Counting Down Cal's Top-50 Transfer Athletes: No. 42 Aidan Keanaaina

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:

42. Aidan Keanaaina

Sport: Football

Arrival year at Cal: 2024-25

Previous school: Notre Dame (Played four injury-plagued seasons through 2023 for the Fighting Irish, totaling 11 tackles in 11 games)

Contributions at Cal:

— Keanaaina played two seasons for the Bears, anchoring their defensive line as a full-time starter and effective run defender.

— The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Denver native had 45 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in 2024. He had a least five tackles in four different games, including six vs. San Diego State and Syracuse.

— As a sixth-year senior in 2025, Keanaaina was named All-ACC honorable mention after collecting 56 tackles, the most by a Cal interior lineman since future NFL star Cameron Jordan compiled 62 in 2010.

— Keanaaina was the first Cal defensive lineman with at least 40 tackles in consecutive seasons since 2018 and ’19.

— He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions this spring and reportedly has a solid chance to win a spot on the 53-man roster.

Standout performance: Keanaaina racked up a career-high 10 tackles — a huge number for a defensive tackle — in Cal’s 31-21 loss to Virginia on Nov. 1, 2025. It was his seventh game last season with at least five tackles.

Impact on his team: A smart and physical player, Keanaaina gave the Bears a dependably healthy centerpiece to their defensive line on teams that played in a pair of bowl games but had a combined record of 13-13.

Previously on our list:

No. 43: Kaylee Pond

No. 44: Elena Flynn

No. 45: Sakima Walker

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