Cal DB Cam Sidney Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Stays at Cal

Cal defensive back Cam Sidney, who had entered the transfer portal on January 1, has withdrawn from the portal and will stay at Cal, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.

Sidney subsequently reposted Nakos' tweet on his twitter site, essentially confirming the move.

As a redshirt junior this season, Sidney started eight games for the Bears in 2025 -- six at nickelback and two at safety. He recorded 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, three pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Sidney had a season-high nine tackles against Virginia.

In 2024 as a sophomore, Sidney played in all 13 games and made four starts. That season he had 29 tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, and also had four passes defended.

It is rare that a player enters the transfer portal and then withdraws, but Sidney is the second Cal player to do so in the past two weeks. Cal defensive lineman Nate Burrell entered the transfer portal, but then withdrew to stay at Cal for another season.

Cal DB Cam Sidney has withdrawn from the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned. https://t.co/3QbqIXlfKC
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 11, 2026

Cal will lose both of its 2025 standout cornerbacks, Hezekiah Masses and Paco Austin -- but Cal has already added two defensive backs from the transfer portal -- Oregon transfer Kingston Lopa and Northern Arizona transfer Michael Hurst Jr.

Cal in general has done well in acquiring talent in the transfer portal the past few days. New Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi is now devoting his full attention to the Cal program after Oregon was eliminated from the College Football Playoff on Friday. He was Oregon's defensive coordinator.

Players can enter the transfer portal until January 15, but once they are in the portal, they can commit to another team at any time.

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