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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.

Still a bit early, but at 7-7 it’s not looking so good for the men’s BB team and Coach Madsen’s second term. Any thoughts on how this season is going to end up especially as we enter into the meat of the ACC schedule? It’s looking a bit grim to me especially after watching the Clemson game…

Does anyone have a list of QBs Cal can target?

At this point do we take two? A veteran and a 4 star type dude who sat on the bench at X school?

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GAME INFO

Who: Cal (7-6, 0-2 ACC; last game: 86-74 loss to Pitt) at Clemson (11-3, 3-0; last game: 85-71 win over Stanford)
When: 5:30 p.m. PT
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum | Clemson, South Carolina
TV/streaming: ESPN2 | Wes Durham (PxP) & Dan Bonner (analyst)
Radio: 810 AM | Justin Allegri (PxP)
All-time series: Tied 1-1
Odds: Clemson (-14.5), O/U (148.5) – via BetMGM

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James Madison strength coach Jason Novak has been hired as Cal's new head football athletic performance coach today. He was previously at Michigan State before spending the year at James Madison and also had a stint at IMG Academy in Florida. Novak was the strength coach at Central Michigan for several years and was an assistant strength coach for the Tennessee Titans as well.

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College of San Mateo TE Simon Mapa (6-5, 240) has picked up an offer from Cal while on a visit today. UTEP also offered him today plus he holds offers from Sac State, New Mexico State and Tennessee State. Mapa was fourth on CSM this season with 15 catches for 159 yards receiving.

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