Friday Night Lights: A Look Into the Future of Cal Football Part 1
How Cal's future is performing in their final season of high school football
Friday nights in the Fall are here. Spirit weeks, overpriced kettle corn, rowdy student sections, and local rivalries that people outside of your city may never understand are back, and that means high school football is back in season. The future of Cal Football is back at work, and the 2026 recruiting class for the University of California Golden Bears is continuing their athletic and academic journey to the Bay Area’s football team.
This series will regularly cover the already pledged and committed players who will don the Blue and Gold next season, as we follow along their high school journeys and bear witness to their numbers, leading their teams to victory, and sharpening their skills and livelihoods as they one day will represent the California Golden Bears.
From weekly coverage of their games and play, to storylines that can shock the high school/college football landscape, Friday Night Lights will be our place to share insights, news, and discussions over the prospects of Cal Football, so we can get to know them and their play well before they arrive in Berkeley, making them feel right at home and known immediately.
The California Golden Bears have 21 players committed to the squad for the high school class of 2026 and the 2026 fall season, so those 21 players will be the exact 21 players we follow through this series. As players decommit or as new players commit to Cal, that number will change, but these will be the 21 future* Golden Bears that I will try and communicate as a household name through Friday Night Lights; so, let’s get rolling!
Taimane Purcell: TE - Kamehameha (HI) (4/5 Star, 90 OVR) Purcell comes in as Cal’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2026 class as a 90 overall on 24/7, and an 88 on on3 Rivals. The Kapalama Warriors began the season early on August 8th, and thus far, Purcell has brought in one pass for 30 yards against Farrington High for the season opener. In 2024, Purcell played in 7 games and brought in 20 catches for 225 yards and 4 TDs. He made 6 tackles on defense, 2 sacks, and 3 tackles for a loss of yards in his limited reps on defense as well as an edge rusher. Purcell comes in at 6’3”, 225 lbs., and is known for his athleticism and size combination across Honolulu.
Victor Santino: RB - Bishop Montgomery (CA) (3/5 Star, 89 OVR) Well… things got weird before they got better. On September 2nd, 2025, Bishop Montgomery High School’s 2025 varsity football season was officially suspended with all games forfeited due to an “ongoing internal investigation” regarding CIF-SS violations where the “Money Man,” Brett Steigh, was paying families to have their child transfer to Bishop Montgomery to play football. On Bishop Montgomery’s roster is Cal RB commit Victor Santino, an 89 overall prospect on 24/7 and an 88.7 overall on on3 Rivals, and quite frankly, the start of his season has just been weird. The team had traveled to Hawaii to take on No. 1 Saint Louis, but the game was never finished due to an on-field “scuffle” with less than two minutes to play, which resulted in Bishop Montgomery not having enough players due to suspensions for their next game against their local rival, Mater Dei. Santino made one rush for 8 yards in the 4th quarter against Saint Louis and will now sit out the remainder of his senior season with his teammates as the Bishop Montgomery Knights students pay the price for pay-to-win high school football.
Nemyah Telona: DL – De La Salle (CA) (3/5 Star, 88 OVR) Developing in Bear territory, Telona comes out of De La Salle High School in Concord, CA, as the highest-ranked committed defensive linemen in the Cal 2026 recruiting class. Playing for the No. 28 team in the nation (who my Grizzlies never beat in my time at Cal High), Telona is playing under world renowned varsity head coach Justin Alumbaugh and in his first game of the season, made 5 total tackles (2 solo, 3 assisted) with a yard for loss against the Lakeland offense in De La’s 10-6 victory. At 6’2, 285 lbs., Telona comes in at an 88 overall on 24/7 and an 87 on on3 Rivals, and committed to the California Golden Bears 2026 class over the Oregon Ducks.
Cam Brooks: EDGE – Thomas County Central (GA) (3/5 Star, 88 OVR) The California Golden Bears recruiting in ACC territory just might be working! Cam Brooks has played in two games this season for the Yellow Jackets, where he has made 2 tackles (1 solo, 1 assisted) and held offenses to -1 yard in the plays he’s involved in. Brooks is the No. 44-ranked player out of the state of Georgia and the No. 42 overall edge rusher, with an 88 overall on 24/7 and on3 Rivals. Brooks was almost swayed towards Clemson back in May, taking an official visit there after committing to the Golden Bears in April, but after he visited Clemson, he officially visited Berkeley and has been 100% committed since.
Kamo’I Huihui-White: IOL – Saint Louis (HI) (3/5 Star, 88 OVR) OL Kamo'i Huihui-White has been a staple of the Saint Louis line as their offense continues to steamroll over their opponents, including a 34-27 victory over Bishop Montgomery, where they averaged 9.9 yards per rush due to the OL protection. Huihui-White comes in at 6’4”, 290 lbs., and continues the Hawaii to Berkeley trend that the Cal recruiters have been so successful at in recent months.
Nainoa Lopes: QB – Saint Louis (HI) (3/5 Star, 88 OVR) Do you wonder if Santino and Lopes chatted it up after the Saint Louis/Bishop scuffle? I do. Lopes is another QB from Hawaii that the California Golden Bears have viewed very highly and have committed to their 2026 incoming class. Lopes completed 12-21 passes for 174 yards against Bishop Montgomery, collecting 3 TD passes in their 34-27 win as the Crusaders continue to dominate Hawaii. In 2024, for his Junior season, Lopes had 19 TD passes and 8 INT for a rating of 155.6 as he threw for 2,055 yards in 12 games.
EJ Morgan: WR – Central East (CA) (3/5 Star, 88 OVR) EJ Morgan and the Central East High School football squad bounced back against Turlock with a 44-20 win after dropping their first away game of the season against Grant High. Morgan brought in one reception for the Central East Bengals for 6 yards after making 5 receptions for 61 yards (an average of 12.2 per reception) in C.E.’s 26-42 loss to Grant last week. Morgan is one of the highest-ranked two-sport athletes in the state as he is a track star who qualified for the 2025 CA State Track & Field Championships in four different events: the 200-meters, 400m, 4X100m, and 4X400m relays. In his Junior season, Morgan made 45 catches for 647 yards and brought in 8 TDs. A 3/5-star prospect and 88 overall, Morgan is smaller at 5’10, 155 lbs., but is explosive after making his receptions.
Tyree Sams: ATH – Clovis North (CA) (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) Staying in the central valley and Fresno, CA, Tyree Sams is already off to an incredible start to his senior year. Averaging 101.5 yards per game, Sams has brought in two TDs in the Broncos’ 2 games thus far, bringing in 7 receptions for 203 yards – already about halfway to his junior season total in 10 games. Sams was also put in a rush play this season that saw him rush for 25 yards! With Sam’s speed and agility, the 5’8 WR comes in as an 87 overall recruit on 24/7 and an 86 on on3 Rivals.
Ernest Nunley: CB – Western (CA) (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) Commited to Defensive Backs University, Nunley, a two-sport athlete in football and track & field, has begun his 2025 Senior season for Western High School in Anaheim with pure ballhawk skills on display, with 3 interceptions and 3 total tackles in just 2 games. Nunley finished last season with just 2 interceptions in 12 games with 26 tackles, and now has tied his career best as a sophomore in just week 3 of the season. He also made 1 pass deflection against Villa Park as Western secured the 27-20 victory.
Jonathan McKinley: EDGE – Centennial (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) McKinley has been off to a hot start in his senior season for Centennial, even as they fell short to Santa Margarita. McKinley has racked up 21 total tackles in 2 games with 8 solo tackles and 2 QB hurries, as well as 1 pass deflected and an average of 10.5 tackles made per game. As a Junior, McKinley made 39 total tackles in 9 games.
Esaiah Wong: OT – Kailua (HI) (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) MORE HAWAII. Kailua took a beating against Liberty last week, but Esaiah Wong saw his first game of action, collecting 1 solo tackle and 1 assist in a 0-33 loss.
Jaxon Pyatt: LB – Arvada West (CO) (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) Senior LB Jaxon Pyatt from Arvada, CO, is another two-sport athlete coming to Berkeley. A four-year varsity football player, Pyatt has made 7 solo tackles and 8 assists in his first 2 games this season, with a sack per game as well. Voted onto the All-Colorado, All-State, and All-Conference teams as a linebacker, Pyatt made 140 tackles as a Junior and forced 4 fumbles, scored 3 TDs, and intercepted one pass for a pick-6.
Elisha Faamatuainu: OT – Murrieta Valley (CA) (3/5 Star, 87 OVR) At 6’5, 300 lbs., Faamatuainu is the core of the Murrieta Valley O-Line. MV was able to generate 145 rushing yards in a 35-56 beatdown loss to Servite last week, but the 262 passing yards and 407 total offensive yards can be heavily attributed to Faamatuainu’s protection.
Brady Palmer: QB – Cathedral Catholic (CA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) Brady Palmer chose Cal over Kansas State, Utah, Ohio State, and his hometown SDSU, just to name a few. The Cathedral Catholic Dons have been off to a hot start thanks to Palmer, as the team is currently 2-0 with Palmer going 9-12 with 182 yards in their first game against Mater Dei, as well as going 11-16 with 3 TDs and 2 INT against California’s No. 64 Saint Francis (Mountain View) as the Dons went on to win 52-7 and 35-7 respectfully. Palmer is comfortable outside the pocket and loves to be creative when plays collapse, keeping the defense constantly uncomfortable.
Jayden Crowder: CB – Santa Margarita Catholic (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) Crowder has been everywhere on defense and special teams for the Santa Margarita Catholic Eagles, making 7 total tackles in 3 games thus far, and averaging 17 yards per kick return with the longest return of 24 yards thus far. A 5’11 cornerback, Crowder has a blocked FG, 3 passes deflected, and an interception in just 3 games this season, and looks to help carry the Eagles’ defense on every drive.
Artem Korchagin: IOL – Thomas County Central (GA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) The second recruit out of Thomas County Central High School, Russian-born Artem Korchagin is an elite blocker who opens up lanes for his RBs and provides dedicated protection to his QBs. The yellow jackets ran for 234 yards against FSHS last weekend and are 4-0 to start the season after steamrolling Thomasville 55-7. A 6’3”, 300 lb. middle linemen, Korchagin could be an extremely valuable piece of the Cal o-line as they try to change the narrative of their RB/QB protection.
Rocky Cummings: LB – Carlsbad (CA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) Carlsbad High School is off to a hot start as well with a 3-0 opening and a CA-state ranking at No. 27. Rocky Cummings has seen 2 games of action thus far, making 7 total tackles (2 solo, 5 assisted) and .5 sack(s). Cummings has also seen some offensive action as the Lancers seem to be having some fun with their lineups late in the game, as Cummings has made 5 receptions this season, averaging 2.5 yards per game at the TE position. Cummings is an 86 overall on both on3 Rivals and 24/7, and chose the Golden Bears over BYU, Utah, and Boston College.
Frank Fauna: DL – Mount Miguel (CA) (3/5 Star, 86 OVR) Frank Fauna is a two-way lineman who has been visiting some Mountain West schools since announcing his commitment to Cal back in June. In one game thus far this season, Fauna has made 2 assisted tackles after collecting 17 total tackles, 10 being solo tackles. Last season in his junior year, he also missed a handful of games.
Deon Jackson: CB – Long Beach Poly (CA) (3/5 Star, 85 OVR) While the Jackrabbits are off to a slow start, Jackson is not. Jackson has recorded 20 total tackles in his first 2 games, with 15 being solo tackles. At 5’10, 165 lbs., Jackson attends the same high school that former Cal WR DeSean Jackson attended before cementing his legacy in Berkeley.
Luca Wolf: TE – NFL London Academy (EN) (3/5 Star, 85 OVR) From London, England, and born in Austria – Luca Wolf is the lone player for the California Golden Bears recruitment class that comes from the NFL’s Academy program overseas. The NFL Academy was recently blown out by Edgewater 42-7 and did not post stats for Wolf.
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer: DL – Centennial (CA) (3/5 Star, 85 OVR) Last but not least, we have another Centennial commit in Kingston Schirmer. Lucky Schirmer has collected 6 total tackles in 2 games thus far for the Huskies and came into the season at 6’2”, 300 lbs.
So interesting, love the updates on high school players!
Last week on local TV in Austin Caleb Crenshaw, who has an offer from Cal had an amazing 80-yard run. - https://www.kxan.com/video/anderson-td-caleb-crenshaw-80-yard-run/11026272/
He just moved to Anderson High from LBJ, strong and fast, but the competition that game wasn't the greatest. Still, it would be nice to have another RB.