Cal Beats out Texas, Penn State for Safety Jeovanni Henley

Jeovanni Henley is the sixth Northern California prospect to commit to Cal in the class of 2027

Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi | Photo by Jaden Yenjai

Cal and head coach Tosh Lupoi pulled in a commitment from another Northern California prospect and the Bears had to beat out four elite football schools to do it.

On Saturday, speedy, three-star athlete/safety Jeovanni Henley, who attends Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, announced that he has committed to Cal for the class of 2027. He picked the Golden Bears from among five finalists that included Texas, Penn State, Washington and BYU as well as Cal. He also had offers from UCLA, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Utah, Arizona, Boise State and Minnesota among others.

"I just want to say one thing.to these Cal Bears. They're going to bring a dog, and I'm coming there to take someone's spot, and there ain't no fear of doing that," Henley said after his announcement.

After Henley's commitment, 247Sports ranked Cal's 2027 class as the 18th-best in the country as of now. Rivals Industry Composite rankings placed Cal at No. 21, and 247Sports Composite rankings put the Bears' class at No. 23.

On Thursday, Jun 4, ESPN ranked Cal's class as the 17th-best class in the nation.

Lupoi has said he wants to dominate the recruiting of standout Northern California prospects, and Henley becomes the sixth commitment from Northern California, joining tight end Rahzario Edwards (Sacramento), defensive end Troy Bowens (Sutter, California), defensive lineman Giovanni Hodge (Sacramento), offensive lineman Joshua Bunni (Santa Rosa, California) and kicker Zach Brien (Oakland).

Henley becomes the Bears' 18th commitment in the class of 2027.

He is listed as an "athlete" at some recruiting sites but he is likely to be a safety in college. He has outstanding speed, much like former Cal safety Ashtyn Davis, who competed in the hurdles on the Cal track team before turning to football and becoming a star. He is currently on the San Francisco 49ers roster.

Henley is a sprinter on the Junipero Serra track team. He has a personal best of 10.83 seconds in the 100 meters achieved in March of this year, and was timed in 21.87 seconds in the 200, also in March.

Pr today in the 200 running a 21.87 getting better every week!!! @PadreAthletics pic.twitter.com/wwgbfpsZmS

— Jeovanni Henley⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@JeovanniHenley) March 12, 2026

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Henley is not big, so he may need to put on some weight to play in the secondary in college.

The 247Sports Composite rankings rate Henley as the nation's 103rd-best athlete prospect in the class, while Rivals ranks him as the 98th-best safety prospect.

As a defensive back in 2025 as a junior, Henley played in 12 games and had two interceptions and six passes defensed. He also recorded 65 tackles, including five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He scored two touchdowns on defense, one on a 35-yard interception return of a pass by BYU commit Ryder Lions against Folsom High School, and the other on a fumble recovery that he returned 16 yards for a score against Archbishop Middy.

As a running back, he rushed for 407 yards, a 6.2 yards-per-carry average and six touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 24 yards.

Junior season highlights!!!!!!

65 (Tackles)
5 (Sacks)
10 (TFL)
2 int (1 pick six)
8 (tds)
425(yds)@coachwalsh20 @DariusBell_3 @coachmons @ActivatedSP @Samchung_4 @Ogthetruth @BrandonHuffman @Rivals @On3sports https://t.co/ulAUEN4oPg pic.twitter.com/3eq2RgWNLF

— Jeovanni Henley⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@JeovanniHenley) December 15, 2025

Henley missed most of his sophomore season in 2024 with a broken ankle.

Henley's commitment kicks off what could be another successful recruiting weekend for the Bears. A number of prospects are visiting the Cal campus this weekend, and the Bears are hoping to get a several commitments from that group. Last weekend, five players who visited Cal ended up committing to Cal within a few days of the visit.