Joshua Pierce wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. One year of senior film wasn’t enough to generate much buzz, so he went to Campbell University and got to work.

“Recruitment wasn’t really high for me because of that one year. But I just kept my head down and worked and ended up at this prestigious university. Glad to be here.”

The coaching staff at Cal has accelerated his development in ways he didn’t anticipate.

“I’ve seen my game grow a lot under all the coaches I’ve been under. I’m glad to be under Coach Barraza, Coach Tosh, Coach Darrion Daniels, Coach Ed [McGilvra]. I’ve learned a lot just this spring and I’m just grateful for my process and how I’ve been growing each year.”

Lupoi’s approach left an impression from the first visit.

“He’s an energetic, loving person. I feel like I’ve never had a head coach like Tosh. He’s always willing to push you every day. He’s a headbanger coach. On my visit, Tosh explained to me this is his MO. Success here is just depending on how hard I want to work. He told me to put my head down and work and I’d like the result.”

Lorenzo Alexander, who joined the staff recently, has already made his mark on the edge group.

“Coach Zo has been a great guy, just pushing me every day to get better at the edge and be able to provide for the team this year.”

Pierce describes his own game around length and speed, and going against different tackle types daily has sharpened both.

“I’m a long arm guy. I love speed, I love long arms. Just testing on different tackles each day and getting better and repeating.”

The edge unit is almost entirely new to the program, and Pierce says the group has been intentional about building something off the field first.

“We’re big on brotherhood. We recently went to dinner, just our unit. Our bond will transfer to the field. Staying together every day, bonding and jelling together will help us click faster on the field, make plays, fly around together and be able to trust each other.”

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Defensive lineman Jayden Williams had options when he entered the portal. What drew him to Berkeley wasn’t just football.

“It’s a prestigious school here and that’s what I signed up for, because it’s really bigger than football. You get a degree from Berkeley, you’re set not just on the football side but on the business side of life. That’s one thing Berkeley separates themselves from the rest of the schools in the country, how serious they take their academics. I’m trying to take it serious myself.”

He’s studying American studies, and he arrived on the West Coast for the first time in his life.

“I’m more of a down south baby. I never been on the West Coast. I’m still trying to get adjusted to all the things that California and Berkeley have to offer. People been very open to me and you can’t ask nothing more than that from a community, from these four walls.”

Having Tosh Lupoi coach his position group directly has carried its own weight.

“Tosh is probably the most enthusiastic coach I’ve ever been a part of. He’s really into my position group. He coached my position for a very long time, had a lot of successful guys in college and in the league. Just for me to eventually be a part of that lineage, that’s a blessing in itself. You’re going to get the same guy every day and you can’t ask for nothing better.”

Williams came to Cal with significant experience but limited starts, and he’s made peace with what that means in a room built on rotation.

“I have a lot of snaps with no starts and that’s perfectly fine. In the D-line room it’s a rotational thing, and that’s what really builds me up to this moment right now.”

His focus this spring has been on something less visible than production: coachability.

“The best quality a defensive lineman could have is being open-minded to their weaknesses. You’re not going to win every rep and with that being said, it’s next play mentality. One thing I try to do different from the past year is just being coachable, being able to listen to my coaches because they’re telling me the right things at all times.”

He says the shift is showing up beyond the field.

“Being open-minded, from the head coach to the janitor, whatever somebody tells me. I think that takes you a very long way, not just on the field but in life as well.”

Two months in, the thing that’s surprised him most is how fast the team has bonded.

“I feel like this is probably the tightest group and we’ve only been together maybe two, going on three months. It feels like we’ve been knowing each other for three years. Me coming out here by myself, it’s real needed to know that I got not just teammates but brothers. It’s truly a blessing.”

Cal doesn’t just add another OL to the recruiting class but one with prototypical size out of high school in the form of a 6’6” 365 lbs and 34” armed island lad. This is important because he already knows how to move his body at this size and weight, there is no “how do I move at this weight” awkwardness that some guys who have to undergo body transformations in college.

He holds offers from Hawai’i, Utah, WVU, UCLA and ASU. Is the 2nd prep OL recruit of the 2027 class keeping Cal 21st nationally, 4th in the ACC, in the On3 recruiting rankings.

Welcome to Cal!

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Cal edge Solomon Williams doesn’t lack for confidence heading into his first season for the Golden Bears. He just needed the right environment to let it show.

“I just feel like I can be a real game changer for this defense. I feel like I could be a really good player. I showed flashes with the opportunities I got at my previous school, but definitely just becoming the best version of myself. That’s my only goal.”

He came to Berkeley with Tristan Jernigan, a former teammate, and the two have picked up right where they left off.

“Tristan’s my guy. We definitely set out here to make a change and become the players we thought we could become. We go at it, man. Me and Kie [Kahlee Tafai?] go at it, me and Jimbo [Jimothy Lewis] go at it, me and Fred [Frederick Williams] go at it. I love that because we’re getting each other better for the season.”

Coach Tosh Lupoi was a draw.

“I definitely describe him as someone that’s authentic, very straightforward, to the point, someone that’s trying to get the best out of you. That’s why I came here.”

Williams also arrived carrying lessons from watching pros up close at his previous program, and he’s made it his business to pass that along.

“Just bringing over what I’ve learned from guys that went to the pros, learning their mannerisms, how they went about their business, how they went about learning the plays and just becoming a pro. Just carrying that over here, trying to bring guys the pro mindset.”

Having Lupoi step into D-line drills and meeting rooms as a former All-Pac-12 pass rusher has been something Williams didn’t take for granted.

“He steps in our drills often, steps in our meeting rooms often. It’s not like he just played the position. He had an opportunity to go to the NFL. He was all Pac-12 here at Cal. You’re not going to get that everywhere.”

When Williams looks at the full picture, offense and defense, he sees something building.

“The offense is going to be explosive. Having a guy like Jaron [Keawe-Sagapolutele], when I’m rushing I think I might have him and he steps up in the pocket, that’s pro. And the defense, we’re going to be some guys hunting the quarterback, trying to get the ball out, playing with togetherness. We’re going to be relentless. It’s going to be a sight to see.”

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The latest commit comes from the Lone Star State in the form of defensive tackle Jaderian Jones.

Jones is ranked as the 96th-best defensive lineman and the 113th-best Texas prospect in 247 Composite. He holds offers from many major programs like Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Miami, Missouri, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, and Virginia Tech.

As a 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle, Jones was wracking up numbers inside, with his junior stats compiling to 75 tackles and 21 TFLs. His Hudl tape can be found here.

Additional commitments in the past week include:

• Elite 11 quarterback Dane Weber

• Four-star tight end Rahzario Edwards

• Four-star athlete Elyjah Staples

• Three-star offensive lineman Josh Bunni

Welcome to Cal Jaderian! Go Bears!

Fresh off his commitment to Cal, Dane Weber showed off his talents in the Elite 11. Here he is throwing a touchdown on Day 1.

Weber had a great throw on his rail shot challenge.

Here is more extensive highlights from Day 1 of work on Friday.

Weber had a 14-21 performance with two touchdowns and 1 sack on his final day, following up a 14-20 performance in Day 2.

For Cal fans wanting to see a glimpse of their QB1, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was at the Elite 11 as a college counselor, showing off the spirals he was capable of with his arm.

You can see him continuing to improve the delivery and speed on his throws.

It’s good to know that Cal has kept their running back pipeline running the right way. Excited to see both of them slinging it together next year, with JKS ready to take the next step in his development this fall.

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Sacramento tight end Rahzario Edwards made the call after an unofficial visit. Edwards caught 23 passes for 634 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Edwards is ranked as the sixth-best tight end and the tenth-best California prospect by 247Sports Composite, and is a consensus four-star prospect. His Hudl highlights is here. The offer list is extensive, including Alabama, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC … and Stanford. It’s a great recruiting win, particularly with the Bears already having another tight end committed.

Edwards joins four-star wide receiver Charles Davis and three-star wideout Blake Gunter as new playmakers for Elite 11 quarterback Dane Weber.

Edwards is the second commit from Grant Union this cycle, joining edge Giovanni Hodge. He’d be the second tight end from Grant in as many years, joining Sosaia Noa (Offensive lineman Roger Vanderhoef committed soon after Lupoi’s arrival in the 2026 cycle). The Sacramento pipeline has been rebuilt for the sturdy Golden Bears.

Staples hails from Huntington Park. The Marquez athlete had an incredible 2025 campaign on both sides of the football, racking up 95 tackles and nine sacks on defense, with 1137 receiving yards and 20+ touchdowns on offense.

Staples is a four-star prospect as the 26th-best athlete and 33rd-best California prospect. His junior highlight reel is available on Hudl. Greg Biggins had an early scout:

“Two-way player who shone as an edge rusher and tight end and is getting looks on both sides of the ball. Frame-wise, linebacker could be his best position at the college level, but he’s a dominant pass rusher off the edge. Physical at the point of attack and runs right through opposing tackles and fullbacks.

Staples ended up picking Cal over BYU. Other offers included Stanford, the Arizona schools, Kansas, Minnesota, and Wake Forest. Staples ended up winning the linebacker MVP award at a recent Under Armour camp in Los Angeles.

Welcome to Cal Elyjah! Go Bears!

Cal has lacked commits on the offensive line, this issue has been ameliorated by the addition of local (but not 100% local) 3* IOL Joshua Bunni, who chose Cal over Utah, BYU, Washington, ASU, and WSU.

The 6’6”, 330 pounds player has prototypical size and weight for the interior offensive line position. Hailing from Santa Rosa north of the Bay Area he can trace his roots to Australia where he lived before moving States-side. It’s always nice to see some international flavor coming to Cal, if I say so myself.

Bunni’s trans-Pacific roots also indicate that he will likely come in raw technique-wise, which is fine, you can coach up a player on that, it is hard to coach a 6’6” 330lbs with quickness and strength, Parcells and Newton agree that not many men this size move this well.

Welcome to Cal Joshua!

Ashun Sheppard made the trip from Starkville to Berkeley with a clear reason: he liked the way Tosh Lupoi coaches football.

“I like that he’s a defensive-minded coach. I really took a big liking to Coach DD [Darrion Daniels] too. He really embraced me, really teaching me and helping me elevate my game to the next level.”

Having a head coach who came up as a defensive lineman himself has meant something tangible to Sheppard.

“It means everything, really, because he understands the ins and outs of what we’re going through. He’s really basing it all around us and I love that.”

He arrived at Cal alongside former Mississippi State teammate Jimothy Lewis, and says that familiarity has carried over.

“Me and Jimmy have some real good odds back at State. We really just enjoy iron sharpening iron.”

The D-line room has gelled quickly, mixing returning players with new arrivals.

“Everybody really jelling together, everybody really coming together and having a good brotherhood.”

On the field, Sheppard describes himself as a team-first player who leads by example, solid against the run and active in the pass game. The group’s emphasis this spring has been on generating interior pressure.

“We really emphasize getting pressure on the quarterback and making that cage come together. We’re really learning to rush more as a team and work together.”

Off the field, the returning players have gone out of their way to bring the newcomers in.

“They’ve been very helpful all around, getting to classes, helping out. I don’t have any transportation up here, so they’ve been really helping out, taking me places I need, helping me in the playbook. Real good brotherhood.”

“I kind of already knew the defense, so that’s what really made me transfer over. I’ve been in it for about two years. That was really the biggest thing. And Tosh already been with him for a couple years, so it was an easy transfer.”

He didn’t hesitate when asked how good this group can be.

“It’s going to be aggressive, violent. We got DBs. Strapping. It’s going to be fun.”

Cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew came over from Arizona and sees a group with the pieces to carry on what Cal has built in the secondary.

“Our DBs, we got a lot of depth. I feel like we definitely going to hold up to that standard. We going to be a real good group this year for sure.”

He described his own game simply.

“I’m going to bring aggressive press man, go get after it, try to go get the ball in zone. Ball hawk corner.”

Safety Michael Hurst Jr. transferred from Southern California and found a room that welcomed him quickly, even with so many new faces adjusting at once.

“I’m from Southern California, so it’s a five, six hour drive, but I got to stay home. Everyone was really welcoming. I love Coach T and what they’re trying to push within the program.”

All three described a room still learning each other but moving in the same direction. Lopa put it plainly.

“Just with the energy we bring, these first three days have just been great. Excited, pumped, hyped every day. Just come with the energy every day.”

The competition in practice has been its own education. Groves-Killebrew said going against Cal’s offense daily has pushed him in ways he didn’t expect.

“This offense is probably the most different offense I’ve played against since I’ve been in college. A lot of under center, a lot of stretch, fakes and that type of stuff. Different, but good for sure.”

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Cal beat out UCLA, and Cincinnati for Weber’s verbal commitment, but his offer list also contains: Arizona, ASU, Colorado, Duke, Georgia, Illinois, K-State, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, and Washington to name a few. While 247 and ESPN have him as a 3*, On3 has him as a 4*. We will see if his performance at the Elite 11 will boost his ranking.

Self-reported height/weight: 6’2”, 215 pounds.

Official camp measurement reportedly closer to 6’0” 4.68s 40 yard dash

He enters his senior year at Chapparal having already started the previous 2 years posting impressive statlines both as a passer and as a runner:

2025: 218/311, 3654 yards, 41 Passing TDs, 9 INTs (13.08 Adjusted Yards per Attempt, for comparison JKS in his senior year posted an AY/A of 10.8, please note that the situations and leagues differ between Hawai’i and SoCal). Rushing: 115 carries for 668 yards, 14 TDs.

Cal staff did not hide their excitement over the commitment

Welcome to Cal Dane!

I know Mitch Schwartz welcomes you

Don’t really have a leading article this week but I watched Totoro for the first time and felt compelled to make this so, that’s newsworthy right?

Hot Links

The Exhibit That Almost Wasn’t

Berkeleyside last week profiled Jedda Foreman, associate director at the Lawrence Hall of Science, and Vincent Medina, co-leader of the ‘ottoy Initiative at UC Berkeley to discuss a new exhibit opening at the Lawrence Hall of Science soon that almost wasn’t because of Trump’s federal funding cuts. Learn more here!

Small Bites

• UC Berkeley celebrated the inaugural class of their Masters of Climate Solutions program!

• Congrats to UC Berkeley’s 2025–26 National Scholarship and Fellowship Recipients!

• NFL Academy stopped by California Memorial Stadium

• On3 put together a list of the Top 100 returning players in College Football and someone is ranked way too low in my opinion.

• Cal Men’s and Women’s Swimming is joining the College Swimming League. More to come!

• Congrats to 3 UC Berkeley Faculty named to the UK Royal Society!

Golden Bear Honors

• Julia Boniguidi (First Team), Despoina Drakotou, Eszter Varro, Feline Voordouw (Second Team), and Abbi Magee (Honorable Mention) were named to the ACWPC All-American Team

• Tony Renda, Missy Franklin, J.J. Arrington, Andre Carter, Alex Morgan, Atlee Mahorn, Eric Fry, and Erv Hunt were elected into the California Hall of Fame!

• Fernando Mendoza returned and walked as part of the Haas School of Business Graduation!

• Jenna Colligan, Gia Fisher, Mila Vugrincic, Marilu Pally, and Emma Donley were named to the CSC All-Academic Team

• Cal Women’s Water Polo had 12 Bears on the MPSF All-Academic Team

• Cal Rowing had 31 members named to the MPSF All-Academic Team

This Week in eCommerce

Do you need some glasses to sip your Oski’s Gold out of celebrating the 1948 Cal Rose Bowl Team? OH BOY YOU DO?

Get them on eBay here!

Cal Pro Updates

Swimming

Hunter Armstrong competed in the Enhanced Games this weekend while completely clean, and still beat everyone.

Basketball

Jaylen Brown was named to the All NBA Second Team.

Football

Kenny Lawler signed a record contract to sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL. Marshawn hung out at a Valkyries practice.

Basketball

Michelle Oyniah is playing with the Charlotte Crown of the Upshot League.