Counting Down Cal's Top-50 Transfer Athletes: No. 37 Kekoa Crawford

We rank the mid-career arrivals in Berkeley who have had the greatest impact on the Golden Bears

Kekoa dives into the end zone | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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: 

No. 37 Kekoa Crawford

Sport: Football

Arrival at Cal: 2019

Previous school: Michigan (21 receptions, two touchdowns in two seasons with the Wolverines)

Contributions at Cal:

---Crawford, a wide receiver, led the Bears in receptions in both 2020 and 2021. He had 19 catches in the 2020 season that was limited to four games by the pandemic, and he had 40 receptions in 2021.

---Crawford received honorable mention All-Pac-10 recognition in the shortened 2020 season when led the Bears in receptions (19), receiving yards (232), yards per reception (12.2) and touchdown catches (2).

---Crawford was limited to six games in 2019 because of injuries, but still had 16 catches for 272 yards (17.0 yards per reception) and two touchdowns.

---He finished his three-year Cal career with 75 catches for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns.

---Crawford exhibited good hands and was adept at catching passes overt the middle or on deep patterns. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds he was strong enough to outmuscle defensive backs for 50-50 balls.

---He participated in the College Gridiron Showcase in January 2022.

---He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, but did not play a regular-season NFL game.

Standout performance: Crawford had 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in Cal’s 31-27 loss to Oregon State on November 21, 2020. His 21-yard touchdown reception from Chase Garbers gave the Bears a 17-14 lead late in the first half.

Impact on team: Crawford was the Bears’ most reliable receiver on a 2021 team that finished 5-7 but won four of its last six games. He was particularly productive on third down.

Previously on our list:

38. Jake Howerton

39. Luc Bequette

40.. Caisa-Marie Lindfors