Tag: Cal

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown arrives on the field prior to the College Football Playoff first round game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024.

Ohio State backup QB Devin Brown transferring to Cal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After accomplishing his goal of winning a national championship with Ohio State on Monday night, backup quarterback Devin Brown is transferring to Cal.

Brown had entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 9 but announced he would fulfill his commitment to the Buckeyes through their College Football Playoff run, which concluded with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the title game.

He reposted a tweet from the Cal football account on X welcoming him to the program.

Brown is seeking a starting job after backing up Kyle McCord in 2023 and Will Howard this season. Brown, who has two years of eligibility remaining, played in total of 15 games at Ohio State and was a combined 27-of-48 passing for 331 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 30 times for 37 yards and one TD.

A four-star quarterback in the Class of 2022, Brown was the nation’s No. 43 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Brown heads to Cal, where 2024 starter Fernando Mendoza has transferred to Indiana.

Ohio State is losing Howard, a graduate transfer from Kansas State, as well as Brown and freshman backup Air Noland, who transferred to South Carolina. Julian Sayin, a transfer from Alabama, is entering his redshirt freshman season, while Lincoln Kienholz will be in his third year in the program if he stays. The Buckeyes also have signed five-star Tavien St. Clair.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; The helmet of California Golden Bears long snapper Ewan Arechaederra (48) sits on the field with a ball before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leaves Oregon, heads to Cal

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Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele decommitted from Cal and signed with Oregon’s Class of 2025 during the early national signing period in December. Now, he’s changed his mind again.

Sagapolutele took part in Ducks’ practices prior to their New Year’s Day loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. On Sunday, his name showed up in the NCAA transfer portal and he immediately committed to Cal again, with the school reporting his signing on social media.

According to On3, Sagapolutele said he decided to head to Cal after spending time in the Oregon program and seeing that he wouldn’t start as a freshman. Dante Moore is in line to replace Dillon Gabriel, who is out of eligibility, and Cal has an immediate open following the transfer of starter Fernando Mendoza to Indiana.

Moore, who was a five-star quarterback in the Class of 2023, transferred to Oregon after spending one season at UCLA. Sagapolutele was a four-star prospect in the 2024 class, ranked as the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 1 player from Hawaii by 247Sports.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) and defensive back Marcus Harris (5) before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

RB Jaydn Ott heading back to Cal for senior season

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Running back Jaydn Ott is returning to Cal for his senior season, he announced Sunday morning on Twitter.

That’s great news for the Golden Bears, who saw quarterback Fernando Mendoza enter the transfer portal.

Ott rushed for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023, adding 25 receptions for 169 yards and two scores. But in 2024, an ankle injury sustained in the opener hampered him much of the season, limiting him to 385 yards on 116 carries with four touchdowns.

If Ott returns to his 2023 form, he will team with Jaivian Thomas to form a potent backfield for Cal, which finished 6-7 (2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) in 2024.

Thomas led the Golden Bears with 626 yards on 100 carries with seven touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws a pass against the Stanford Cardinal during the fourth quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Report: Ex-Cal QB Fernando Mendoza signs with Indiana

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Former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza is transferring to Indiana, ESPN reported Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound sophomore passed for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games for the Golden Bears in 2024.

Over two seasons at Cal, Mendoza completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 TDs and 16 picks in 20 games. He also rushed for 197 yards and four scores.

Mendoza will compete to replace Kurtis Rourke in Bloomington. Rourke guided the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff, where their season ended Friday in a 27-17 first-round loss at Notre Dame.

Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto, was a freshman quarterback at Indiana this season. He played in one game, completing his only pass attempt for 6 yards in a Sept. 6 win against Western Illinois.

Fernando Mendoza was ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the transfer portal by ESPN.

–Field Level Media

Dec 18, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; UNLV Rebels quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams (6) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Kayden McGee (not pictured) in the first half against the California Golden Bears at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

No. 24 UNLV defeats Cal in LA Bowl, secures 11-win season

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Jacob De Jesus caught a touchdown and gained 142 all-purpose yards to lead No. 24 UNLV to a 24-13 win over Cal in the LA Bowl on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.

UNLV clinched their first 11-win season since 1984 with the victory, although all those wins were later vacated after the NCAA penalized the Rebels for using ineligible players. It was the program’s first bowl win since beating Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.

De Jesus tallied 75 yards on punt returns, 27 yards on punt returns and 38 yards receiving in his final collegiate game. Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard also closed his career with a strong performance, racking up 11 total tackles.

Ricky White was a gametime scratch, presumably because the wide receiver expects to be an NFL draft pick in April.

UNLV’s Jai’Den Thomas ran for 72 yards on 18 carries, while Kylin James ran for a touchdown and 37 yards on seven carries.

UNLV took a 14-10 lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter when DeJesus hauled in a 9-yard touchdown reception from Hajj-Malik Williams. The Rebels executed a fake punt on the previous play, as punter Marshall Nichols hit a wide-open Cameron Oliver with a shuffle pass for 52 yards.

Cal was faced with a goal-to-go situation at the two-minute warning in the first half, trailing 14-10. UNLV’s defense held firm and forced Cal to kick a 30-yard field goal after Johnathan Baldwin sacked CJ Harris for a loss of nine on third down.

Harris was replaced by EJ Caminong on Cal’s second drive in the first quarter before eventually going to the locker room with an undisclosed injury. Caminong served as the Golden Bears’ fourth-string signal caller during the regular season but was given reps with Cal starter Fernando Mendoza in the transfer portal and the second- and third-stringers unavailable due to injury.

Harris finished with 109 yards through the air, completing 13 of his 20 attempts. In his college debut, Caminong struggled in relief, completing only 6-of-19 pass attempts for 57 yards. Jaydn Ott ran for 79 yards on 11 carries.

Cal opened the scoring with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Derek Morris. UNLV responded quickly with a 43-yard touchdown connection from Williams to Kayden McGee for McGee’s first career touchdown. He entered with just three receptions on the season.

Josiah Martin capped a nine-play, 89-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown run to give Cal a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.

–Field Level Media

Dec 6, 2024; Boise, ID, USA; UNLV Rebels quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams (6) throws down field against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images

No. 24 UNLV, Cal aim to focus on LA Bowl amid upheaval

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The LA Bowl on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif., will feature two teams in flux, as No. 24 UNLV aims to secure an 11-win season against Cal after losing its head coach — and hiring a new one in the same week.

Purdue announced Dec. 8 that UNLV’s Barry Odom would become the Boilermakers’ 38th head coach. The news broke less than 48 hours after the Rebels’ College Football Playoff dreams died in a 21-7 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game.

UNLV (10-3) responded Thursday by announcing the head-coaching hire of Dan Mullen, the former Florida and Mississippi State coach who spent 13 years leading teams in the SEC.

Del Alexander, a former Southern California receiver and Los Angeles native, will be the Rebels’ interim coach in the bowl game after spending the last two seasons as UNLV’s wide receivers coach.

“I’ve been around some great coaches,” Alexander said. “I think I have a winning record in being a part of teams that have won bowl games. The influence from those experiences is what I’m using. You know, short and sweet. Make sure the guys have fun. Make sure they’re locked in on the details for the situations, and then bring it all together in the end.”

Things have gone awry in Bear Territory as well, as Cal star quarterback Fernando Mendoza elected to enter the transfer portal. Leading receiver Nyziah Hunter also chose to enter the portal after hauling in 578 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season.

Cal (6-6) also chose to part ways with offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch, hiring former Auburn and Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin to take Bloesch’s place.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox confirmed this week that quarterbacks CJ Harris and EJ Caminong were splitting reps in practice in the lead-up to the bowl game with Chandler Rogers working to make his way back from injury.

Wilcox explained how the coaching staff will delegate play-calling on Wednesday after overhauling the offensive staff, saying it will be “a collaborative effort.”

“We got a couple guys on our staff who work and practice run and pass games, so we got some great support there,” Wilcox said. “Right now (Harris) and (Caminong) are taking the majority of the reps, Chandler’s day-to-day, so we’ll see how he’s doing.”

UNLV lost its coach but has only one notable opt-out as running back Greg Burrell entered the transfer portal. Cornerback Tony Grimes also entered the portal but will play in Wednesday’s game regardless.

Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams will make his final start after a six-year career at Campbell and UNLV. He threw for 17 touchdowns and 1,845 yards this season while rushing for a career-high 824 yards in 10 starts.

UNLV stalwart and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard will play in Wednesday’s game, closing a career that saw him end as a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on.

It was a full-circle moment for Woodard, who grew up in Arkansas and started his career at Brandon Burlsworth’s SEC alma mater.

Rebels star receiver Ricky White is also expected to cap off his collegiate career in Wednesday’s game before graduating in the spring and heading to the NFL draft.

White enters the LA Bowl 352 yards short of UNLV’s all-time receiving record despite spending only three of his four seasons at the school. He tallied a career-high 11 touchdowns this season after racking up career highs in receptions (88) and receiving yards (1,483) in 2023, the latter of which was a program record.

–Field Level Media

Oct 16, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Nick Rolovich looks on during warms before a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images

Cal hires ex-Wazzu coach Nick Rolovich as assistant

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Nick Rolovich, who lost his job as Washington State’s head coach by refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, was hired by Cal as a senior offensive assistant on Friday.

Rolovich led the Huskies to a 1-3 record in the abbreviated 2020 season, then a 4-3 mark in 2021 before he was fired when he wouldn’t adhere to the state of Washington’s vaccine mandates for state employees.

Rolovich contended he had a religious objection to the vaccine, but the university rejected his explanation. He subsequently filed a lawsuit for wrongful termination, and the case is still pending.

Cal’s school policy requires students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated or opt out by submitting a written statement.

Rolovich, 45, joined the Cougars after a stint as coach at Hawaii from 2016-19, where he produced a 28-27 record and led the Rainbow Warriors to three bowl games.

Since getting fired by Washington State, he served on the coaching staff of the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.

Cal finished the regular season with a 6-6 record, including a 2-6 mark during its first Atlantic Coast Conference campaign. The Bears will face No. 24 UNLV in the LA Bowl on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.

–Field Level Media

Auburn Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin walks off the field after the game as the Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Auburn Tigers 41-27.

Report: Cal to hire ex-Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin as OC

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Former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin is set to accept the offensive coordinator position at Cal, ESPN reported Monday.

Harsin has been out of coaching altogether since October 2022, when he was fired by Auburn after eight games and a 3-5 mark. Harsin, also the former head coach at Arkansas State (2013) and Boise State (2014-20), has compiled a record of 85-36, including 3-3 in bowl games.

Harsin would replace Mike Bloesch, who was let go by Cal last week. Bloesch was promoted to offensive coordinator ahead of the season after serving as offensive line coach/run game coordinator in 2023. Cal averaged 26.1 points per game this season and went 6-6.

Harsin will reunite with Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, who was the defensive coordinator at Boise State while Harsin was OC from 2006-09. Harsin was also a co-OC and quarterbacks coach at Texas from 2011-12.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback CJ Harris (16) huddles with the offense during the game between the SMU Mustangs and the California Golden Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cal moving on from OC Mike Bloesch

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Cal will be looking for a new offensive coordinator to replace Mike Bloesch, the team announced Tuesday.

Golden Bears coach Justin Wilcox said in a statement that there would be leadership changes made to the offensive staff and that the search for an offensive coordinator was underway. No one has a specific role on the staff yet, though, according to Wilcox.

There was no direct mention of Bloesch in the statement.

Bloesch was promoted to offensive coordinator ahead of the season after serving as offensive line coach/run game coordinator in 2023. Cal averaged 26.1 points per game this season and went 6-6. The Bears sit 71st in the county with an average of 382.8 total yards per game.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs safety Brandon Crossley (1) celebrates a defensive stop against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

No. 9 SMU blows out Cal to win 9th straight, improve to 11-1

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No. 9 SMU jumped out to a three-touchdown lead then sealed the game with a fourth-quarter explosion in their 38-6 win over visiting Cal in an Athletic Coast Conference matchup in Dallas on Saturday.

The Mustangs (11-1, 8-0 ACC) were already assured of a berth in the conference title game on Dec. 7. They will play Clemson, which qualified when No. 6 Miami fell at Syracuse on Saturday.

Kevin Jennings threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Brashard Smith had rushing and receiving scores, and Derrick McFall also ran for a touchdown for SMU.

The Mustangs had 251 total yards in the first half as they built a 21-0 lead but tallied only 17 yards in the third quarter before regaining steam. They finished with 415 yards to 254 for Cal.

SMU also had 17 penalties for 137 yards, with 85 of those yards coming after intermission.

The Mustangs’ defense, meanwhile, had five sacks, two by Kobe Wilson, among their 16 tackles for loss. Jonathan McGill’s interception in the fourth quarter set up Jennings’ 23-yard touchdown strike to Smith to effectively put the game away.

Reserve quarterback Preston Stone hit Key’Shawn Smith for a 40-yard touchdown with 3:38 left in the game to complete the scoring.

Chandler Rogers had 84 yards passing before leaving with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter for Cal (6-6, 2-6), and CJ Harris came on to throw for 75 yards and was intercepted once. Nyziah Hunter finished with 85 yards on five receptions.

The Golden Bears’ only points came on field goals of 40 and 53 yards by Ryan Coe in the second half.

After picking up a combined 35 yards on its first three possessions, Cal had a golden opportunity to draw within striking distance.

Trailing 21-0, the Golden Bears moved from their own 25-yard line to the Mustangs’ 3. But Rogers lost 2 yards on a rush, 10 more on a sack by Elijah Roberts and, after an incompletion, 5 yards for delay of game. Derek Morris’ 38-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.

–Field Level Media