The California Golden Bears have proven to be adept at finding defensive talent in the portal. Last year, Cal landed Jackson Sirmon, Xavier Carlton, and Odua Isibor, all of whom contributed in significant fashion last season.
Two major starting transfers landed last weekend from two opponents who played the Bears particularly well.
UNLV cornerback Nohl Williams was sought after by many programs after he announced he was entering the portal, but he picked Cal, rejoining his former position coach Tre Watson. He will have two seasons left of eligibility.
Williams produced 39 tackles, five pass deflections, three interceptions, and one forced fumble/fumble recovery this season for the Rebels. He also had five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Williams was a big factor in Cal’s narrow win over UNLV, making six tackles, disrupting several routes and making life tough on the talented Bears wide receivers. Here’s a video of his pass deflection on Jeremiah Hunter.
Colorado cornerback Kaylin Moore departed from the Buffs after the arrival of Deion Sanders, and found a new home in Berkeley with the California Golden Bears. Terrence Brown appears to have been the primary recruiter.
Moore logged 35 tackles and 2 pass deflections in his second season with the Buffs. In Colorado’s only victory of the season against Cal, Moore logged four tackles and one TFL.
Cal did experience inconsistent defensive play this season at cornerback, as the Bears gave up more deep passes on the outside this year then they had in previous seasons. The midseason injuries to Lu-Magia Hearns III and Collin Gamble put the Bears in a significant bind as sophomore Tyson McWilliams and freshman Jeremiah Earby had to learn on the fly. They performed solidly, but there is definitely pressure on the defense to return to the form they once had in earlier incarnations.
There should be some fun battles on the outside this spring. Cal definitely is restacking their Takers depth!
Cal fans, your thoughts?
Can they play o-line
Welcome to Cal guys and hope we'll see the Takers version 3.0 this coming season!