Cal Rugby routed BYU 96-12; Will host St. Mary’s in national semifinals on Saturday at 1 pm PT

Nine different Cal Bears tallied 14 tries in the quarterfinal match against BYU. Bears scored fast and often. After BYU got an early try and conversion to knot the match at 7-7 in the 8th minutes, Golden Bears answered with 5 consecutive tries and conversions.

The 49-12 halftime lead became a complete Cal domination in the second half with the Bears outscoring the Cougars 50-0 in the second half.

Sophomore Filip Edstrom returned from injury and notably went 13 for 13 on conversions while adding two tries of his own.

Cal (15-0) stayed perfect on the season, but will now face a dangerous SMC Gaels (14-1) side, coming off their 48-19 quarterfinals win over Arizona. Of course, St. Mary’s lone blemish this season came from the Bears in the regular season finale in Moraga. The eventual 66-35 Cal victory was rather close at the half.

Saturday’s national semifinal match at 1 PM PT will be streamed on ESPN+.

From the Goff Rugby Report, St. Mary’s coach Tim O’Brien said, “Cal probably has the finest 9-10 combo since the days of the brilliant Ken Meyersieck and Don Hooper. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play the best this Saturday.” Meyersieck and Hooper were Cal’s halfback combination from 1980 and 1981.

For this season, Cal has the halfback combination of seniors Solomon Williams and Rand Santos, who are skilled and creative in igniting a Cal offensive attack at any moment. The duo has also steadily improved during their time in Berkeley, and their rise has coincided with the program’s return to the top of the collegiate rugby 15s world.

Cal’s scrumhalf Solomon Williams has made the short-list of four as the finalist for the Rudy Scholz Award, given each year to the top collegiate rugby player in America. Also on the finalist list are St. Mary’s Dom Besag, as well as a representative each on the other side of the bracket: Navy’s Roanin Krieger and Life’s Logan Ballinger.

Should the Golden Bears take care of business this Saturday in their home finale, they will travel to Indianapolis for the D1A National Collegiate Championship Final on May 2nd against the winner between Navy and Life. Navy’s lone loss this season came against Cal, while Life has two losses despite not facing Cal in the regular season.

ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

Cal Women’s Water Polo in NCAA Championships at San Diego: Quarterfinal match vs. Hawaii is 2 pm PT today (Friday)

Cal (14-7) earned the 4th seed in the 2026 NCAA Womens’ Water Polo Championships thanks to a perfect 14-0 record (including 3-0 against their opponent later today, Hawaii) against teams that have never won the NCAA title.

Unfortunately, Cal’s quest for the program’s first NCAA title would almost surely require the Golden Bears to beat two of No.1 Stanford, No.2 UCLA, and No.3 USC. Bears are 0-7 against that trio in 2026’s regular season.

Should the Bears avoid an upset loss to Hawaii, they will likely face No.1 Stanford on Saturday in the NCAA national semifinals at 4 pm PT. The LA schools lurk on the other side of the bracket. NCAA.com has the streams of all of the matches before ESPNU got Sunday’s championship final.

Cal’s latest and best shot at the title came in 2024 when the top teams, including Cal to a lesser degree, were impacted by top players taking an Olympic sabbatical. Cal made the national championship final behind the Cutino Award-winning goalkeeper Isabel Williams, but fell just short to UCLA.

Talia Fonseca has since taken over as Cal’s top goalkeeper. Fonseca is both talented, but probably faced too many shots to have risen to No.9 on Cal’s all-time list for saves after just two seasons as the primary keeper.

Bears do have the MPSF Newcomer of the Year in Despoina Drakotou, who hails from Greece. Drakotou has a team-high 43 goals so far on the year. Julia Bonaguidi, a junior who is easily Cal’s top American offensive player in recent history, earned 1st-team All-MPSF honor with a team second-best 42 goals. Feline Voordouw earned an honorable mention for her all-around game, including 35 goals.

For what it’s worth, one of the losses to Stanford and two of the losses to UCLA were by just one goal.

No.8 Cal Beach Volleyball awaits NCAA Championship placement on Sunday

Since I am located down in Los Angeles, the one Cal team that I got to watch twice this year was Cal Beach Volleyball, who are again having a brilliant season in a slow but steady ascent to the top.

For the season, Cal has two really great pairs at the top of their lineup. Cal’s No.1 pair of Emma Donley and Portia Sherman has already set a new program’s single-season win total with 29 after their MPSF championship win over UW.

The taller Emma Donley is agile with a deadly serve but quiet. The shorter partner, Portia Sherman, is wily and fiery. This duo is capable of beating just about anyone in the country in a sport that often comes down to the whim of the wind at key points. Donley (a junior) and Sherman (a senior) has been Cal’s clear top pair since last year, when they posted then-record 28 wins.

At No.2 pair for the Bears is the duo of Grace Hong (a transfer from USC) and Marilu Pally. Pally and Hong are also good enough to challenge anyone’s No.2 pair. I watched them push 3rd-ranked Texas’ No.2 pair to an extended and thrilling 3rd set before falling 20-18.

The issue for head coach Meagan Owusu’s lineup is at the bottom, where there has been a season-long shuffle. The MPSF championship lineup has the duo of Mila Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan at No.3 (they were playing as No.4 earlier in the year). I should note that the postseason has all of the matchups playing simultaneously as opposed to the two flights. There may have been some strategy to have a duo as No.2 and No.4 since those pairings play earlier in the duals that had two flights.

Gia Fisher and Ava Haughy are the new No.4 pair now. The 5th pair this past week was Elle Evers playing alongside Bella Adishian (whose sister Alex is also on the team). Evers had played with one of the Lau twins earlier in the season. The Lau twins have also been used as the No.5 pair in recent weeks. Evers is apparently the honorable sister to a pair of actual sisters on the Cal Beach Volleyball roster.

Since the original geographical restriction on NCAA tournament selection had expired, Cal Beach Volleyball has been an annual participant. Bears might just be good enough to have their longest NCAA run yet this year - winning two matches there, depending on the draw.

Cal Men’s Gymnastics had 9 individuals in the National Championship Final session

Overshadowed by the Women’s Gymnastics championship final that was elsewhere on the same weekend, Cal Men’s Gymnastics finished 4th in the qualifier to fall just short of qualifying the entire squad for the championship final session. Instead, 9 individuals competed for individual national titles across 11 events in the final session.

Jasper Smith-Gordon, who entered the NCAA championships ranked second nationally on vault, finished 10th on both the vault and pommel horse. Tenth place nationally was the top Cal finish, with Khalen Curry also achieving that feat for his floor exercise.

Floor
Khalen Curry – 13.855 (S) - 10th nationally
Matteo Bardana – 13.366
Theodor Roald Gadderud – 12.233

Pommel Horse
Jasper Smith-Gordon – 13.566 - 10th nationally
Harry Kim – 13.333

Rings
Matteo Bardana – 13.266 - 16th nationally
Nathan Underhill – 13.033

Vault
Jasper Smith-Gordon – 14.066 - 10th nationally

Parallel Bars
Kaien Orion – 11.933

High Bar
Jaxon Mitchell – 12.900
Tucker Yasunaga – 11.700 (S)

GO BEARS!

Cal defensive back Dru Polidore came away from Pro Day with a measured take, satisfied overall, even if the numbers came in slightly below his own expectations.

“It was great. I tested a little bit under what I expected based off my training, but I still had a good day. I had some of the highest numbers, my DB work went smooth, 100% on my catches. I was clean on most of my breaks. There were a couple I wish I had back, but felt pretty good.”

The draft process itself has been a test of a different kind.

“It’s been a grind. Definitely a little scary and in limbo sometimes, not really knowing how things are going to turn out. I’ve just been trying to keep my head down, work, try to cross off every box that I can and not regret anything.”

On what he offers an NFL roster, Polidore pointed to his production and his physicality.

“I bring a guy that’s going to run and hit. I feel like I was one of the best tacklers in the ACC this year. I missed a few games and still ended the season with 62 tackles, a couple forced fumbles. I’m always around the ball, I love to make hits and I love to be over the top and close the skies off.”

His time at Cal, though brief, gave him exactly the kind of environment he needed heading into this process.

“They definitely helped me just being in a pro style defense. Being a safety at Cal, I had to communicate at a high level, pretty much being a leader on the defense. I was the guy with the green dot on. It was great being able to have a year where I came in, learned the defense really quickly, and ultimately that’s what I’ll have to do if I get the opportunity to go to the NFL as well.”

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Earlier in the month, USF hosted the Bears for a 2:05 PM midweek matchup at Benedetti Diamond, where Cal broke through with an 8-0 victory on 10 hits and no errors while allowing just two hits and five walks to the Dons in a bullpen game that saw seven Cal pitchers, five of them being freshmen. Similarly, in yesterday’s game, Cal threw out an arsenal of eight arms against USF, behind a start from two-way player Jordy Lopez, as the Bay Area’s ballclubs brought this afternoon/evening game at Stu Gordon Stadium into extra innings.

The Dons got the afternoon started with a leadoff home run from Myles Kallinger in the top of the 1^st to take an immediate 1-0 lead in the game. Jordy Lopez would work through the inning and put two runners on in the top of the 2^nd before Cade Colombara was brought in to close out the inning with both runners stranded on base.

California was unable to produce any runs against USF’s opener Alan Gonzales, but they did get a run across against freshman reliever Thomas Gonzales as Gannon Snyder put two runners in scoring position on a well-executed sac-bunt that allowed a groundout to second from Kalen Applefield to be plenty of time and space to bring Ethan Kodama home from third and tie the game at one a piece. The Bears added another run in the bottom half of the 4^th against the Dons’ Magnus Nelson as a couple of hits and a walk loaded the bases for California, with Nelson making a pick-off attempt at first base that would allow Applefield to score from third and put the Bears up 2-1.

USF would end up tying the game back up in the top half of the 6^th as Jett Wright came in to pitch and gave up two quick walks and threw a wild pitch to put both runners in scoring position for a deep line drive hit to Joshua Hanson in center being plenty of space to allow the runner to tag up from third and make it 2-2. The Bears once again only allowed that tie to last so long, as Cal took advantage of sloppy defense from the Dons at shortstop that allowed Hanson to score on an error and make it a one-run lead once again in Berkeley.

Going into the top of the 9^th with a one-run lead, Take Kreis remained on the mound for the Bears after retiring four-straight, and after striking out Jayden Garrison to lead off the inning, Wyatt Davis ripped a single down the right field line before advancing on another wild pitch. Tino Vassell then singled to left to put runners on the corners with one out, and Mike Neu made the switch to bring in Ryan Spalliero from the bullpen in a high-intensity save situation. Spalliero got Kallinger to roll over to short for an easy groundball, but the runner from third got a great jump and scored easily as the Bears settled for the out at first and allowed USF to tie the game at 3-3.

California was retired three-up-three-down in the 9^th by USF’s Chris Byhre before the Dons made an offensive push in the top half of the 10^th with Eddison Esquivel leading off the inning with a base hit up the middle, followed by a single to right from TJ Rodgers. After getting Burke to strike out swinging, Ethan Foley came in to relieve Spalliero and immediately threw a wild pitch to allow the runners to advance – but got out of the inning after getting Trevor Busby to strike out swinging and Jayden Garrison to ground out to third to end the inning and bring the Bears up to bat.

Paul Wheeler took the mound for the Dons in extra innings and on an 0-1 pitch, plunked Ethan Kodama before walking Hanson on four straight pitches out of the zone. Gannon, for the second time of the day, laid down another great sacrifice bunt to put both runners into scoring position, only for Applefield to then get hit by an 0-1 fastball to load the bases for Graduate Transfer Taichi Kakao from Auckland, New Zealand, who ALSO took four straight balls, thus walking home the game-winning run and giving the Bears a season sweep over the Dons in 2026.

California improves to 21-18 on the season as Ethan Foley picked up his third win of the year, while Wheeler picks up his first loss, and the Dons drop to 19-19 on the year. The Golden Bears return to action on Friday evening, as Cal takes on Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, for an ACC series down in the Sunshine State.

All three games will be streamed on ACCNX/ESPN+.

The Main Course: Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day (Week/Month/Every Day is Earth Day!). Officially, Earth Day was yesterday (4/22), but there are a number of activities and places happening all throughout Berkeley, the Bay Area, and the world! Get out and help make the world a better place! Oski commands it!

For those of you local, you can join in up the hill at the Lawrence Hall of Science, or go hang out on the Glade. Or plant some trees down at the Berkeley Waterfront. Or get your plant starts over at King Middle School. Or join the Wild and Scenic Film Festival at the David Brower Center. Or just find something local to you! Happy Earth Day Friends.

Hot Links

• SF Gate caught up with known Write For California tailgate attender Zack Follett. See what he’s up to here.

• Berkeley News put together an article examining the impacts UC Berkeley grads can have in rural communities in case you need more anti-Fox News talking points

• Four UC Berkeley professors were named Guggenheim Fellows. Congrats to Elena Conis, Rasmus Nielsen, Michael Yartsev, and Hannah Zeavin!

• The media pieces keep coming. SF Standard sat down with Tosh Lupoi after Spring Ball to talk about his return to Berkeley.

Small Bites

• CBS Sports ranked every returning Power Conference starter going into 2026 and ranked JKS too low.

• URSINE UPDATES: Insurance Fraud? Learn more about the SoCal insurance fraud scam giving bears a bad name

• Berkeley Physics’ Assistant Professor Ben Safdi was honored with the New Horizons Prize for his work on axions and dark matter

• UC Berkeley Associate Professor Yunqing Tang was honored with the New Horizons in Mathematics Prize for work in Diophantine geometry, including the proof of the Atkin-Swinnerton-Dyer unbounded denominators conjecture and new irrationality results for special values of Dirichlet L-series

This Week in e-Commerce: THE EDSBS CHARITY BOWL

EDSBS Charity Bowl

Wouldn’t you know it, its time again for the EDSBS Charity Bowl, an annual fundraiser for New American Pathways, a non-profit in Atlanta that helps refugees settle here in the United States. Last year, we helped raise $28,190 from Cal fans (and I can’t find the exact number but it was north of $1 million total, probably closer to $1.5) to help refugees settle here in the United States and show who we can be at our best.

As of press time (10:15 AM on Wednesday), Cal has just overtaken Minnesota, thanks in part to a Koi Perich muffed punt and crossed into the 5-figures range. I’ve clipped a few scores and standings of interest below, but you can check the latest standings here at www.moneycannon.org/ and donate at www.edsbscharitybowl.com/

Golden Bear Honors

• Write for California’s own Ruey Yen was on Jeopardy! yesterday!

• Emma Donley (Beach Volleyball) was named one of 8 semi-finalists for the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Player of the Year award

• Ali Sahaida set a school record in Pole Vault and was named ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week

• Cal Women’s Rowing Varsity Eight was named ACC Crew of the Week

• Yamato Okadome, Samuel Quarles, Evan Petty, Freddy Klein, Hank Rivers, and Joshua Thai (Men’s Swimming) were all named to the All-ACC Academic Team

• Rebecca Ciancaglini, Violet Williamson, Sydney Griscavage, Mary-Ambre Moluh, Kathryn Hazle, Camille Henveaux, Jessica Davis, Abby Herscu, Adriana Smith, and Arielle Brotman (Women’s Swimming) were all named to the All-ACC Academic Team

Cal Pros Recap

Football

Jack Plummer is starting for the Orlando Storm while Chandler Rogers was named QB1 for the Louisville Kings in the UFL.

Golf

Max Homa got caught throwing clubs around right after saying you shouldn’t do that in Golf. Max is still correct though as he was merely lofting the club in a downward trajectory, not throwing. Colin Morikawa got a second straight top 10 finish and made some noise this weekend at RBC Heritage. Michael Kim also had a day, shooting a 62 and equaling his career low 18-hole score.

Basketball

Leilani Mcintosh won the 2025-2026 Turkish Women’s Basketball League Championship.

Volleyball

Carli Lloyd and Bella Bergmark helped LOVB Austin win the 2026 LOVB Championship!

Soccer

Mia Fontana signed with AFC Toronto. Alex Klow was invited to train with Bay FC and be available for selection in an international friendly last week.

And so we find ourselves again at the end of another beautiful, perfect, Golden Nuggets. Thanks again for reading and hope to see you next week!

Brent “Paco” Austin came away from Pro Day feeling good about his performance, even without his 40 time in hand yet.

“It was great. Being out there in front of the scouts, trying to run fast. I don’t know the time yet, but hopefully it was pretty fast. Showing off my ball skills. Last year I didn’t have any interceptions, so showing I can catch the ball.”

He posted a 31.5-inch vertical, with his broad jump a personal highlight.

“It should have been higher, but at the end of the day the broad jump was pretty good at 104.”

When asked what an NFL team would be getting if they selected him, Austin kept it straightforward.

“Always being physical, smart player, good human being. Ready to have fun.”

On his draft prospects, he kept it short and confident.

“We’ll see. I’m not sure. We’ll see. Yes sir, I think I’ll get drafted.”

Sharing the experience with fellow Cal DBs Dru Polidore and Hezekiah Masses has made the whole process more meaningful.

“That’s fun, man. We transferred in around the same time. Automatically bonded with them. Going to be my brothers for life. Just being out here and being able to do it with them, it’s a special feeling.”

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Thursday, Game 1: Cal 3 - 6 CSUN
On Thursday the Bears travelled down to the hometown of sophomore pitcher Kiki Mashhoud to face Cal State Northridge in a midweek matchup. The Bears struck first when Mya McGowan (sitting at the pitcher/designated player spot in the lineup) got her third hit in two games, this one an RBI single to bring Anaya Togia home from second for a 1-0 lead. McGowan was then given the starting nod from head coach Steve Singleton, taking the opportunity to keep CSUN to just one hit through two innings.

Both sides remained silent until the bottom of the third when an RBI double and a batter hit by a pitch with the bases loaded saw two cross the plate for Northridge. CSUN’s lead lasted only four at-bats in the fourth inning before the Bears reclaimed it. With two outs down, Sophia Everett knocked a double into left field to give Cal some life. Five pitches later, Maddie Rey skied a high fly ball that bounced off the scoreboard in left field, giving the Bears the 3-2 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kiki Mashhoud was brought in to relieve McGowan, taking the opportunity to sit down the first three batters she faced in order on ten total pitches in front of a hometown crowd. The Golden Bears maintained their 3-2 lead until the bottom of the sixth when Northridge stormed ahead by three. The Matadors tied things up with an RBI single, then added an additional three runs off two more RBI singles. The late two out rally would call an end to Mashhoud’s day in the circle after 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 Ks. McGowan returned to close out the game she started by grabbing the final out in the bottom of the sixth to keep the score at 6-3. In the top of the seventh, Cal failed to bring in any more runs, giving the Matadors the 6-3 victory–their first over the Bears since 1995. McGowan ended her day with 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.

Cal recorded 8 hits on 27 at-bats, with Sophia Everett hitting 2-2 with a double and a single, Maddie Rey going 1-4 with a 2-run home run, and Mya McGowan going 1-2 with an RBI single. Sophia Everett recorded a stolen base, while Kayla Lee picked up two. WP: Alizae Cole (3-1) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB. LP: Kiki Mashhoud 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 K.

Saturday, Game 1: Cal 5 - 13 #9 UCLA (5)
For the first time since the original members of the PAC-12 disbanded, UCLA and Cal faced each other at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. UCLA–the #9 team in the country and tied for second in the B1G–entered game one of Saturday’s double-header the winners of ten straight, dominating teams with electric bats and precise pitching. Both of these aspects were on full display throughout the ballgame, especially the Bruin’s pitching, which kept Cal hitless in three of five innings and scoreless until the fifth.

Singleton called on Tamya Waiters to begin the day in the circle, the first time she’s started a game since March. UCLA got on the board quickly in the first, scoring on an RBI ground out with the bases loaded. In the following inning, the Bruins made it a five run ball game by sending out a solo homer and a 3-run homer over the fence in left field. The pair of home runs brought Taylor Peacock into the circle to relieve Tamya Waiters and end the second inning before any more damage could be done, although Waiters would return later on.

After a silent top of the third from Cal, Peacock again stepped up to the circle, this time retiring the side in ten pitches thanks to a timely 6-4-3 double play. However the silence from UCLA’s bats would not last long. In the bottom of the fourth, UCLA added two more from a 2-run home run to give them a 7-0 advantage. Layna Gerhard was called in to relieve Peacock, who threw for 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, and 1 BB before being pulled.

Down seven and in need of a rally, the Golden Bears finally found their stride in the top of the fifth. Togia hit a lead off single to left field to begin the inning, and Anya German got a seven pitch walk to put runners on first and second. It took Kaylia Counts just two consecutive foul balls before she put Cal on the board with a hard hit RBI double to center field, scoring Togia while advancing German to third. On the following at bat Gator Robinson–who has been going through a drought of hits since the end of March–lit up the first pitch of her at-bat, sending a 2-RBI double into center field to cut Cal’s deficit to four. With one out down and a new pitcher in for UCLA, Everett launched a rocket into right field to score another two runs to bring the Bears within two.

The Bruins responded with a slew of runs in the bottom of the fifth. First, a 2-RBI single with the bases loaded would bring an end to Gerhard’s day in the circle. Gerhard threw for 1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, and 4 BB, and Waiters was called on to close out the inning. With a 9-5 lead, UCLA picked up two more runs from an RBI single to go up 11-5. The Bruins hit the final nail in the coffin for game one on the following two at-bats, as a pair of back-to-back RBI doubles into center field gave UCLA an eight run 13-5 lead, activating the mercy rule.

The Golden Bears struggled to put together an offensive strike against the Bruins, earning just 5 hits in 20 at-bats. Sophia Everett went 1-3 with a home run and 2 RBIs, Gator Robinson went 1-2 with a double and 2 RBIs, and Kayli Counts went 1-2 with a double and an RBI. From the field: the Bears turned a 6-4-3 double play in the third inning. WP: Brynne Nally (4-1) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. LP: Tamya Waiters (1-6) 2.0 IP, 28 H, 7 ER, 4 BB.

Saturday, Game 2: Cal 1 - 9 #9 UCLA (5)
After a short intermission, the Bears and Bruins returned to the field to finish out the second game of their double-header. McGowan was again called upon to start in the circle for Cal, her second starting role in three games. The bats of UCLA were quick to pounce on the freshman pitcher, with their lead off batter hitting a solo home run on McGowan’s second pitch of the game. The Bruins scored two more a couple at-bats later on the second home run of the game, which resulted in McGowan being pulled from the circle after facing five batters and giving up 3 H, 4 R, and 3 ER. Mashhoud was called on in relief, and after giving up an RBI sac fly closed out the first thanks to a double play down 4-0.

The second inning passed silently as Mashhoud sat down three UCLA batters on five pitches while her counterpart–Bruins’ ace Taylor Tinsley–did the same with six. Cal clawed back one from the Bruins after Gator Robinson went yard with a solo shot to left center. However the third inning would be the last time the Bears would score or record a hit for the rest of the game. In the bottom of the same frame, UCLA plated four runs with three home runs, bringing an end to Mashhoud’s day after 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, and 1 BB, and giving the Bruins an 8-1 lead.

Gerhard was called into the circle in relief for Mashhoud, and was able to keep UCLA from adding any more runs to the board aside from a solo home run in the fourth. Gerhard would close out the game with 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, and 1 BB. In the bottom of the fifth, with another loss by fifth inning mercy rule looming, Cal attempted to pull off a last minute rally. With one out down, Robinson got herself into scoring position thanks to a ground ball from Emma Jackson and a rare throwing error from the Bruins. However, the Bears were not able to bring Robinson home, and Cal ultimately fell to UCLA 9-1 in game two of the double header.

Cal was completely held in check by UCLA pitcher Taylor Tinsley, earning only 3 hits on 19 at-bats. Gator Robinson has returned to her regular form as she went 1-2 with a home run, and Sophia Everett knocked in a pair of singles. Emma Jackson was credited with an error, and the Golden Bears nabbed two double plays: a 6-4-3 double play in the bottom of the first, and a 4-6-3 double play in the bottom of the second. WP: Taylor Tinsley (23-3) 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. LP: Mya McGowan (4-12) 0.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER.

What’s Next?
Cal’s final non-conference game against Saint Mary’s was cancelled on Monday due to inclement weather in the bay area. So the Golden Bears are returning to northern California for their final home series of the season, although they will be the home team in enemy territory. The 2026 Big Swing will be held at Stanford’s new softball stadium instead of Viking Field at West Valley College. Cal will still be considered the home team despite playing in the “away” teams stadium. After that, the Bears will play their final series of the 2026 regular season against Pitt on the first weekend in May.

Tickets for Big Swing can be purchased here. All games will be streamed on ESPN+. Go Bears!

Hezekiah Masses kept his Pro Day assessment simple, happy to be working out on familiar ground.

“Solid day out here, man. Just happy to be on my home turf. Come way out, hit the Cal turf and just practice on my turf. Just felt good just moving around with the guys.”

The combine wasn’t the end of the process for Masses. He wanted more reps and more opportunities to be seen.

“The combine is just part of the process, but the process is not done at the combine. Pro Day is still here and I just want to still move around with my guys.”

He posted a 34-inch vertical, though he felt there was more in the tank.

“I jumped like a 34. I could have did way better, but it was decent.”

Conversations with scouts after the workout were productive, and Masses was candid about both his strengths and what he needs to clean up.

“Always good talking to scouts, just hearing what they feel about me, what I need to improve on, what my strengths are on the field. Definitely ball skills, I’m good when the ball’s in the air, it’s mine. My IQ on the field, I’m always in great position. And some weakness, I told them too, I need to improve on tackling.”

His second 40-yard dash at the combine came in a tenth faster than his first, and Masses explained exactly why.

“The first one, the 40 just felt so long. I kind of stopped at the 37 or something like that, just kind of raised up. But the second one I just ran through the line and maintained my technique. I did that and did way better.”

When it comes to what Cal did for his pro prospects, Masses was grateful across the board.

“Cal did a lot, man. Ain’t nothing I can ask for. They got me bigger, stronger. Thank Coach Novak, thank Coach TB and Coach AB. They just prepared me the right way on the field and off the field.”

On draft projections, he’s staying patient.

“No guesses, man. You never know. We just going to wait until April and see.”

Going through the process alongside fellow Cal DBs Paco Austin and Dru Polidore has made it more enjoyable.

“It’s great, man. I feel like DBU, I feel like me and Paco were the best duo. We don’t really get our name out there as much as maybe we should, but it was great always working out with those guys and just being able to move around with them.”

And while he hasn’t had deep conversations with last year’s Cal draft class, the lines of communication stay open.

“We follow each other on social media, always texting here and there, always communicating with each other.”

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Jaydn Ott made clear from the jump that returning to Memorial Stadium for Pro Day meant something beyond just the workout.

“Thank you to Coach Rivera and Coach Tosh for letting me come through. It means a lot. I am an alumni of the school and so it’s good to be back, see a lot of my old teammates and be around the building with the guys.”

Being back on the field brought a familiar feeling.

“It was nostalgic, man. Looking up onto the hill and feeling the sun on me on this field. It was great.”

Ott had already done Oklahoma’s Pro Day the week prior, but came back to Cal specifically to improve on two drills where he felt he’d left something on the table.

“During training I was hitting a lot better numbers on my three cone and my 5-10-5, and so I wasn’t happy with it. I came out here and tried to work on that.”

The effort paid off.

“We got about two-tenths of a second better.”

He also got some throws in with current Cal quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele.

“I got to play with him a little bit during spring ball in 2025 and it was just cool. Throwing with Jaron is always fun.”

On his 40 time, Ott thought the fastest reading didn’t quite get the headlines.

“I think it was faster. You get a range of times from all the NFL teams and I guess the 4.46 is what stuck. They were saying like 4.40 to 4.45 and stuff, so got to round down.”

A recent meal with head coach Tosh Lupoi left Ott encouraged about where the program is headed.

“I’m excited for the whole team, man. I think he’s going to be really good for the culture, for the team around here. He’s going to take a big stride this year and even more so in the next.”

On his own draft prospects, Ott kept it grounded.

“I’m putting it all in God’s hands. If I do, I do. If not, man, it’s all good.”

He did feel the All-Star games helped his case.

“Most definitely. I got to show off my pass protection skills that I’ve been working on.”

Ott reached out to Cal himself to make this Pro Day happen, a reflection of the relationships he still holds here.

“I’m still really close with a lot of the people here, especially on the staff. These guys took care of me and I’m in constant communication with them anyway. I just decided, hey, let me reach out and see if I can get better numbers in those two drills and do some position work.”

His year at Oklahoma was a learning experience, even if things didn’t go as planned.

“Being in Oklahoma, it was cool, it was different. I was raised in California, stayed here pretty much my whole life, so it was cool to experience something else for a change. Things didn’t go as expected but I learned a lot through it all and it was good to be back out here.”

To the Cal fans who followed his journey and welcomed him back, Ott had a genuine message.

“I appreciate Coach Tosh and Coach Rivera and all the coaches welcoming me back, and especially the staff. Norm [Mo], Denis [Hallin], Andrew [McGraw], seeing all my people. To the fans, I’m just happy to be back. I appreciate all the support. Even when I left, there was a lot of support from Cal fans and it doesn’t go unnoticed. It means a lot.”

And if his name gets called on Sunday night, there’s no question which school he’ll be representing.

“I would definitely say Cal. I’m an alum here.”

Welcome to the DBD, a Write for California community board where one can talk about anything – Cal-related or off-topic. Comment threads are sorted by topic. Anything is fine, so long as you're generally civil

Without hesitation, let’s dive into how Cal’s FIVE-GAME winning streak in the ACC was formed, something they have never done before, and how the Bears and Cardinals matched up at Stu Gordon Stadium over the weekend.

Game 1, Friday 4/17/2026: California 8 – Louisville 5

Kicking off the series on Friday night under the lights at Stu Gordon Stadium, the California Golden Bears and Louisville Cardinals faced off for the second series since Cal joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. With the two teams drawing a crowd of 888 fans out to Berkeley, CA, Oliver de la Torre got the opening start for the Golden Bears against Wyatt Danilowicz, a Senior who posted a 2.70 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 33.1 IP last season, where he was also named to the 2025 Academic All-ACC Team. De la Torre was coming off a seven-inning complete game against Pitt, in which he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out four, and looked to keep his streak of going five innings per start alive since February 27^th.

With a first pitch at 6:06 PM, de la Torre retired the first Cardinals batter before allowing a base hit to Zion Rose and a two-run home run to Bayram Hot, getting Louisville on the board early against the Bears. Cal offense against Danilowicz was completely flat to start this game, as the Bears did not manage to get a runner on base via a hit until the bottom half of the 5^th, whereas the Cardinals added two more runs in the top half of the 4^th on a leadoff home run from Tague Davis and a sac-fly-RBI from Kade Elam to make it 4-0.

The Bears were finally able to claw back offensively in the bottom of the 5^th as Lawson Olmstead got the rally started for Cal with a leadoff single while Carl Schmidt followed with a double down the left field line to put runners in scoring position for Cade Campbell – who hit a line drive base hit through the left side of the infield to bring home Olmstead and get California on the board for the first time in this game. Ethan Kodama and Jacob French would then both deliver with RBI singles of their own, giving Cal two more runs to cut the deficit within one and make it 4-3 Louisville heading into the 6^th.

The Cardinals did immediately respond to those three runs from Cal with another leadoff homerun from Tague Davis against de la Torre, but the Bears came back out in the 6^th and got hold of a lead that they would never lose in this matchup. Daniel Murillo led off the inning by getting hit by a 3-2 pitch, while Olmstead followed with a walk to knock Danilowicz out of the game after putting two runners on for Carl Schmidt, who launched a three-run home run to deep center against Jake Schweitzer, to give the Bears a 6-5 lead.

De la Torre returned out to the mound for the 7^th and after giving up a leadoff hit that was turned into an out after George Baker tried extending a single into a double against the arm of Kodama in RF, and a one-out hit the Alex Alicea before getting Crain and Rose out and ending his night with 7.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, and 3 Ks – pitching back-to-back seven-inning starts for the Golden Bears. Cole Clark replaced de la Torre in the 8^th and worked through an error and a base hit to give Cal another chance at the plate before handing the ball off to Ethan Foley for his first career save opportunity.

Cal added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the 8^th on a Joshua Hanson two-run home run to deep left field to make it 8-5, and Foley came in to close it out in the 9^th, retiring all three batters he faced and earning the save as California took game one in this three-game series against a team that went as far as the College World Series just last season. Game 1: California. WP: Oliver de la Torre (3-4, 7.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). LP: Jake Schweitzer (1-1, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, BB, K).

Game 2, Saturday 4/18/2026: California 6 – Louisville 5

Getting right back into action for game two at Stu Gordon Stadium, California and Louisville squared off for a Saturday afternoon at the ballpark with a first pitch at 2:06 PM, and the Cardinals’ Ethan Eberle facing off against California’s Gavin Eddy. Last season, Eberle made 20 appearances for the Cardinals while starting in 10 of those games and ended up striking out 59 batters in 62 IP. He earned 2025 ACC All-Freshman Team honors, Academic All-ACC Team honors, and was also named to the 2025 NCAA Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team after pitching 6.1 shutout innings against Wright State, where he had struck out 11 Raiders.

Gavin Eddy returned to the mound for his usual Saturday start after going 5.0 innings against Pitt last weekend, where he earned a win while going 5.0 innings and allowing six hits and three runs. Louisville was able to strike first in this game against Eddy in the top half of the 2^nd as Lucas Moore led off the inning with a single to right and advanced to third on a botched play at second by Jacob French while trying to get Moore out on a stolen base attempt. Jimmy Nugent then grounded out, which allowed Moore to score and give Louisville a quick 1-0 lead in the game.

After starting quiet at the plate to start the game, California got some momentum going in the bottom of the 3^rd against Eberle, as Hideki Prather got a it started with a one-out single to left while Jett Kenady continued to stay hot at the plate with an RBI-double to tie the game before Daniel Murillo followed with a two-run shot to deep center field to give Cal a 3-1 lead. The Cardinals retook the lead in the top half of the 5^th against Eddy as Nugent led off the inning with a home run to left, and Ben Slanker and Kade Elam each followed with a single to allow Zach Davis to bunt them over into scoring position for Griffin Crain. Crain singled through the third base side to bring home the tying run, and Zion Rose then hit a sac-fly-RBI to bring the leading run home before Eddy got out of the inning with three runs of damage and two runners left on base.

BUT that was of no concern for the Golden Bears, as Daniel Murillo gave Cal the lead right back on his second home run of the afternoon, another two-run home run to left, this time with Jacob French on first after a bunt-base-hit, and Cal took a 5-4 lead that they would never lose in this afternoon game on Evans Diamond.

Eberle worked through five innings for the Cardinals before being substituted by Peter Michael. Michael would give up one insurance run to Cal on a wild pitch that would allow Murillo to score from third and give the Bears a 6-4 lead heading into the 8^th, while Gavin Eddy, on the other hand, had pitched his best game this season. Eddy went 8.0 innings and allowed seven hits and three earned runs while striking out seven, and Mike Neu handed the ball off to Ethan Foley for another save opportunity in back-to-back games to try and secure an ACC-series win at home.

Foley gave up a single to Nugent to lead off the top of the 9^th before getting a fielder’s choice and strikeout to get two outs in the inning, but Zach Davis singled to right to bring home Nugent and show that Louisville was not done yet – only they were for Saturday, as Crain followed with a ground out to third in the next at bat that ended the game and gave California the series win against the Cardinals. Game 2: California. WP: Gavin Eddy (6-2, 8.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 7 K). LP: Ethan Eberle (3-3, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, BB, K).

Game 3, Sunday 4/19/2026: California 5 – Louisville 8

With the Golden Bears sealing their second straight ACC series win on Saturday night, Freshman Otto Espinoza looked to lead California to something they had never done since joining their new conference across the country, and that was sweep back-to-back ACC opponents. Last year, the Bears’ only sweep came against Stanford, and they did not win another series until Boston College came to Berkeley to close out the regular season.

Cal struck first on Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 858 fans as the Bears were all over Louisville starting pitcher Colton Hartman, plating home four runs in the bottom of the first on a Jett Kenady RBI double, a Daniel Murillo RBI-single, a Carl Schmidt base hit for an RBI, and finally a Joshua Hanson sac-fly-RBI to left before Hartman’s afternoon was over after just .2 IP and four earned runs.

Espinoza worked through the first two innings with no damage before the Cardinals flew in with two runs in the top of the 3^rd, as Davis Tague launched a two-run home run to right, and knocked Otto out of the game in the 5^th after he worked his way to two outs in the inning but gave up a base hit to Tague and hit Bayram Hot with a pitch in the next at bat to end his afternoon. Trent Roach came in from the bullpen, and the Cardinals hit back-to-back RBI hits to Crain and Nugent, and Louisville had tied the game at 4-4.

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The Bears then went to Garrett Mackowiak in the top half of the 7^th after two innings of no scoring, and Mackowiak surrendered an immediate leadoff home run to Tague Davis, and was then relieved by Ryan Spalliero, Spalliero would go on to give up three consecutive hits and allow the sixth run to score for the Cardinals, with the Bears getting one back in the 7^th on a groundout from Daniel Murillo against Ty Starke to make it a one run ball game at 5-6.

The Cardinals then matched up against Cole Clark out of the Cal bullpen, and after getting the first out of the inning, Clark surrendered a two-run home run to Tague Davis, his third of the gam,e to make it 8-5 Louisville. California would not respond from there, and the Golden Bears would drop game three in this series and walk away from the weekend at 20-18 with an ACC record of 6-12. Game 3: Louisville. WP: Brandon Shannon (2-2, 5.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 5 K) LP: Garrett Mackowiak (0-1, 0.0 IP, H, ER)

The California Golden Bears return to action with another weekday matchup against the San Francisco Dons on Wednesday, April 22^nd – and will travel to Miami, FL this weekend to take on the University of Miami Hurricanes in a three-game ACC series. All games will be streamed on ACCNX/ESPN+.

Cal Men’s Basketball continues to shape its roster for the 2026-27 season. G Jordan Ross, who spent two seasons up Highway 24 at Saint Mary’s, transferred to Georgia last year before announcing his commitment to the Golden Bears today.

Ross started 60 games across the last two seasons for the Gaels and Bulldogs respectively, going all 35 as SMC made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Ross eventually came off the bench by the end of last year with Georgia, sitting behind former Cal G Jeremiah Wilkinson.

Ross averaged 6.7 ppg on 42% shooting from the floor and 31% from three, his highest three point mark in three college seasons. Cal is looking to find its depth after losing Justin Pippen, Dai Dai Ames and DeJuan Campbell this season.

The Bears have now landed Michael Cooper, Nojus Indrusaitis and Ross as backcourt transfers. Ross also joins his former Bulldog teammate Jake Wilkins at Cal.

Come meet the community and staff, and be part of a football conversation hosted by Rob Hwang, Andy Johnston and Nam Le.

So make sure to RSVP below, and come talk ball!

RSVP here!

At one point on Saturday, I found myself wondering the last time it was like this.

I mean, there were spring games -- I’d written about a lot of those over the last fourteen years and three coaches -- but a lot of the time, they were offense versus defense scrimmages, not true split-roster, intra-squad affairs.

Sometimes we just didn’t have the depth. Sometimes there was a disdain for the whole thing in general, in the way these “showcases” (read: practices) went. On one occasion, there wasn’t even traditional football of any kind -- in Dykes’ first year, the media release afterward reported that “the Cal defense was a 28-24 winner over the offense”, when a “44-yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play that Benjamin Calder sailed wide, [giving] the defense its final three points in a contest that was scored using a modified scoring system that awarded points to the defense.”

So, that no one could recall previous spring games with any confidence, is because time has grown a strange fruit in Strawberry Canyon. The new coach is an old one, and around him on Saturday were the unmistakable reminders of that past: Jeff Tedford, Marshawn Lynch, and Lorenzo Alexander. In whatever the Cal Bears do going forward in this era, their DNA will be unmistakably born from out of that one, in some form.

And then, what is new: everything else. There isn’t just optimism around the program right now for optimism’s sake. Even if the game attendance suggested it is nascent at this stage, there’s real reason to believe something is happening, with every major indicator right now flashing Yale Blue and Gold. Fundraising. Recruiting. Socials. Visibility.

It’s not always going to go smoothly – and it didn’t on Saturday – but when you are led by those who have already seen the glory and splendor themselves, stuff like your quarterback throwing a pick-six to open the game, or the field mic cutting out all afternoon, matters a little less. They aimed for 10,000 in attendance and overshot the estimates by a good number.

That’s fine. This is a journey.

**

II. Interpretive Framework

In which your writer explains some principles that underlie these observations, which are the result of having sat through a lot of spring practices, games, scrimmages, showcases and otherwise, with the intention of contextualizing everything below.

1. It is best to approach the results of any practice looking for trends, and to avoid overreactions. This is not zero sum.

2. We are seeing only a little bit, and by design. Focus on personnel; who is flashing in these settings. Those will lead you to finding the impact players for the fall.

3. Defenses are normally ahead in camp; offense takes a little more time to gel. I focused more on the offense at this practice, because a) I expect the defense to be good under Tosh, and b) it’s an easier thing to form conclusions about live.

4. Saturday’s game was apparently not broadcast at large, so there may be some errors, omissions below, or things I’m not able to speak as confidently on without rewatching or did not form real insight into. Those have been noted accordingly, where possible. At the time of writing (mostly, the godless hours of Sunday morning), official stats have not been released.

***

III. Cal 21, Cal 15

Gold Team: 21 (Marques Groves-Killebrew pick six, Dominic Ingrassia rushing touchdown, Adam Mohammed rushing touchdown)

Blue Team: 15 (Cooper Perry from Brousseau, Trevor Rogers from Jaron, 2-point conversion good from Xander Jones)

As part of the agreed-upon terms of competition, the winning staff and roster will be eating steak and lobster at some point, while the losing staff and roster will have hot dogs and beans.

Quarterbacks: You already know.

Jaron (Blue): If you knew that his first drive ended with a tipped ball that Marques Groves-Killebrew turned into a pick-six, and read the statline only, you might worry. But it should go without saying that Jaron is the least of our concerns, and particularly in this context, when he was without most of the (presumed) first-team skill players that he’ll line up with in the fall: Adam Mohammed, Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks were all Gold Team members. He still flashed the same ridiculous arm talent we’ve known already, best seen in the extra two-minute drive for the Blue Team at the end, when Jaron accounted for the game’s final score with a gorgeous fade to Trevor Rogers in the right end zone. (”You can do things like that when it’s spring ball,” was the PA quip.) Besides a notably larger frame he’s growing into, he did look to be processing the field a lot faster, working through progressions and to the back side more decisively than he did a year ago. There were a few missed throws that were audacious to even attempt, only possible to miss closely because of his talent.

If you’re judging based on the spring game alone, QB2 is probably Dominic Ingrassia (Gold), who in my opinion, played the best out of the remaining guys, taking a long keeper touchdown among a solid and productive couple of drives.

Running Backs: We got a real one, and it’s not just him.

Adam Mohammed (Gold): Whatever the reasons are as to why he and Washington didn’t work out, we should thank our lucky stars -- #24 is not only as advertised, but worthy of the old running back tradition. Fast, strong, explosive, versatile – he broke off a kickoff return, lined up out wide on offense, ran wheel routes, ran in tight alleys to the short side of the field, ran between the tackles, and punctuated his day with a long run down the left sideline and an eventual touchdown. For my money, the player who left the strongest impression all afternoon, showcasing as a complete back, ready for a full load of carries -- he had only 148 total at Washington over two years -- and without any hyperbole, I think Justin Forsett is his floor. His ceiling…

Carter Vargas (Blue) played only one or two drives to open the day with Jaron and flashed some solid burst in that stint. Anthony League (Blue) took most of the carries behind him and made a strong case to be a part of what I think will be a three-to-four-back rotation, headed by Mohammed. The last piece of that is likely to be Ashton Emory (Gold), who ran hard and made some solid headway when he got time.

Tight Ends: Buy your Taimane Purcell stock now.

Taimane Purcell (Gold): It’s pronounced Ty-mah-nee, I learned. Given the way the true freshman played above his years, I think we’ll all know it before long. He’s carrying ~240 pretty effortlessly, flashed reliable hands and run after catch ability, and validated some of the whispered praise I’d been hearing in a big way. Whoever is in charge of 808 area recruiting internally is crushing at evaluation. Lock him in the two deep immediately.

John Tofi (Gold) has also forced his way into the tight end conversation by consistently being in the right place, blocking hard. Between him, Purcell, Mini, Dorian Thomas, and Rico Walker, Cal has one of the legitimately deepest tight end rooms in the time I’ve written about the Bears. The rest of the group, for brevity’s sake, had a pretty workmanlike day at the office (Dorian Thomas did catch an in-breaker for 19 yards and a first down on Jaron’s first drive), but the freshman was the one raising eyebrows.

Receivers: Massively improved from last year.

Cooper Perry (Blue): Among a bunch of receptions on the day was an early crossing route and run after the catch for 32 yards when playing with Jaron, and a later 34-yard touchdown pass from Brousseau, with consistent effort after the catch, even if it was just a few extra yards. Will be a front-line option for the offense this fall.

Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks (Gold): The former was pretty quiet playing with the other QBs, but did have a contested pass he ripped out of the air in front of the DB and ran after the catch for 23 yards, and that will become quite familiar to the wider audience in the fall. The latter was definitely more productive on the day, but didn’t hit any explosive plays of his own. A part of why both came to Cal was to catch balls from Jaron, so I expect they’ll make more noise when he’s the one throwing to them specifically.

Trevor Rogers (Blue): Showed up with a strong afternoon – multiple catches for the Blue team and the aforementioned closing touchdown, capping off a spring where he needed to really start making moves, and did. All of this bodes well for his odds of contributing this fall. Whoever coached him in high school is probably beaming right now.

Cole Boscia (Gold): Rob shared that from his time watching fall camp in 2025, he felt Boscia was ready to be a contributor before an untimely injury. Boscia started living up to that late last year – SMU most memorably – and looks on track to continue as a rotation player. By my unofficial tally, he led the Gold team in receptions and has remained reliable, sure-handed, and productive, even among an improved wide receiver room.

Quaron Adams (Blue): His usage – crosses, gadgets, etc – last year was particularly important in a skill position group that lacked explosiveness, and he looks like he’ll continue getting on the field in that capacity, based on his usage on Saturday. The good news is they’ll be able to be more intentional about how they get to feature him.

Mark Hamper (Blue): A guy I was hoping would show out in more force on Saturday, but did make a couple of catches. What most people in attendance will probably remember is the ones he did not come down with, which were often tough situations to be in in the first place. My opinion is that having him back was a solid, sensible decision, with the idea he may thrive more in a contributor role than as a star, and that may still be the case. Struggles acknowledged, I’m not selling the stock yet.

Offensive Line: Hard to evaluate at live speed, but a higher floor than last year to start

This post could have been twice as long, if we had the film available to watch – what gives, ACC Network? In any case, only a couple of pressures given up and a relatively clean day of work on penalties; generally, I think the floor of the group has risen in Anae’s second year. It will still take more time for them to really peak, because the transfer portal class was built around young guys who they plan on developing anyway (Jimothy Lewis, Jacob Arop, etc), supplementing the couple of veterans they’ll build around (Tyson Ruffins, Sioape Vatikani, etc). The good news is compared to last year, nobody stood out in a way anyone sitting on their couch could be upset about, let alone consistently, as it was at times.

Defensive Line: Deep enough to be flexible, with something you ain’t seen yet

Generally played well in generating some pressure and disruption – run and pass game both – with some particular standouts coming from the terrifying quick Jericho Johnson (Blue) and Jayden Wayne (Gold) off the edge. There’s a lot of veteran depth here as a group, with a special helmet sticker for the returning Nate Burrell (Gold), who picked off a pass and got to live that elusive dream of all big men, rumbling for a few yards the other way.

It’s #44 who’s the real key to this thing, though. Cal has not had the luxury of a lineman that fast and athletic since BRETT JOHNSON, and he wasn’t 345 (listed).

Defensive Backs: Worthy of the tradition.

With most of my attention gravitating to the offense, I’d say my impressions of this group are generally good. The whisperings out of camp have been positive on defense overall, and while it’s become a legacy to have to scout, plug, and then play new DBs at Cal – something they were definitely cognizant of this spring, as our Thomas Dunn shared:

I don’t see a dropoff coming either. The major highlight was the Marques Groves-Killebrew (Gold) interception, but a really solid day overall for a unit that didn’t really even run all their normal coverage playbook or full personnel (a few guys were in no-contact jerseys, including Aiden Manutai (Gold)). Niles Davis (Blue) jumped with a long return on special teams and hustled down the field to stop Adam Mohammed from getting into the end zone. The depth guys at corner were competitive in their one-on-one situations, too.

One last note here: I’ve described a lot of running after the catch made by our skill position players, but I want to be clear that was not due to some zero-sum of bad tackling. Credit it to an improvement in skill talent, rather than a deficiency in the secondary, where there were no major busts, and notably, consistent effort in impacting the run game.

Linebackers: Okay, hot take?

If you want someone who raised his profile dramatically at the spring game on defense, it’s AJ Tuitele (Blue) – still adding weight, I would assume – who played fast and disruptive, shooting gaps and being a terror to all sides of the field. Aaron Hampton (Gold - stuffed League on 4th and 2 early) and Kamar Mothudi (Gold - at least one TFL) also grabbed a couple flash plays, and while the rawness of the unit still shows at times – both Tuitele and Mothudi are stepping into their first major playing time – the athletic ceiling, length, and general ranginess is much higher. If you want to buy stock in an agenda that you’ll look smart about for saying early, I think…I’d buy some and say we upgraded.

Specialists: Don’t look yet.

Chase Meyer missed two field goals from 42 and 52 for the Blue team, which were the only two attempted on the day.

My apologies to the punt units, which I missed while taking notes and chatting.

Practice closed with a designed 2-point conversion ran in by Xander Jones (Blue), the younger brother of BJ Jones (Gold). Joaquin Ruiz has more on their story here.

**

V. Uhh, we made a book.

Avi, Rob – it was just both their birthdays, by the way. If you’re actually reading, make sure you wish them a happy birthday in the comments – and I spent a good chunk of last summer compiling, editing, and putting together stories from the community’s experience around College GameDay, which we knew needed to be preserved in some form.

What that became was Calgorithm, Vol. 1: A People’s Anthology of the 2024 season, a 297-page hardcover book that we are immensely proud of, because it really represents this community in its totality, memes and all. We have a story from the guy who stormed the field after the Auburn game and spent the night in an Alabama jail cell. We have a story from a Calgorithm member who found himself on the phone with ESPN, pitching #FightForCalGameDay. We have an overarching narrative that spans decades of our fandom, from the days of California Golden Blogs, til today. We have a foreword written by five national level college football voices: Bill Connelly, Kyle Bonagura, Ashley Adamson, Ryan Nanni, and Jessica Smetana. We have given copies to Rich Lyons, Ron Rivera, and Tosh Lupoi with the confirmation at least one has really read it, and an acceptance into the Bancroft archives (and allegedly, the Library of Congress, but that’s a story for later).

In our first run, we were only able to make 200 of them, and those copies are all accounted for.

Because managing this project isn’t our day jobs, we’re finally ready to collect interest from the W4C community around this project, so we can potentially, shop it out to publishers in some form, or something else. You can register your interest here, to receive further updates.

Besides – with the way things are going, I’m pretty sure we’re not done yet.

As for me, I’m still writing whenever I feel like it – some of my Cal stuff here made it into the book – over at my own blog, which you can find here. A subscription of $1 a month is mostly symbolic, but deeply appreciated.

**

VI. Conclusion

Ron said a few days ago in a press conference, about feeling good that this team was better than last year.

And I find it easy to agree, now that I’ve gotten to see it myself. A really good team is being built here, one that aims to compete now – because it has to – but there’s the sense that the peak is really going to be 2027 for this core, of which Jaron is at the center. With Tosh working another job and preparing for the College Football Playoffs, they built a smart framework for a roster from the increased NIL funding, without the depth being quite where they’d want it to be yet. Given that constraint, the evaluation and assembly has not missed at all, and watching nearly impact player brought in hitting immediately, showed what happens when we’re able to access the next tier of talent.

And it is just beginning – win, and there will be a lot more.

Welcome to the DBD, a Write for California community board where one can talk about anything – Cal-related or off-topic. Comment threads are sorted by topic. Anything is fine, so long as you're generally civil

The teams were not set up in 1’s vs 2’s, and that was on purpose per Coach Lupoi.

While the hardcore fans might bemoan not getting a preview of the JKS to Ian Strong connection, the mix of players catching balls from different QBs every series, kept things varied and allowed some insights into these combinations.

It was difficult to parse anything definitive from the game itself, but some takeaways were there for the taking.

• The running back room is something to get excited about this year. Returning redshirt freshman Anthony League showed out in the first half, running with vision and authority. Transfers like Adam Mohammad took a moment to come on, before breaking off a 50+ yard run in the fourth quarter.

• There’s some competition behind JKS. Colorado State transfer Jackson Brousseau connected with Oregon transfer Cooper Perry for a 34 yard touchdown pass. Perry looked strong all game, making multiple strong catches. EJ Caminong seemed comfortable. Novato native Dominic Ingrassia fooled everyone on the field and in the press box running in a 37 yard keeper for a TD that nobody saw coming.

• With all the positivity surrounding the regime change in Berkeley, there are some questions around the continuation of “DBU”. It must have been comforting to this lot to see the first score of the game come from a 95 yard return for touchdown off of a red zone interception at the hands of Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a high school stand out that had a few productive stops before his 2025 was cut short by injury.

• Returning defensive players Aaron Hampton and Nate Burell both made impact plays on the ball. They seem to be adapting nicely. They will look to expand and grow their roles under this new staff.

• AJ Tuitele had a bit of a stand out game as well, showing violence getting stops before skill players could make it across the line of scrimmage.

The Big Picture

We’ve got a long way until Cal hits the field for fall camp and eventually opening week against UCLA. It’s far too early to make any meaningful conclusions about the football acumen of the team but there is clearly a concerted effort by this team to be more than just a group of individuals.

In a day and age of college athletics that almost puts a “mercenary” label on certain sectors, both the coaches and players within the Cal program have consistently emphasized the connection and power of unit pillars of the program.

DC Michael Hutchings expanded in his post Spring game press conference that connections between opposites sides of the ball and people within all corners od the building is simply a prerequisite.

Cal did what they had to do in beginning to build the foundation for the future. Xavier Jones running in the touchdown to end the day was a nice cherry on top for a feel good day that got the fanbase back in the swing of things.

Fall camp beckons in August, as this new era of Cal Football approaches its debut. In the meantime, the staff will hit the road in recruiting as they look to “blitz the bay.”

You may just get to see them in your backyard in the coming months. Just like you got to head back to the friendly confines of California Memorial Stadium to close out the spring season.

Shannon Dowell started 29 games for the Missouri Tigers last year. The 5’ 10” combo guard averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and recorded five double-doubles on the season. Dowell started her college career at Illinois State, where she averaged 17.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2024-25. In the official press release, Coach Smith praised Dowell’s aggressive approach to the game and her versatility;

“She truly is a triple-threat option that has shown the ability to attack the glass and get others involved on the offensive end of the court. Having played in the SEC last season, she will be an impact player right away and be ready for the ACC."

Carly Amborn is a four-star recruit from Larkspur and earned multiple North Coast accolades during her 2024-25 senior year. She played sparingly for Kate Paye at Stanford last year, totaling 59 minutes across 16 games. Amborn’s mother, Pam Nelson-Campbell, was a three-time tennis All-American for the Golden Bears in the mid-90’s. On joining the Bears, Amborn praised Coach Smith’s team culture;

"I cannot wait to continue my family legacy here. Cal truly feels like home. Coach Charmin is the ultimate leader and I am incredibly excited to play for someone who cares so deeply and believes in her players on and off the court. I feel so lucky to join this team."

With the four additions this week, Cal currently has 14 players on the roster.

• Returners(7): G Lulu Twidale, F Taylor Barnes, G Mjracle Sheppard, G Gisella Maul, G Anastasia Drosouni, F Naya Ujukwu, G Sofia Bowes

• Freshman Incoming(4); F Jovana Jevtovic, F Zara Russell, G/F Anna Lagonikaki, G Ruby Perkins

• Portal Incoming(3); C Albina Syla, G Carly Amborn, G Shannon Dowell

Rosters can have up to 15 players, so there is one spot remaining. Or, they may choose to keep it open and add a non-scholarship player before the season starts.

Welcome to Berkeley, Carly and Shannon!

With all the roster turnover happening and money flying around in this day and age of college athletics, the ability to be a “team” can get lost in the shuffle. One or two bad eggs can derail a season, forcing you to look in the mirror as you spent a lot of NIL dollars for not a ton of return.

As Cal Football wraps up Spring Ball this week, there’s been consistent themes among the position groups when they get to the post practice media banner.

Despite the battles they go through on the field, where they want to leave no doubt about who won reps, they’re building camaraderie off it as Tosh Lupoi expresses his desire to be “the most connected team in the country.”

Finding their Soul in the Bay

Across multiple days of position group scrums, Cal players came together to discuss how their acclimation to the Bay Area has been both a journey yet worthwhile.

One of those adjustment areas, is the food scene.

ILB Tristan Jernigan among others are from the South and as they look for a taste of home, it took some adventuring. Jernigan, a Tupelo, Mississippi native, noted the different backgrounds that have come together to bring the best out of one another.

Enter Y’s Choice in Oakland. A place cited by more than three players, has become a spot to relax, refocus and enjoy each other for who they are.

In a game that’s fast paced, its the things that slow you down that may end up paying dividends down the line for the Golden Bears.
Home Away from Home

You remember the day you left home to head to college. Whether it was a couple of miles down the road, moving across the country or heading internationally, its an adjustment.

Not everyone is fit or ready for change.

Now add in the expectations to be a D1 football player where you are viewed to perform and it can be a lot.

Freshman TE Taimane Purcell touched on how having people from Hawaii on the team and the coaches emphasizing taking care of yourself off the field has assisted his transition to Berkeley.

On the other side, Edge rusher Justin Beadles, who was been at an array of schools, values the balance of how these coaches demand the best but also check in on the person as well.

In acknowledging where Cal is and where they’re expected to go under this revamped recruiting outlook, you still need to take the baby steps required to succeed.

As the team continues to iron out their installs before the Spring Game on Saturday, the work behind the scenes is currently setting Cal up to be more than just a group of individuals who want to win.