California Golden Bears
ACC
6-7 (4-5 conf)
SP+ #67
Ratings
2023
- SP+
- -0.1 (#67)
- SP+ Offense
- 30.6
- SP+ Defense
- 28.7
- SRS
- 4.3
- FPI
- 4.1
- Elo
- 1475
- Talent
- 681
- Recruiting
- 163 (#79)
Schedule
record 6–7
Schedule
31st
toughest of 133
Offenses faced
13th
toughest of 133
Defenses faced
70th
toughest of 133
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 133 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @North Texas | -6.7 | 58-21 | +37 | W |
| 2 | vsAuburn | +7.6 | 10-14 | -4 | L |
| 3 | vsIdaho | FCS | 31-17 | +14 | W |
| 4 | @Washington | +16.4 | 32-59 | -27 | L |
| 5 | vsArizona State | -11.3 | 24-21 | +3 | W |
| 6 | vsOregon State | +12.6 | 40-52 | -12 | L |
| 7 | @Utah | +8.5 | 14-34 | -20 | L |
| 9 | vsUSC | +9.4 | 49-50 | -1 | L |
| 10 | @Oregon | +26.2 | 19-63 | -44 | L |
| 11 | vsWashington State | +4.9 | 42-39 | +3 | W |
| 12 | @Stanford | -11.9 | 27-15 | +12 | W |
| 13 | @UCLA | +9.7 | 33-7 | +26 | W |
| 1 ·P | NTexas Tech | +6.1 | 14-34 | -20 | L |
Quarterbacks · 2
2023 · 67
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Fernando Mendoza | JR | 6'5" | 225 | ★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Ben Finley | SR | 6'3" | 200 | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Jaydn Ott | SR | 5'11" | 208 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Isaiah Ifanse | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 3rd | Ashton Stredick | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 4th | Jaivian Thomas | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Justin Williams-Thomas | JR | 6'0" | 220 | ★★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Jeremiah Hunter | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 2nd | Sam Jackson V | SR | 5'10" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Trond Grizzell | SR | 6'4" | 205 | — |
| WR | 4th | Taj Davis | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 5th | Mavin Anderson | SR | 6'0" | 200 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Monroe Young | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 7th | Brian Hightower | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Jaiven Plummer | SO | 6'3" | 215 | — |
| WR | 9th | Mason Mangum | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 10th | Marquis Montgomery | — | — | — | — |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jack Endries | JR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Asher Alberding | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 3rd | Jeffrey Johnson | SR | 6'5" | 250 | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Ben Marshall | SO | 6'4" | 245 | — |
Offensive Line · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Akili Calhoun | SR | 6'4" | 305 | ★★★★ |
| OL | — | Sioape Vatikani | JR | 6'4" | 320 | — |
| OL | — | Matthew Wykoff | SR | 6'6" | 325 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Brian Driscoll | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | David Reese | SR | 6'2" | 250 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Ricky Correia | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 3rd | Brett Johnson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 4th | Myles Jernigan | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 5th | Nate Burrell | SR | 6'2" | 295 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Jaedon Roberts | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 7th | Stanley Saole-McKenzie | SR | 6'2" | 335 | — |
| DL | 8th | Derek Wilkins | JR | 6'5" | 305 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Darius Long | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 10th | Ethan Saunders | — | — | — | — |
Linebackers · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Kaleb Elarms-Orr | SR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Cade Uluave | JR | 6'1" | 235 | — |
| LB | 3rd | Xavier Carlton | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jackson Sirmon | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Hunter Barth | SR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Myles Williams | SR | 6'3" | 242 | — |
| LB | 7th | Blake Antzoulatos | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Nate Rutchena | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 9th | Ryan McCulloch | JR | 6'3" | 255 | — |
| LB | 10th | Muelu Iosefa | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 11th | Sergio Allen | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 12th | Andy Alfieri | SR | 6'3" | 244 | — |
| LB | — | Curlee Thomas IV | JR | 6'4" | 260 | — |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Craig Woodson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Patrick McMorris | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Nohl Williams | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Matthew Littlejohn | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 5th | Lu-Magia Hearns III | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Jeremiah Earby | SR | 6'2" | 182 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Kaylin Moore | — | — | — | ★★★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Miles Williams | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 9th | Cam Sidney | JR | 5'11" | 185 | — |
| DB | 10th | Raymond Woodie III | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DB | 11th | Dejuan Butler | SR | 5'11" | 195 | — |
| DB | 12th | Isaiah Young | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 13th | Sailasa Vadrawale III | SO | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| DB | — | Brett Johnson | — | — | — | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | David Bird | JR | 6'0" | 205 | — |
| LS | 2nd | Jake Arguello | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Lachlan Wilson | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 1st | Mateen Bhaghani | JR | 6'1" | 175 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Michael Luckhurst | SO | 6'1" | 180 | — |
2023 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
30.668
Off PPA
+0.1853
Pass PPA
+0.2237
Rush PPA
+0.1772
Success
41%41
Explosive
1.2541
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2023 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.18 | +0.21 |
| Passing | +0.22 | +0.32 |
| Rushing | +0.17 | +0.11 |
| 1st Down | +0.02 | +0.04 |
| 2nd Down | +0.16 | +0.22 |
| 3rd Down | +0.53 | +0.47 |
Scoring Trend
2023 · pts/game
PPG For
31.6
PPG Against
32.7
Differential
-1.1
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2023
- Overall
- 6-6
- Home
- 3-3
- Away
- 3-3
- Conference
- 4-5
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 2-2
- Avg Margin
- -1.1
Situational Splits
2023 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 3-3 | 32.7 | 32.2 |
| Away | 3-3 | 30.5 | 33.2 |
| Neutral | 0-1 | 14.0 | 34.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-3 | 30.3 | 58.0 |
| Conference | 4-5 | 31.1 | 37.8 |
| Non-conference | 2-2 | 28.3 | 21.5 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 6 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #80 | — | 0-1 |
| 2024 | 6-6 | 2-6 | #55 | — | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 6-6 | 4-5 | #67 | — | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 4-8 | 2-7 | #77 | — | — |
| 2021 | 5-7 | 4-5 | #68 | — | — |
| 2020 | 1-3 | 1-3 | #53 | — | — |
| 2019 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #74 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #55 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #74 | — | — |
| 2016 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #62 | — | — |
| 2015 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #28 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #71 | — | — |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 3-1 ATS · O2/U1
Betting Profile
2023 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 6-7 |
| ATS | 6-650% |
| Over / Under | 7-4 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 3-2 |
| As underdog | 3-4 |
| Home | 3-3 |
| Away | 3-3 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #50 · 24 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★125 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #69 | 180 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 2024 | #55 | 190 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 2023 | #79 | 163 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2022 | #59 | 176 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 2021 | #28 | 209 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| 2020 | #39 | 198 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 2019 | #43 | 196 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2018 | #42 | 197 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
| 2017 | #70 | 160 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2016 | #31 | 208 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
talent #45
Returning prod 44%Departed 56%
Talent composite681.1 #45 / 238
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)0 / 62 / 59
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2023
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
7 items
- Recruiting boost: A top 5 prep receiver in California just picked BYU over the likes of Utah, Ohio State, UCLA and OregonRecruiting rebound: A day after four-star athlete Bode Sparrow spurned BYU for Oklahoma, the Cougars got the commitment of four-star WR Blake WongCAL2d
- Texas lands 2027 OL out of California over UCLA, Penn StateTexas added a commitment from a Class of 2027 IOL on Thursday. The post Texas lands 2027 OL out of California over UCLA, Penn State appeared first on Saturday Down South.CAL4d
- Syracuse faces California team looking for breakout third season in the ACCCalifornia completed their second year in ACC with a record of 7-6, improving by one win from their debut season in 2024.CAL4d
- How Mater Dei Pipeline Re-Established USC Recruiting in CaliforniaThe Mater Dei Monarchs (Santa Ana, Calif.) make their presence known in both USC's 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes.CAL7d
- Way-too-early Virginia Football 2026 opponent preview: A California dream, tested at Scott StadiumFor the first time ever, Virginia will host California. It is just the second matchup between the two programs, after the Cavaliers won 31-21 at California MemoCAL7d
- Given A Chance To Run, Bonner Got Tested In Husky Spring BallUW Roster Review: The highly regarded freshman back from California was fully initiated.CAL7d
- Cal Football Preview 2026: The Dangerous Golden BearsWith a new coach, a tremendous quarterback prospect, and a whale of a transfer class, Cal is set up to be a major player in the ACC.CAL8d