Cal enters the 2025 NCAA season with several players you might love or have never heard of — and that’s just fine.

For the sake of this article, I chose to discuss players the average Bears fan should know more about, excluding bigger names everyone knows, such as quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, linebacker Cade Uluave, wide receiver Trond Grizzell and cornerback Brent “Paco” Austin.

So, here are five key Cal players you must watch during the upcoming season.

Three honorable mentions: offensive tackle Leon Bell, running back Kendrick Raphael, safety Aiden Manutai.

Jacob De Jesus

The 5’7” senior transfer slot wide receiver does not have to prove himself to anyone in Berkeley.

Cal fans saw De Jesus rack up 142 all-purpose yards and a touchdown for UNLV in the Rebels’ 24-13 LA Bowl win over the Bears at SoFi Stadium in December. 

Fortunately for those Bears fans, the Manteca product is on their side now, and should space the floor in ways Mikey Matthews — now with his hometown UCLA Bruins — couldn’t as the primary slot receiver in 2024.

De Jesus simply is primed to be a safety valve for the Bears’ offense.

Over 27 games with UNLV, De Jesus collected 96 receptions for 1,118 yards and five touchdowns; 147 rushing yards with a score over 29 rushes; and 1,521 yards on a combined 68 punt and kick returns.

In layman’s terms, De Jesus is lightning in a bottle.

Harrison Taggart

The redshirt junior linebacker from BYU arguably was the Bears’ most underrated transfer portal acquisition.

Taggart, 6’1” and 235 pounds, collected 69 tackles over 12 starts in 2024, finishing barely behind teammate Isaiah Glasker for most tackles on the Cougars, but played in one less game than Glasker. Taggart also had one interception and a forced fumble.

Uluave was a force for Cal last season, alongside current Baltimore Ravens rookie Teddye Buchanan. The Bears seemingly — and impressively — replaced one professional prospect with another.

It is uncertain whether Taggart will start, as Colorado State transfer Buom Jock and returning redshirt freshman Luke Ferrelli are competitive options. However, it’s clear that Uluave will yet again pair up with a serious running mate between the hashes — and it’ll probably be Taggart, a fellow Utahn.

Sioape Vatikani

A redshirt junior, Vatikani is a seasoned veteran on new position coach Famika Anae’s revamped offensive line. He has played in 29 games — and started in 23 — over three seasons for Cal at both guard positions but was limited to just five appearances in 2024 due to injury. 

The 6’4”, 320-pound Vatikani has the opportunity to lead the Bears’ new sleuth of big bodies. 

Anea and Cal’s offense could use any support they can get, too, after the O-line allowed a disheartening 51 sacks a season ago — and that’s before mentioning the Bears’ completely new backfield with no Jack Endries at tight end.

Cal’s position battles are still going strong, and the O-line spots are, arguably, the most up for grabs. Vatikani, though, is a reliable and familiar option who could very well see plenty of interior snaps in 2025.

Ryan McCulloch

McCulloch is bound for a big junior year as Cal’s primary edge rusher.

He broke out a season ago, making six starts and collecting three sacks with eight quarterback hurries. Bears fans might not know that, however, as McCulloch’s success was overshadowed by that of his several former teammates — particularly edge rusher Xavier Carlton — who have since earned NFL opportunities.

The 6’3”, 225-pound McCulloch ended his sophomore campaign on a hot streak with 3.5 sacks and seven tackles over Cal’s last four games. He aims to pick up where he left off, and has set a personal goal of double-digit sacks this season.

Pay attention to No. 43 on the edge on game day.

Mason Mini

The Bears have had a glaring hole in their tight end room after local walk-on-turned-star Endries transferred to Texas to be a primary target for Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.

So, a big question surrounding Cal’s offense entering 2025 has been: Who will be the guy at tight end?

The answer very well could be Mini.

Mini, 6’4” and 240 pounds, is a redshirt sophomore from nearby Pacifica. He transferred to Cal after collecting 61 yards on five receptions for Idaho in 2024.

He shares a typical tight end build similar to Endries. As his strong fall camp nears completion, Mini has a good opportunity to start over other Bears tight ends Landon Morris and Jeffrey Johnson.

The tight end position is something for Cal fans to eye all year, but Mini should be a lock to see plenty of repetitions.