The first commitment for Cal football for 2026 was cornerback Jayden Crowder
The California Golden Bears landed their first major commit of the 2026 recruiting class.
We missed this from November, but better later than never to announce on our site: Cal landed their first 2026 football commit last fall from cornerback Jayden Crowder out of Rancho Santa Margarita. Crowder is ranked the 500th best prospect by 247Sports Composite, the 41st best cornerback and 54th best California prospect.
Crowder holds offers from programs like Tennessee, Penn State, Kansas, Syracuse, Oregon State, Duke, Washington, Miami, Colorado, Texas A&M and Michigan State. In his junior season at Santa Margarita Catholic in Rancho Santa Margarita in the Trinity League, Crowder collected 45 tackles, 8 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble this season (via MaxPreps).
More from Matt Moreno at Cal Rivals:
"My past visits were incredible, and they truly made my family and I feel like part of the program," Crowder said. "The staff went above and beyond to ensure we felt comfortable and welcome. This week only reinforced my positive impression, especially seeing the team’s strong win over Stanford and witnessing the close bond between the players and coaches."
You can see Crowder’s coverage skills in action here at the Rivals Camp Los Angeles, where he won defensive back MVP.
Congrats on committing to Cal Jayden! Go Bears!
Looks like a great add! Hope he follows through and signs!
We are starting to get CB university! Thsts why out DB coached keep leaving.