Cal Sports Report

Cal Adds Kent State Offensive Lineman Transfer Ashton Rivera

Ashton Rivera started 10 games for Kent State in 2025, and his versatility is an asset
Jake Curtis|
Kent State offensive lineman Ashton Rivera
Kent State offensive lineman Ashton Rivera | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

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California Golden Bears

Kent State transfer offensive lineman Ashton Rivera has committed to Cal, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.

Rivera subsequently reposted the Nakos tweet of his commitment to Cal on his twitter site.

The 6-foot-2, 310-pound Rivera played in 11 games, and he was a starter in 10 of them, for Kent State this past season after transferring from Florida International.

Kent State plays in the Mid-American Conference, which is not one of the Power Four conferences. However, Rivera played in games against Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma this past season.

Rivera has two seasons of college eligibility remaining, and his biggest asset is his versatility. He has started games at center, guard and tackle, and he is likely to be an interior offensive lineman for the Golden Bears.

Rivera becomes the fifth offensive lineman that new head coach Tosh Lupoi and Cal general manager Ron Rivera have added to the Cal roster from the transfer portal in recent days. The four others are Minnesota transfer Kahlee Tafai, South Dakota transfer Jacob Arop, Mississippi State transfer Jimothy Lewis and Florida International transfer Mykeal Rabess.

Rabess and Rivera were teammates at Florida International, although Rivera did not play much at FIU.

Players have until January 15 (Friday) to enter the transfer portal.  After they enter the portal, players can commit to a school at any time.

Lupoi has a reputation as an outstanding recruiter, and he is likely to add more player from the transfer portal in the coming days.

Cal finished with a 7-6 record this past season, and most of its offense was provided by freshman quarterback Jaroon-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has announced that he will return to Cal for the 2026 season.

The Golden Bears ranked 133rd of 134 FBS schools in rushing offense this season, so they need to improve in that category.  That’s  why adding talent on the offensive line is so important.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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