Friday Night Lights – Part XII: The End of the Wilcox Era and the Ripple Effects on Recruiting
While the 2025 high school football season comes closer to an end for the class of 2026, the status of Cal's recruitment class will only continue to change within the next couple months.
In my time at Diablo Valley College and the University of California, Berkeley, I only ever knew of one man running the Cal Football program. On Sunday, November 23rd, that man, Justin Wilcox, was finally let go from his duties after fumbling a 3-0 start to the season with a 0-34 defeat to SDSU, was handed an embarrassing loss at the hands of a repeated play from a depleted Virginia Tech, and of course, lost the Big Game to Stanford in the midst of their awful season, all while being led by a one-and-done interim head coach.
Now that he and I are both gone from Cal, with him much richer, and I, much more in student debt, I’ve had the time to look back at Wilcox’s tenure in Berkeley, and I think it is fair to say he was a “meh” recruiter, even for a place that gets more flak and disregard from national media and the common college football stereotype enforcer.
He failed to recruit the necessary protection for his QBs, which ultimately led to many late-game collapses this season for Cal’s offense in winnable games – AND that exact failure is what led to the departure of Fernando Mendoza, who was not even given the security of being a starter in 2024 with Wilcox and is now a Heisman favorite. While he was able to navigate the unusual parameters of Cal, which often involved developing good players, many of them in my time at Cal were transfers or had transferred out.
The last couple of years recruiting-wise seemed to be “on the up” for the Golden Bears, but 3 trips to bowl games just to be 6-7 in back-to-back years (with that possibility again this season) weren’t going to do it for Wilcox, when Lyons and Rivera set an 8-win minimum for him this season. The talented players that Wilcox was finally able to recruit will never play at Cal with JW as HC.
Having said that, we started this Friday Night Lights series covering the very promising 21 commits to Cal Football’s 2026 team, and with the recent firing of Head Coach Justin Wilcox, the California Golden Bears are down to 18. For Wilcox and the Cal recruiting team to have been successful in building a class with JKS last winter and accumulating this year’s rising recruits – and then to be fired after finally doing well at this job that he’s been so “meh” at just came down to the fact that he was not winning games. The vision that Cal Football is building with Ron Rivera, and the future head coach, is what can keep the class that Cal has recruited, and possibly add more.
Because in reality, this number is fluid. It can change in any direction depending on who is hired as the next head coach for California, but it shows how important connections are to recruits. Some lost faith in that connection along the way this season, and some have reopened their commitment due to the firing of Wilcox, because they saw their playing time at Cal through his vision and the connection they built.
Whatever the reasons may be, it’s just how the college football world works, and if Cal nails it with the hiring of their next head coach, I.E. someone who has made meaningful connections with his recruits that believe in his vision wherever he goes, then that small number of 18 players can and should go up – with Cal Football and these recruits being in a good place!
In this week’s FNL, we will highlight the postseason results of Cal’s 2026 commits, as well as provide updates on which recruits are no longer committed to the Golden Bears by either reopening their commitment (with Cal still as their priority) or not. Let’s get into it:
Bears in the Postseason:
Taimane Purcell – TE- 4/5-Star (90 OVR) - Kamehameha (Honolulu, HI) – Taimane Purcell and the Kamehameha Warriors defeated the Kapolei Hurricanes by a final score of 31-10 in the semifinals of the DI Open 2025 First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championship. Purcell brought in 2 receptions for 32 yards on offense while recording one tackle for a sack on the Hurricanes QB on defense. Purcell posted that he received a scholarship offer at West Virginia on Tuesday, but has also been retweeting some of the hype/sentimental posts surrounding Nick Rolovich taking over as interim head coach at Cal.
EJ Morgan - WR - 3/5-Star (89 OVR) - Central East (Fresno, CA) – EJ Morgan and the Central East Bengals are the Division I-AA 2025 CIF Central Section Football Champions, as Morgan brought in 2 receptions for 2 TDs and 70 yards in the Bengals’ 70-35 win over the Clovis Cougars. Morgan finishes his Senior season with 55 receptions, 803 yards, and 8 TDs – and a career total of 114 receptions, 1,671 yards, and 21 TDs in three varsity seasons.
Nemyah Telona - DL – 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - De La Salle (Concord, CA) – Nemyah Telona picked up one lone assisted tackle in the Spartans’ 24-17 win over the Pittsburg Pirates in the second round of the 2025 North Coast Section Football Championships.
Kai Meza – WR – 3/5-Star (88 OVR) – Corner Canyon (Draper, UT) – Kai Meza brought in 5 receptions for 78 yards in the Corner Canyon Chargers’ 35-20 victory over the Lone Peak Knights to win the 6A 2025 UHSAA - Football State Championships. Meza, a recent commit to the Golden Bears who was recruited by Marshall Cherrington and Kyle Cefalo, told on3/Rivals’ Adam Gorney that he was unsure what the Wilcox situation meant for his commitment, and is “still talking to my family.” As of right now, Meza remains committed to the Bears.
Jonathan McKinley II - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) – Centennial (Corona, CA) – In an all-time great matchup between the state of California’s No. 1 Centennial versus No. 3 Mater Dei, McKinley and the Huskies pulled off a 28-27 victory to move on to the Division I 2025 CIF Southern Section-Ford Football Championship Game. McKinley had 5 total tackles (4 assisted and 1 solo), with 1 sack, 2 QB hurries, and a pass deflection against the Monarchs.
Esaiah Wong - OT - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Kailua (Kailua, HI) – Esaiah Wong and the offensive line helped generate 132 rushing yards for 1 TD, as well as provided the passing protection for their QB to throw 15-25, pass for 136 yards, and 2 TDs with 1 INT against the Konawaena Wildcats in the HHSAA tournament, and will face off against the Kapaa Warriors in the Division I Championship.
Jaxon Pyatt - LB - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Arvada West (Arvada, CO) – Jaxon Pyatt’s Senior season and time with the Wildcats came to an end last Friday, as Arvada West dropped their third-round postseason matchup against the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles in the 2025 CHSAA State Football Playoffs, by a final score of 21-36. Pyatt was used on offense as a running back for two possessions, but only gained 2 yards on the evening while recording 8 total tackles (5 solo and 3 assisted) with a .5 TFL.
Elisha Faamatuainu - IOL - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, CA) – Murrieta Valley’s season came to an end in the semifinals of the Division II 2025 CIF Southern Section-Ford Football Championships, as the Nighthawks dropped their postseason matchup to the Los Alamitos Griffins by a final score of 10-23. Murrieta Valley did not upload any final stats for their last game of the season.
Frank Fanua - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, CA) – Frank Fanua and the Mount Miguel Matadors’ season came to an end in the semifinals of the Division I 2025 CIF San Diego Section Football Championships after losing to Granite Hills 30-52. Fanua and the O-line were able to protect their QBs and allow them to throw for 216 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT – while generating enough rushing space for their RBs to rush for 196 yards and 1 TD.
Kingston “Lucky” Schirmer - DL - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Centennial (Corona, CA) – Lucky Schirmer had 2 assisted tackles in the Huskies’ 28-27 victory over the Mater Dei Monarchs in the semifinals of the Division I 2025 CIF Southern Section-Ford Football Championships and will face off against Santa Margarita in the championship round.
Bears No More:
Rocky Cummings – LB – 3/5 Star (89 OVR) – Carlsbad (Carlsbad, CA) – Rocky Cummings flipped his commitment to the Texas Longhorns. The Carlsbad Lancers lost the Open Division 2025 CIF San Diego Section Football Championship to the Cathedral Catholic Dons by a score of 16-20 on Tuesday night, and Cummings announced his commitment to the University of Texas the next morning through on3’s Hayes Fawcett on X.
Cam Brooks - EDGE - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – While Brooks and the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets have been one of the most exciting aspects of FNL to follow this season, Cam Brooks has decided to reopen his recruitment, while keeping Cal as a “top school,” he announced via X.
Artem Korchagin - IOL - 3/5-Star (86 OVR) - Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) – Along with fellow Yellow Jacket Cam Brooks, Artem Korchagin announced on X that he was reopening his recruitment and decommitted from Cal following the firing of Justin Wilcox.
Bears in Hibernation:
As I am finalizing what photos I wish to use, I get a notification on my phone and see Cal has added…
Niles Davis – ATH/WR/DB – 3/5-Star (83 OVR) – Westlake (Westlake Village, CA) – Initially committed to the UC Davis Aggies, Niles Davis is a RB/wide receiver/defensive back out of Southern California who in 11 games for the Warriors, had 1 rushing TD, 41 receptions for 618 yards, 10 TDs, 41 total tackles (28 solo & 13 assisted), 1 INT, a forced fumble, and 5 pass deflections. Davis had committed to Davis back in June, but decommitted in October and visited UCLA, BYU, and Cal before choosing the Golden Bears.
Daniel McMorris – OT – 4/5-Star (94 OVR) – Norman North (Norman, OK) – Season Concluded. McMorris told on3/Rivals’ Adam Gorney that he was “Still committed to Cal” and trusts Ron Rivera to “bring the right person in.”
Victor Santino - RB - 3/5-Star (89 OVR) - Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, CA) – Season Forfeited. Santino got to finish his senior year at Edison High School in Miami, FL, where, in a stunted season, he scored 7 TDs on 63 carries and 902 yards.
Kamo’i Huihui-White - IOL - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Saint Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Season concluded.
Nainoa Lopes - QB - 3/5-Star (88 OVR) - Saint Louis (Honolulu, HI) – Season concluded. Lopes will be in Berkeley to watch the Bears take on SMU for their last game of the season!
Tyree Sams - WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Clovis North (Clovis, CA) – Season concluded. Tyree perhaps had the most sentimental remark in Adam Gorney’s piece on on3/Rivals, as he stated he “liked Wilcox and his staff a whole.” Saying he “gained a huge relationship with [Wilcox] and that staff,” assuming the next head coach will likely clean house and bring in his own assistants/coordinators.
Ernest Nunley – S/WR - 3/5-Star (87 OVR) - Western (Anaheim, CA) – Season concluded. Nunley was quoted by Gorney saying that he will be “waiting to see how everything turns out.” As he is “staying patient and focused in the meantime on [his] goals.”
Deon Jackson - CB - 3/5-Star (85 OVR) - Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA) – Season concluded. Jackson remains committed to Cal but told Adam Gorney that he is “looking to see what are the next steps going to be and just want to take things one day at a time until signing day,” as he committed to Cal due to their academics and athletics.
This list is made up of 3-Star players, not 4* or 5* players. This is not anywhere near an elite class that can generate 9-10 wins. No wonder Wilcox was fired.