this article, Maria takes a look at the top storylines as Cal closes up the 2023 season against Texas Tech at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
He turned it into a bit of a cruel joke but nonetheless, Jaydn Ott is BACK. The star Cal RB announced he is returning for his junior season this morning. Big, big news for the Bears.

Login to view embedded media
A big court ruling is going to allow double transfers to play in the next 14 days with West Virginia judge John P. Bailey granting a temporary restraining order of the NCAA's transfer rules stemming from two lawsuits brought on by WVU player RaeQuan Battle who had been seeking eligibility multi-time transfer. The feeling is that it will open the door for other lawsuits and for now the NCAA says it is not going to enforce its rules for transfers seeking a waiver. There will be a preliminary injunction hearing Dec. 27.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Archbishop Riordan offensive tackle prospect Kalolo Ta'aga has taken all his visits after seeing Arizona, Utah, Cal and USC in person in recent weeks, and now he's ready to make his commitment. USC got him on campus last week and is the favorite, but Cal has made a strong impression as well. The pull to stay close to home is real, but it will be a matter of if the Bears can do enough to overcome what he was able to experience in LA. The four schools he visited officially will be his finalists.

I caught up with Ta'aga to discuss his early-December official visit with the Bears and where things stand heading into his announcement this weekend.

"It was great to be able to visit and get the experience of what it feels like to stay close to home," he said. "The coaches over there are great. Coach [Justin] Wilcox has a great coaching staff behind him. Coach [Mike] Bloesch, he's shown the numbers as well. He's put his guys in the league, and he's coached guys who have never played football before — they were in my shoes. They also have great players. I have that connection with their players."

Read the full story below:

Our Week 13 winner is @drfunk4316 with a score of 12! Next best were @icbear with a score of 15 and @fjbards with the score of 18.

Here are the final standings. Remember, after Week 4 we drop each person’s two worst scores from the average provided they have participated all four weeks (or drop one score if a week has been missed). The bold scores are the scores that have been dropped.

Login to view embedded media
Oregon State has released its 2024 schedule (mostly) and Cal will host the Beavers on Sept. 28. Justin Wilcox has expressed plenty of disappointment over the breaking up of the conference, so it's not a big shock to see the Bears on Oregon State's schedule. Oregon and Washington State are the other two Pac-12 teams slated to face off with the Beavers next season.

Cal football is in Shreveport, Louisiana for the Independence Bowl against Texas Tech this Saturday. Aside from the actual game Dec. 16, the Bears will also get to participate in a plethora of other activities — because a bowl game is about much more than just the actual game.

From hogs to alligators to getting to visit a military base, both teams have a packed schedule of events. And whether it’s getting to experience something new, or once again getting to play in front of friends and family, the Bears’ trip to Shreveport for the Independence Bowl will certainly be one to remember.

Read all about what the Bears are up to in Shreveport here:

Login to view embedded media

Allowed only 1 sack and 6 pressures this season, played 599 snaps at left guard.

craziness all around.... $700m but most of that is deferred. Let's go Dodgers! Who else can we get?

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
2024 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle prospect Aiden Newbill has flipped his commitment from Northwestern to Cal. He's from Austin, Texas (Connally HS) so there are some clear connections there with Mike Bloesch. A nice late addition in the cycle and the 16th commitment overall in the class for the Bears.

Login to view embedded media

Here is Maria's latest article after today's media session with Justin Wilcox, Peter Sirmon and Mike Bloesch. The staff updated us on player availability for Saturday, the latest with recruiting, the transfer portal and more.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

Cal beats out Texas Tech, NC State, Utah, West Virginia and many others for playmaking defensive back Isaiah Crosby from Trinity Valley CC in Texas. He's the first junior college commit for the Bears in the cycle. He comes to Cal with two seasons of eligibility and 64 career tackles. He had 5 interceptions this season and has 6 in his career. He also had 5 pass breakups this year.

Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media
Here's Cal's depth chart for this week's game. Justin Wilcox says it is accurate in terms of players who are present should be available to play. That means Ben Finley, who is in the portal, is available as the backup quarterback as is kicker Mateen Bhaghani. Kaleb Elarms-Orr is not going to play (he's expected to visit Ohio State this weekend) meaning Nate Rutchena is in line to get the start next to Cade Ulave.

Taj Davis is one of the players Wilcox says has "moved on" from the program and will not play in the bowl game.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Carlsbad two-way athlete Luke Ferrelli has flipped his commitment from Stanford to Cal today. There was some thought he could end up as a tight end at the next level and was committed to Arizona at one point, but now he'll sign with the Bears as a linebacker. Solid player who garnered some significant attention this cycle.


Login to view embedded media

Sirmon met with Former Stanford Commit last week, offered him a scholarship and just he de-committed from Stanford today and committed to our Bears. Go Cal. 4star LB. He was committed to Arizona Wildcats this summer prior to the Stanford. Good job Sirmon. Let’s go Cal!

Coaches and players naturally come from across the nation. This trend even more so pronounced in the last 10 years as TV revenues made teams more ambitious, increasing coaching hires and recruiting across the map. With the Pac12 disappearing, there is obviously no longer a west coast/California-associated top-tier conference.

Looking at our own team, it's interesting to draw a line on our coaching staff from Sonny to Spav to Bloesch and so on to new position coaches. Or to look at how recruiting seems to have followed a similar trend. Taking QB, for example, the share of starting and recruited quarterbacks that played in high school from Pac12 regions is much less from 2012 to now vs 2002-2012, the decade prior. Obviously, there are other factors at play like how we haven't recruited the state as well as we could since Tedford and the increasing recruiting in California but schools on the other side of the country.

What does this look like in the next few years as we play in the ACC? Does hiring and recruiting follow more along geographical or conference lines? Does "California" (soon to be named "Cal Berkeley" lol) start looking more like Texas? The changing trends seem to be further exacerbated by the transfer portal become a state of revolving doors which creates greater change from year to year.

dupe

Login to view embedded media
Cal has announced another offensive staff hire today as Mike Saffell has been promoted from graduate assistant (offensive line) to the new tight ends coach for the Bears. He was a student assistant previously but took on a bigger role over the last couple years working closely with the offensive line group.

"Mike Saffell has been a tremendous asset to Cal football ever since he arrived as a player in 2017," Wilcox said. "Mike knows this program better than anyone and is universally respected. He has proven over the last seven years that he is absolutely dedicated to doing everything he can to help us win, and it will be exciting to see what he will accomplish in his new role."

Saffell played in 28 games and made 23 starts for the Bears during his playing career.

"I am grateful to coach Wilcox and the other coaches on this staff for showing their confidence in me," Saffell said. "Cal is a special place that has given so much to me, and I'm excited to be taking on this new role."

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Cal has picked up its fourth 2025 commitment today as Orange County-based inside linebacker Carter Jones has made his early college decision in favor of the Bears. He has several SEC offers plus schools such as Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State and Miami. This is a big win for the Bears, and he is someone who will end up being a cornerstone of the class moving forward. There could be some work to keep him in the fold, but it's a big pickup for the staff at a position that it wants solidified for the future.

The Bears are building a really nice class for 2025 already.


Login to view embedded media