Cal defensive back Matthew Littlejohn enters transfer portal

Best of luck to Matthew in his next stop after walking!

Credit: Rob Hwang

In a not-so-surprising bit of news, the California Golden Bears lost Matthew Littlejohn to the portal as a graduate transfer. Littlejohn already had walked at Senior Day, but an additional ruling to allow junior college players an extra year of eligibility allowed him the chance to find a new home.

Littlejohn played as a defensive back for Cal, primarily at nickel, contributing significantly during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. As a junior in 2023, he appeared in 11 games, starting nine, including the final six contests of the season. He tallied 42 tackles, including one for a loss, and recorded one interception.

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Over the course of the 2024 season, Littlejohn recorded 15 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, and three pass breakups. In his senior season, Littlejohn began as the starting nickel back in the opener against UC Davis, where he registered three tackles, but got injured for the remainder of the first half of the season. Notable performances included three tackles and a pass breakup against Oregon State, two tackles and a pass breakup at Wake Forest, and additional contributions against Syracuse, Stanford, and SMU.

Cal has landed three defensive backs in this transfer portal cycle, with Tristan Dunn (via Washington), Hezekiah Masses (via Florida International) and Jaden Mickey (via Notre Dame) incoming. The Bears have plenty of options at nickel from the current players on roster, like Cam Sidney and Ja'ir Smith, but it should be a fun spring battle to watch.

Best of luck to Matthew in his next stop!