Since new Cal football head coach Tosh Lupoi\u2019s Oregon Ducks were eliminated from the College Football Playoff, he has been at UC Berkeley full time to focus solely on rebuilding Cal\u2019s program and culture. His mission has been reflected in the Bears\u2019 portal acquisitions, which has marked a solid start to the offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last week, Cal had multiple top-end portal acquisitions such as wide receiver Ian Strong from Rutgers, running back Adam Mohammed from Washington and edge rusher Solomon Williams from Texas A&M.<\/p>\n
This week, the chaos continued.<\/p>\n
The NCAA transfer portal officially closed for entry Jan. 16. Since the NCAA opted to remove the second window for portal entry that typically opens in late spring, those who wish to enter the portal can no longer do so unless they are on one of the two National Championship teams or their head coach departs from the team. However, players already in the portal can still choose a destination up until respective university enrollment deadline dates.<\/p>\n
That leaves Cal with a final total of 32 transfers out of Berkeley and 29 and counting coming in. Here is an update on who Lupoi and his staff have picked up in the past week.<\/p>\n
Incoming transfers:<\/p>\n
Kamar Mothudi (Oregon), linebacker<\/p>\n
Mothudi\u2019s arrival begins to address the Cade Uluave-sized hole in the Bears\u2019 second level defense. A former four-star recruit, he was the No. 3 inside linebacker in his class coming out of Los Alamitos High School. After redshirting his first year for the Ducks, Mothudi saw limited but productive snaps during the 2025 season. After Oregon\u2019s tough loss to Indiana in the Peach Bowl where Mothudi tallied four tackles, he\u2019ll be hungry to make another College Football Playoff run with his fellow Bears in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jericho Johnson (Oregon), defensive lineman<\/p>\n
Following his trusted Oregon defensive coordinator to Berkeley, Johnson is a young and uber-talented interior defensive lineman with a sky-high ceiling. A highly touted recruit out of Fairfield, CA, Johnson was the No. 9 overall recruit in his high school class. While he didn\u2019t record many stats in 2025, the 6\u20194\u201d 342-pound unit saw the field in 9 games as a redshirt freshman, notably on an Oregon team that was ripe with stars and No. 7 nationwide in total defense. Johnson is likely to slot directly into the Bears\u2019 starting defensive alignment upon his return to his home state.<\/p>\n
AJ Tuitele (USC), linebacker<\/p>\n
Tuitele entered the portal on the last day it was open and decided to move his talents to Cal after playing just three games in his true freshman season at USC. The 6\u20192\u201d and 215-pound linebacker potentially has all four seasons of eligibility remaining after limited time with the Trojans, and he will be in a spot to compete for a starting role with the Bears. After Uluave and Luke Ferrelli both transferred, Cal\u2019s linebacker spot is wide open. Tuitele was ranked as high as the No. 1 overall high school recruit out of Nevada and No. 15 linebacker in the nation by On3. While a lot is unknown about how Tuitele\u2019s talent will translate to the collegiate level, there will be an opportunity for him to get some playing time at Cal.<\/p>\n
Ricky Fletcher (Ole Miss), cornerback<\/p>\n
Fletcher joins the Cal secondary fresh off starting three games for Ole Miss during its CFB playoff run. In his sophomore year at Southern Alabama, the 6\u20193 200 pound defensive back had 38 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Fletcher was graded as the fourth best SEC cornerback during the season by Pro Football & Sports Network, though he struggled for playing time down the stretch for the Rebels. Fletcher\u2019s raw talent combined with the expertise of new Cal defensive backs and co-defensive coordinator Da\u2019Von Brown will be key in his development.<\/p>\n
Daniel Harris (Georgia), cornerback<\/p>\n
With the departure of senior cornerbacks Hezekiah Masses and Brent \u201cPaco\u201d Austin, the Bears were in desperate need of secondary support via the transfer portal, and Harris is just that. He is the No. 14 corner in this year\u2019s transfer class according to 247Sports and No. 16 according to On3. The former four-star high school recruit spent three years at Georgia and had his best year in 2024 as a sophomore, totalling 22 tackles and three passes defended. He played in eight games in 2025 and had limited snaps due to an injury, but will likely get an opportunity to shine with higher volume at Cal.<\/p>\n
Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Arizona), cornerback<\/p>\n
A highly touted prospect, Groves-Killebrew was an All-American in high school and originally signed with Texas A&M. After limited opportunity, he made a stop in Louisville before finding playing time at Arizona. In 2024, the 6\u20190\u201d, 179-pound cornerback played in 10 games and made 26 tackles with four pass breakups and a sack. In 2025, his playing time was slightly more limited, as he made seven tackles in as many games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Expect Groves-Killebrew to vie for a starting position as he helps fill out Cal\u2019s defensive back room.<\/p>\n
Cooper Perry (Oregon), wide receiver<\/p>\n
The Scottsdale, Arizona, local played in 12 games and caught 10 passes for 25 yards as a true freshman for the Ducks this past year. Perry was a four-star high school recruit that showed high-end quickness and after-the-catch abilities. His game is similar to that of Jacob De Jesus, who set Cal\u2019s all-time record for receptions in 2025 \u2014 although Perry stands at 6\u20191\u201d compared to De Jesus\u2019 5\u20197\u201d. Perry comes to Cal seeking an opportunity for more volume as he was outshined at Oregon by a stacked wide receiver core including upperclassmen such as Malik Benson and Kenyon Sadiq. Perry will once again be competing with wide receiver transfers Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks, but he has obvious potential to break out as a former four-star recruit. Cal star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele throwing the ball will likely help the Bears\u2019 receivers take a step up in 2026 as well.<\/p>\n
Jackson Brousseau (Colorado State), quarterback<\/p>\n
Brousseau finished the season as the starting quarterback on a struggling Colorado State team. In eight starts, the Utah native completed 128\/201 passes for 1,354 yards and nine touchdowns, culminating in a 323 yard and two touchdown performance in the 2025 regular season finale against Air Force. While the former Ram will be a backup to Sagapolutele, Brousseau brings starting FBS experience to an otherwise extremely young quarterback room.<\/p>\n
Kahlee Tafai (Minnesota), offensive lineman\u00a0<\/p>\n
A massive figure at 6\u20196\u201d and 340 pounds, Tafai makes the trip from Minnesota to Berkeley to join this revamped Cal offensive line. Originally a Washington Husky, the departing Golden Gopher has played on both sides of the line but will likely be an offensive hog for the Bears in 2026. He didn\u2019t get a clear chance to play regularly in Minnesota, but expect Tafai to be part of the Cal\u2019s offensive line plans in 2026.<\/p>\n
Ashton Rivera (Kent State), offensive lineman<\/p>\n
Rivera started 10 out of\u00a0 11 games played at Kent State in his redshirt junior season. He is a dynamic player standing at 6\u20192\u201d and 310 pounds, playing all around the offensive line for his previous teams. He went to Kent State after a stint at Florida International, where he was teammates with another new Bear Mykeal Rabess, although Rivera didn\u2019t get a lot of playing time at FIU. With his wealth of experience, Rivera has a chance to compete for a starting job alongside the four new offensive lineman who have made their way to Berkeley.<\/p>\n
Emmanuel Okoye (Tennessee), edge<\/p>\n
With elite athleticism and a 6\u20195\u201d, 240-pound frame and a 7\u20192\u201d wingspan, Okoye is a big unknown with a ton of potential for Cal\u2019s pass rushing unit. Originally from Nigeria, Okoye attended the NFL Academy in the United Kingdom and enrolled at Tennessee in the summer of 2023. He played mostly tight end in camp before redshirting in his first year and switching to defensive end. In 2024, he had a season-ending knee injury and only played special teams in 2025. That means Okoye has barely had a chance to show off the athleticism and lengthy build that got him recruited. Spending time at camp with Lupoi\u2019s defensive staff will help Okoye potentially break out in 2026.<\/p>\n
Jayden Williams (North Texas), defensive lineman<\/p>\n
Slotting nicely into the totally overhauled Cal defensive line, Williams brings size and quickness from a North Texas team that went 12-2 and dominated the AAC. A big interior lineman at 6\u20192\u201d 298 pounds, he appeared in 11 games as a sophomore and tallied 21 tackles. With Cal\u2019s additions of potential star edge rushers such as Texas A&M\u2019s Williams, shoring up the interior of the defensive line with this Williams will be key for a Bears team that will look to echo the tenacity of their head coach \u2014 a former defensive lineman himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joshua Pierce (North Texas), edge<\/p>\n
The former Campbell College Camel saw action in all 13 of North Texas\u2019 games in 2025. While his 14 tackles don\u2019t stand out on the stat sheet, Pierce showed he can be a big playmaker as he notched two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. It is hard to say if Pierce could compete with the talent and potential of other edge rushers Cal has acquired, but he comes in with three years of experience and a 6\u20194\u201d and 250-pound frame that gives the Bears depth on defense.<\/p>\n
Towns McGough (Auburn), kicker<\/p>\n
To call McGough\u2019s time at Auburn disappointing would be an understatement. As a freshman in 2024, the hometown kicker went 5-12 on field goals, including 0-5 on kicks over 40 yards. McGough then went on to redshirt in 2025 after attempting one field goal \u2014 a 52-yard attempt against Ball State that he missed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite these struggles, the talent is clearly there. At Auburn High School, McGough was an All-American and made 19 of his 22 field goal attempts, including six kicks over 50 yards with every miss being over 56 yards. He also holds the Alabama state record with a 60-yard success. Along with this excellent placekicking, McGough also handled kickoffs and punts in high school, booting 78 touchbacks and averaging 46.8 yards per punt.<\/p>\n
Angus Davies (Tulsa), punter<\/p>\n
A three-year starter at Tulsa, Davies will arrive in Berkeley following a stellar career for the Golden Hurricanes. The Australian averaged 43.5 yards per punt on 47 boots in 2025, including 21 punts inside the 20 and an absurd 80-yard-long punt. Davies has had a similar career path to former Cal punter Lachlan Wilson, who is also Australian and spent multiple years at Tulsa. If Davies follows in Wilson\u2019s footsteps, the Torquay local will hope to match or better Wilson\u2019s 2024 2nd team All-ACC honors. With both 2025 Cal punters still in the transfer portal, it appears that Davies will take on the full punting load for the Bears in 2026.<\/p>\n
Recommits:<\/p>\n
Chase Meyer, kicker<\/p>\n
Meyer withdrew from the portal and officially announced his return to Berkeley on Jan. 13. The former Tulsa and Penn State placekicker had a solid season in 2025, making 10-13 kicks while going a perfect 39-39 on extra points. Meyer\u2019s limiting factor will always be his power, as his career long of 47-yards does not compete with the big legs seen across college football. Given incoming transfer McGough\u2019s propensity for kickoffs, it\u2019s likely that Meyer will handle the majority of field goal duties while McGough will be tasked with kickoffs and the rare long field goal try.<\/p>\n
EJ Caminong, quarterback<\/p>\n
After entering the portal when it opened, Cal\u2019s third string quarterback withdrew Jan. 17. Based on\u00a0 the latter half of the Bears\u2019 2025 season, one would be surprised to find out that Caminong\u2019s name was even remotely in the mix for the starting role during spring camp. The redshirt sophomore has only seen action in two games during his time at Cal, and he will likely not see the field much more with Sagapolutele staying as QB1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bears who have found a new home:<\/p>\n
Kendrick Raphael (SMU), running back<\/p>\n
As Cal\u2019s bona fide RB1, Raphael exploded for career highs across the board in 2025. He led the Bears in both rushing yards and touchdowns with 943 and 13, respectively. While Raphael\u2019s 4.06 yards per carry ranked him a tough 126th in FBS, replacing his scoring production will be a tall task for the three new talented running backs joining Cal from this portal cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raphael received interest from multiple teams including Tennessee and Ole Miss upon entering the portal, but he eventually committed to join fellow ACC conference member SMU. Mustang fans will be very familiar with the running back, as he scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown that knocked SMU out of the ACC championship game on the final day of the 2025 regular season.<\/p>\n
Devin Brown (Weber State), quarterback<\/p>\n
Becoming the first-ever former five-star recruit to play for Weber State, Brown will reunite with his former high school coach Eric Kjar who now leads the Wildcats. Brown had an unlucky hand dealt to him in his college career, as he arrived at Ohio State and had to sit behind NFL-level quarterbacks C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Will Howard. Upon transferring to Cal, Brown was once again bestowed a backup hand as he was slotted behind Sagapolutele. Brown is set to have a great year at the FCS level and will look to help a Weber State team looking to compete for a Big Sky championship for the first time since 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaiven Plummer (Georgia Tech), wide receiver<\/p>\n
Mostly a special teamer in his time at Cal, Plummer tallied two catches for 85 yards and one touchdown during the 2025 season. An increasing rarity in college football, Plummer has been with the Bears since 2022 and was part of the same recruiting class as Fernando Mendoza and Jaydn Ott.<\/p>\n
Lajuan Owens (Central Arkansas), offensive lineman<\/p>\n
Central Arkansas will be Owens\u2019 fourth school in as many years during his college career. He played in all 13 games for Cal in 2025 after a promising redshirt freshman year at New Mexico. Lupoi\u2019s staff has been loading up with new talent on the offensive line, and it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Owens saw a better opportunity for volume at Central Arkansas.<\/p>\n
Leon Bell (Colorado), offensive lineman<\/p>\n
Bell was a starting right tackle for the Bears in 2025, as he played 11 games and started eight on the right side. The Kilgore College product went to Mississippi State for two years before joining Cal for one season. The Bears have recruited a ton of size and skill up front, which makes Bell\u2019s departure less of a concern.<\/p>\n
Ike Okafor (Washington State), defensive lineman<\/p>\n
As a true freshman from Nigeria, Okafor only played in the Hawaii Bowl for Cal and did not record a stat. His move to Washington State will give him more of a chance to show off his skills as a 6\u20193\u201d and 280 pound defensive lineman.<\/p>\n
Bears still in the portal:<\/p>\n
(Note: Cal student-athletes who enter the transfer portal can still return.)<\/p>\n
Aidan Keanaaina, defensive lineman<\/p>\n
Harrison Taggart, linebacker<\/p>\n
Belay Brummell, quarterback<\/p>\n
Ben Marshall, tight end<\/p>\n
Jayden Dixon-Veal, wide receiver<\/p>\n
Daz James, wide receiver<\/p>\n
Isaac Torres, wide receiver<\/p>\n
Daveion Harley, offensive lineman<\/p>\n
Syris Corely, offensive lineman\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, offensive lineman<\/p>\n
Kaden Cook, cornerback\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since new Cal football head coach Tosh Lupoi\u2019s Oregon Ducks were eliminated from the College Football Playoff, he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[101642,329,101633,101628,101623,101621,374,101635,1927,101637,58171,21408,101632,101631,101622,101641,101639,2159,44444,101624,7,7086,79661,101644,101634,101625,101626,101638,101630,101640,101620,101629,27253,101643,58173,101619,15714,49,48,9637,101627,101636,87133,101618],"class_list":["post-696514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-abram-murray","tag-acc","tag-aiden-keanaaina","tag-aj-tuitele","tag-angus-davies","tag-ashton-rivera","tag-bears","tag-ben-marshall","tag-berkeley","tag-brook-honore-jr","tag-cade-uluave","tag-cal","tag-chase-meyer","tag-cooper-perry","tag-daniel-harris","tag-daveion-harvey","tag-daz-james","tag-devin-brown","tag-ej-caminong","tag-emmanuel-okoye","tag-football","tag-harrison-taggart","tag-jackson-brousseau","tag-jaiven-plummer","tag-jayden-dixon-veal","tag-jayden-williams","tag-jericho-johnson","tag-jordan-spasojevic-moko","tag-joshua-pierce","tag-kaden-cook","tag-kahlee-tafai","tag-kamar-mothudi","tag-kendrick-raphael","tag-lajuan-owens","tag-leon-bell","tag-marquis-groves-killebrew","tag-michael-kern","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaa-transfer-portal","tag-ricky-fletcher","tag-syris-corely","tag-tosh-lupoi","tag-towns-mcgough"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}