Cal returned to the field at CMS Wednesday with a short practice as they get back to work after 10 days off for spring break. Justin Wilcox opted for a shorter practice but there was still a good opportunity to see some progress for the team as it heads into its second week of spring ball.

Here are some quick notes and observations from Day 5 for the Bears.

– The big news was the return (at least in part) of linebacker Cade Uluave. He finally made his first appearance at spring ball Wednesday, though he did not work with the team. He did go through some walk-through work before staying off to the side with the training staff for the rest of the day. It sounds like the hope is that he is able to get back on the field soon in some capacity. Wilcox and the coaches have been mum on his status or what has kept him off the field up to now, so it is a good sign to see him at least back with the team.

– The break also allowed for Mason Starling to get back on the field for the first time. The veteran receiver made some noise last offseason but then went down with an injury. He was back on the field Wednesday as he works back from his latest setback.

– On the field, it was a big day for the defensive backs as there were numerous pass breakups and interceptions for the secondary group. Marcus Scott II had the highlight play on an interception against Chandler Rogers who was looking for Nyziah Hunter during the final time period. Scott had a nice pass breakup earlier in that drive as well while working against Hunter. Freshman Dayday Aupiu also came up with an interception on the day as he hauled in a tipped pass working against Rogers.

Craig Woodson also nearly came up with an interception early in practice. During the 1-on-1 portion of practice there were quite a few standout plays by the defensive back group including pass breakups from Cam Sidney, Nohl Williams and Marcus Harris.

– Offensively, it was a nice day for several receivers including Mikey Matthews and Mavin Anderson. It was clear how much the short passing game was in focus during Wednesday's practice as much of the early portion was dedicated toward getting the inside receivers and running backs involved in the screen game. Matthews shined quite a bit on the day overall with a couple 20-yard catches to his credit while Anderson also caught a 25-yard pass over the middle during the lat team period working with Fernando Mendoza.

Marquez Dortch also put together an impressive showing Wednesday with a nice catch during the 1-on-1 portion practice in addition to some shorter catches during the team periods. Newcomer Cole Boscia remains impressive as well and he was able to haul in a pass from Mendoza during the 7-on-7 period that went for a first down. He had a few connections with Mendoza throughout the day.

– The defensive line also was able to get some good work in as well with Ryan McCulloch and Xavier Carlton both having batted passes during Wednesday's practice. Two freshmen inside linebackers also made an impact on Day 5 with Aaron Hampton and Eze Osondu both having standout plays. Hampton came up with a nice run stuff against Justin Williams-Thomas during the first team period while Osondu was able to bring some pressure and flush Mendoza out of the pocket leading to an incompletion.

– One position change was made Wednesday as freshman BJ Canady worked with the outside linebacker group after opening the spring with the defensive line.

- The Bears had several visitors on campus for practice Wednesday highlighted by four-star offensive lineman Champ Taulealea. Archbishop Riordan sophomore teammates Michael Mitchell, Jr. and Judge Nash were also both present at practice Wednesday.

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My write up is here. I'm sharing this news because Stojakovic is from the Sacramento area having played at Jesuit High School. I would imagine Madsen will make a run at him. I should add, he's asking for a lot of money in NIL and I'm not sure he's worth what he's asking for. I know the amount and he's nowhere near worth it, imo. But, I do know he liked living close to home with his father Peja coming to see him play. Cal would be even closer to home. Definitely a name to keep an eye on for Cal.

Cal Men's finished 2nd in NCAA 's, ending a two year streak of being the national champs. Great stat: for 14 years in a row, and counting, Cal was either first or second.
Cal used to not get points in the diving portion, but recently went out and raised money from donors for better diving facilities. Got a coach, recruited divers, and, now gets points in that area.
Spare me the excuses of why Cal can recruit swimmers over other sports, skip the long posts about the administration not supporting athletics, and let's effing figure this out....let Durden run the whole damn athletic program if that's what it takes...

just happened. Announced on Twitter. Kollock to Minnesota.
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And more here:

Washington State is losing Kyle Smith to Stanford. Strong hire but an interesting move by Smith who seems like he could have had some other better options had he waited out the process a bit.


I know this doesn't impact Cal moving forward but Washington also hired its next coach pulling Danny Sprinkle from Utah State after one season. He's made the NCAA Tournament three times in the last three years (twice at Montana State and this year at USU). His contract is a pretty hefty one for a coach stepping into a power conference job for the first time.

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Devin Askew has entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal today. He played in six games this season before being shut down with an foot injury. He also battled an eye injury early in the season. Frees up another scholarship for the Bears.

Hopefully our future B10 conference mates. A man can dream

Probably not a huge surprise to anyone …

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Rivals250 quarterback Jackson Kollock was at Cal for the final two spring practices of the week giving him an opportunity to spend time around the staff and with the team. He left Berkeley feeling very good about the direction the Bears are going, and now the team is squarely in the mix for his commitment as he continues to take more trips. He's not yet ready to make a decision, but the Bears helped themselves quite a bit over the weekend.

"They helped themselves a lot," he said. "It's definitely one of the top places on my board right now. Before that, I wasn't really thinking about it too much, but after the visit, they're definitely in the top."

I didn't put this in the story, but Kollock said he was assured by the staff that they are going to do their due diligence in quarterback recruiting and understand that a lot of different things can happen. Kollock says they have made it clear to Robert McDaniel that they will continue to recruit other quarterbacks, and he is not going to be impacted by the fact that Cal already has a quarterback committed for 2025.

"Having someone else there would not faze me at all," he said. "I know I'm gonna go in there and compete and beat out whoever is there. Having competition doesn't scare me at all. I love competition. It makes you better, and I like winning. So I'm gonna do go out there and do whatever I can to get that spot."

I watched Kollock at the Under Armour NEXT camp in Orange County yesterday, and he put together a solid showing. He checks off a ton of boxes and would be a strong fit for what the Bears hope to accomplish under Mike Bloesch.

Colorado State is probably the biggest competition right now for the former Washington commit. I could see some other programs getting involved as the process plays out this spring, but Cal is doing a good job of setting itself up right now.

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Here's what I've got as of now ...

2025s

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ATH Dominik Calhoun (Pittsburg HS)
EDGE Jesse Myers (Cardinal Newman HS)


2026s

Login to view embedded media EDGE Anthony Jones (Crean Lutheran)

2027
ATH Caden Jones (Crean Lutheran)

Note: Kollock's visit was set before Robert McDaniel committed and it sounds like he's still planning on coming. I don't know yet if Cal will look to take two QBs, but this early in the cycle you keep your options open. I talked to Kollock last week and he was very eager for this visit to Berkeley.

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Cal held its annual pro day today and there were eight players who performed in front of scouts. It was a solid day for all involved but a couple players certainly helped themselves. Isaiah Ifanse set a couple personal records while Monroe Young did enough to earn a meeting with the 49ers and an invite to come to a workout here soon.

Jackson Sirmon surprised everyone by going through some long snapping drills to end the day as he wanted to showcase his versatility and ability to help a team in any way possible. I was able to speak with a number of the top players afterward and you can see those interviews above.

Day 4 of Cal Spring Practice was the second straight with pads and physicality. While addressing the team post-practice and during the post-game interview, Justin Wilcox touted the competitiveness that the team showed in the drills.

Here are some takeaways from what stood out on Saturdays practice.

- Both quarterbacks had their moments during practice. For Mendoza, a 20-yard dart to sophomore transfer from Utah Mikey Mathew was the highlight of his 11-on-11 drills. Mendoza also used his feet, both in scrambling and designed quarterback runs. Mendoza did throw an interception to Idaho transfer Marco Harris, who was touted by coach Wilcox after the game and is putting together a solid series of practices. Mendoza also threw at interception to Nohl Williams during the 7-on-7s.

Redshirt Senior and first-year Golden Bear Chandler Rogers, on the other hand, also made several plays. His first drive in 11-on-11 drills featured a 19 yard completion to Jack Endries and a deep pass to redshirt freshman Nyziah Hunter. In two drives I charted in 11-on-11 drills, Rogers only had one incompletion on a tipped pass. He also showed out on the 7-on-7 drills red zone drills, throwing a touchdown to Marquez Dortch, and completing a 20 yard bomb to Jack Endries. Much like Mendoza, Rogers was not afraid to scramble if he didn’t like what he saw, and did so several times during the drills.

- Among the top storylines for the Golden Bears was the hiring of Mike Bloesch as offensive coordinator. When asked, coach Wilcox mentioned that there is plenty of overlap between Bloesch and prior coordinator Jake Spavital’s systems, making for an easier transition for the young Bears’ offense.

- Arguably the Bears’ biggest weakness, the inside linebacker group did not change any minds. Cade Ulave, who came strong for the Bears last season, did not practice on Saturday. As such, the group was thin, and it showed in several long runs and middle-of-the field completions during drills.

- The receiver room is crowded, and plenty of them are making a name for themselves. Marquez Dortch saw a few targets and made plays, as did Issac Torres. Come opening day, the receiver rotation for the Bears feels like it can go a number of ways. There are plenty of opportunities for transfers and younger guys to get a significant role, and it’ll be interesting to see it play out.

- Some of the Bears best rushing games in 2023 saw a plethora of backs featured. While Ott has proven capable of taking on a heavy load, mixing up the running back rotation is often optimal. On Saturday’s practice, senior transfer Kadarius Calloway showed out strong. A bruising power back, he showed out throughout practice, and had a big run towards the end. Coach Wilcox mentioned looking forward to seeing Calloway in pads, and he certainly showed out today. Calloway has an opportunity to take a part of Isaiah Ifanse’s old role as a rotational back. Much like Calloway, Ifanse was a power runner with speed that put together several strong games behind Ott.

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Day 3 of Cal spring practice meant pads for the first time. The Bears have had good intensity through the first week of spring ball, and that continued with some contact. There were no completely live periods during Friday's practice, but the players were allowed to get more physical.

Here's a quick rundown of what I saw during the latest day of work for the Bears.

– Fernando Mendoza remains impressive at the quarterback position for Cal. Today he was very vocal and is truly becoming comfortable in his position as the starting quarterback for the Bears. He was barking out orders and getting his teammates lined up where they needed to be, and everything about his game continues to look improved. To me, his passing is beyond that of Chandler Rogers right now and he's not made many mistakes. I say many over any because he did throw an interception today during the 7-on-7 period as newcomer Ja'ir Smith was able to make a nice play on a pass intended for Marquez Dortch for the turnover.

– Rogers has remained steady and made some impressive plays himself. He hit Nyziah Hunter for a 20-yard completion early in practice and had an impressive connection with tight end Marquis Montgomery during the 7-on-7 period for about 14 yards.

– The running back unit has so much talent and it feels like a different player has shined every practice. Dean-Taylor Chapman made some impressive plays Friday including taking a screen for about 35 yards late in practice. He also had a run that went for more than 20 yards earlier in the day. Jaivian Thomas has also been steady through the first few days.

– It was an impressive day overall for the defense as there were turnovers created and havoc for the quarterbacks regularly throughout the practice. Ryan McCulloch was able to get pressure on Rogers early in practice to force a difficult throw. That was followed up by a strong play from safety Craig Woodson to stop Thomas on a short run.

Newcomer Isaiah Crosby also made an impressive play coming up on a blitz to bat down a pass from Rogers during the first team period. Late in practice, Cam Sidney came up with a well-played pass breakup working against Hunter.

Up front, R.J. Stephens and Woodson both made strong plays to stop Thomas on run attempts during the late team period. Marcus Harris worked against Tobias Merriweather late in practice and made a nice play to force the Cal receiver out of bounds on a throw in the end zone.

Lucas Vanderlind put a big hit on Merriweather to end practice.

– Ron Rivera is on campus for the coach's clinic tonight and tomorrow, and he spoke to the team before practice. He is the keynote speaker for the event, so he spent time watching practice. OL alum Alex Mack spoke with the team after practice and spent a good amount of time with the offensive line group after that.

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Cal was back to work Wednesday morning with another shorter practice, but there were more opportunities to see the team putting in some work. I will say the intensity has been pretty good the first couple days. There's been a couple, what I'd call, dust-ups between the offense and defense with plenty of competition on both sides.

This time of year is all about fundamentals, so there is a ton of teaching going on but the Bears had a couple team periods and an end-of-practice situation period that had good intensity as well.

Here's a few quick notes to hold you over until I can put together a full writeup from Wednesday's practice.

– Talking with Mike Bloesch after practice, he mentioned the desire to want to stretch the field and that was on display Wednesday. The quarterbacks took more shots on Day 2 than they did on Day 1 and it worked out for the better. The highlight was a 50-yard pass from Chandler Rogers to Tobias Merriweather that energized the offense to close out the 7-on-7 period.

– Fernando Mendoza continues to look sharp through his first couple days of the spring, and Bloesch said he should be considered the starter right now as the team figures out the competition. He had a nice deep ball to J.T. Byrne during the 7-on-7 period and continues to look as confident as ever. He even had a very nice run that would have went for about a 60-yard touchdown had it not been called dead because of the no-contact nature of practice. Mendoza showcased some nice burst that hasn't been seen much from him previously.

– Defensively, Matthew Littlejohn continues to have a strong showing in the secondary. He had a nice battle going with slot receiver Mikey Matthews during Wednesday's practice and did a good job of keeping the Utah transfer in check throughout the team periods.

– Freshman Josiah Martin was able to showcase his abilities that landed him a ton of offers with a 37-yard touchdown catch from Belay Brummel with Mayze Bryant in coverage. Martin had to go over the top for the catch and he hauled it in for a score in the final team period.

– At the running back position, Jaivian "Jet" Thomas shined on Day 2. He had a couple really nice runs but did his most damage in the passing game. In a situational period to end practice, he caught a screen pass from Mendoza that he took 43 yards for a touchdown up the left sideline to end the day. It was a brilliant play call that had Mendoza throw across the field to make the play fooling the defense a bit.

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Madsen is pushing alot of players out? Or are the last two players a surprise? Any of the bball insiders wanna chime in?

Here are today's post-practice interviews as the Bears opened up spring ball this morning. I'll have a more lengthy writeup coming out later, but things went about as expected. Cade Uluave was not with the team today (undisclosed) but Wilcox says he expects him to be back on the field soon.

Idaho transfer CB Marcus Harris looks like the real deal. He picked off Chandler Rogers during one of the team periods. There was a lot of mixing and matching with the first and second units.

I though Fernando Mendoza carried himself with a ton more confidence on Day 1 of practice than at any point last year. He looked sharp. Rogers throws a good ball but looks like he's still trying to figure the timing and QB/WR relationship this early in the spring. Nick Morrow (LT) and Bastian Swinney (C) were the two new guys along the first unit offensive line.

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Apologies for the delay, here is the writeup from yesterday's practice as the team prepares to hit the field again tomorrow morning.

The 2026 class ranking has been expanded from 100 players to a full Rivals250: https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals250/2026

Ten highest debuts: https://n.rivals.com/news/rivals-rankings-week-ten-highest-ranked-debuts-in-the-rivals250

Adam Gorney goes position-by-position: https://n.rivals.com/news/tuesdays-with-gorney-new-2026-rivals250-released

I won't have a full list until later in the week, but anything we see between now and then we'll certainly throw in here:

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When SFGATE reached out to Cal athletics about Rodgers’ recent remarks, a spokesperson replied that Cal does not have any comment on them. The spokesperson additionally said there have been “no changes” to Rodgers’ standing with the program or the status of his name on the football team’s locker room at this time.

Click to expand...

SFGATE story link

I take a look at some of the top storylines as Cal opens up spring practice this morning.

(7) Cal (13-18, 9-11 Pac-12) vs. (10) Stanford (13-17, 8-12)

When: Wednesday, March 13 | 6 p.m.
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada | T-Mobile Arena
Watch: Pac-12 Network | Ted Robinson (PxP) & Don MacLean (Analyst)
Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)

I'm in Las Vegas and will be locked in for Cal's first game of the Pac-12 Tournament later tonight. The Bears will square off with Stanford as both look to extend their seasons. It'll be a rematch of last week's meeting at Stanford, and the Bears will be looking to avenge that 80-58 loss.

As always, we invite you to join the conversation and follow along for updates from T-Mobile Arena.

Here’s a look at this weekends visitors for the Bears.

Friday

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As ESPN's Pete Thamel is reporting, Cal and Mark Madsen have reached an agreement on an extension that will keep him under contract with the Bears until 2029-30. Obviously, there is a job that is expected to be coming open soon that could have come into play, so this takes any of that pressure away.

Cal is just 13-18 entering this week's Pac-12 Tournament but has looked like a much better team in conference play and is in a much better spot than last season. The Bears will again have to retool the roster but Madsen has proved himself to be invested in the program and has made plenty of strides leading the team in his first season.