Counting Down Cal's Top-50 Transfer Athletes: No. 2 Jacob De Jesus

The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.

We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear.

We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.

Here is the next athlete in our countdown:

2. Jacob De Jesus

Sport: Football

Arrival year at Cal: 2025-26

Previous schools: Modesto Junior College (2021 & 2022, 1st-team JC All-America as a sophomore); UNLV (2023 & 2024, 96 receptions, 1,118 yards, 5 TDs & 1,521 yards on kickoff and punt returns)

Contributions at Cal:

— A 5-foot-7, 170-pounder from Manteca in the California Central Valley, De Jacob caught 108 passes for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. His reception total led the NCAA and broke Cal’s all-time record. He caught 8.31 passes per game, which was No. 2 in FBS.

— De Jesus recorded four games with at least 12 catches, including a late-season stretch of three consecutive outings where he totaled 42 receptions for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Louisville, Stanford and SMU.

— A talented return specialist, De Jesus brought back 22 punts for an 11.8-yard average and 19 kickoffs for a 22 yards per return. That gave him a season total of 1,652 all-purpose yards or 126.5 yards per game, which was No. 8 nationally

— ACC coaches recognized De Jesus three ways, naming him first-team All-ACC all-purpose and return specialist and second-team wide receiver.

— De Jesus hoped that his time in junior college might allow him to secure an additional year of eligibility for a return to Cal this fall. The matter wasn’t resolved before the NFL draft, and De Jesus ended any chance of playing again for the Bears when he signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jacob De Jesus after scoring his game-winning TD at Louisville | Al Sermeno, KLC fotos

Standout performance: De Jesus delivered his best game of the season on Nov. 8 on the road against a once-beaten Louisville team as the Bears worked to snap a two-game losing streak. He caught 16 passes for 158 yards — both career highs — and the biggest touchdown of his career in a 29-26 overtime victory. On fourth down and the Bears trailing 26-23, De Jesus wiggled himself free at the goal and caught a 3-yard TD pass from Jaron-Keawe Sagapoloutele, making Cal bowl eligible with its sixth win of the season.

Impact on his team: De Jesus provided Sagapolutele, the Bears’ freshman quarterback, with a consistently dependable target. Cal benefitted by posting a 7-6 record and earning a third consecutive bowl bid, even as long-time coach Justin Wilcox was dismissed after a loss in the Big Game.

Previously on our list:

No. 3: Jaylon Tyson

No. 4: Nohl Williams

No. 5: Blaine Scully

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