Big Man Prospect Nicolas Mitrovic Makes It Official, Signs With Cal

He originally was scheduled to graduate high school a year from now, but reclassified and will play for the Bears next season

Nicolas Mitrovic | Cal Athletics

Serbian big man Nicolas Mitrovic, who committed to Cal in early March and reclassified into this year’s high school graduating class, signed with the Bears on Friday.

Mitrovic, who played this season at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science in Massachusetts, will join the Bears’ coming class of players — currently four transfers and two freshman — next fall.

Cal lists him as a 7-foot post player but various website cite his height as anywhere from 6-foot-10 to 7-feet and have him at either power forward or center. He was originally projected to be part of the 2027 high school class, but will graduate early and join the Bears next season.

“Nicolas is one of the most exciting young big men in the country,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said of Mitrovic. “He has tremendous skill for his size and length. This makes him a true threat inside and out on both ends of the floor. We are ecstatic to add Nicolas to the Cal family!”

Mitrovic chose Cal over Seton Hall, UNLV, La Salle and Pepperdine.

The recruiting website 247Sports lists him as a four-star prospect and the No. 93 player in the Class of 2026. They rank him as the No. 13 center in the class and the No. 2 recruit in the state of Massachusetts.

Back in March, On3/Rivals ranked Mitrovic as the No. 47 prospect in the class of 2027 and the No. 7 power forward. He does not appear in the site’s current 2026 rankings.

“I’d like to describe my game as versatile, someone who can really stretch the floor,” Mitrovic told Joe Tipton of On3/Rivals in March after initially committing to Cal. “I take pride in my defense being able to switch on multiple positions. I love competing and being able to improve every day.”

Other newcomers officially signed for Cal next season are transfers Michael Cooper, Nojus Indrusaitis, Jordan Ross and Jake Wilkins and incoming freshman Dionycius Bakare, a shooting guard from British Columbia, Canada.

A fifth transfer, 6-foot-8 sophomore small forward Amier Ali, formerly of Mississippi State, has reportedly committed to Cal. The school has not yet announced his signing.

Cal is coming off its best season in a decade. The Bears won 22 games, landed their first postseason bid — the NIT — since 2017, and scored their first postseason victory since 2014.

But the Bears lost four players to the transfer portal, including starting guards Dai Dai Ames (Tennessee) and Justin Pippen (Ohio State), who combined to average more than 31 points per game.

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