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Cal Lands a Big Quarterback Commitment -- Dane Weber

Cal beats out finalists UCLA and Cincinnati for a quarterback who threw 41 TD passes in 2025. Weber spoke to Fernando Mendoza about his choice
Jake Curtis|
Tosh Lupooi
Tosh Lupooi | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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California Golden Bears

Cal had landed a commitment from a highly touted quarterback for 2027, which is expected to be Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele's final college season..

Quarterback Dane Weber, who is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals and a three-star recruit by On3, ESPN and 247 Sports, announced on Thursday that he has committed to Cal for the class of 2027.

He noted that he spoke to former Cal quarterback and current Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza last week about improving as a quarterback.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Weber is a dual-threat quarterback who attends Chaparral High School in Temecula, California, and made his announcement live on a streaming channel,.

He chose Cal over his two other finalists, UCAL and Cincinnati. Weber also had offers from Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Illinois, Duke and Stanford, among others, and is getting increased interest from Ohio State.

."I think it just kind of started with th relationships," Weber said of his choice of Cal. "I mean it kind of came later, in January I think, but really coach [Nick] Rolovich, coach [Jordan] Somerville, and [head coach Tosh] Lupoi and what his vision is for winnning. I swear he doesn't sleep. So his obsession for winn ing, and I believe that's going to happen."

Over the past two seasons as the starting quarterback at Chaparral, Weber has passed for 6,314 yards, 68 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He is also a running thret and rushed for 1,522 yards in 2024 and 2025.

As a junior in 2025, Weber completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 3,654 yards and 41 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also ran for 668 yards and 14 touchdowns that season for a Chaparral team that finished with a 7-5 record.

Weber also ran track, participating in the 100 meters and 200 meters.

He was pursued by a number of elite college football programs, but Lupoi won him over.

"I think it kind of speaks for itself," Weber said of the Tosh Lupoi Effect. "You'll see as the months keep going on, as soon we play the first game against UCLA. We'll see what happens from there, but the energy around the building is different."

Weber noted tht he spoke to former Cal quarterbacks and current Las Vegas rookie Fernando Mendoza last week.

"The majority of the face time was really starting to get to his process and see what he does, because he's obviously he's had success for a reason," Weber said. "Just trying to see he can do mentally and what tips he can give me, because I want to pick everybody's brain and get better any way I can."

At Cal he would arrive as a freshman when Sagapolutele would be a junior. Assuming Sagapolutele remains at Cal for the 2027 season, that would likely be his final year of college football before entering the NFL draft. Weber could sit behind Sagapolutele in 2027, then compete for a starting job in 2028.

Cal offered Weber a scholarship in January, not long after Tosh Lupoi was hired as the Bears' head coach. Weber visited Cal during spring practice, and he is scheduled to make an official visit to the Cal campus on Saturday (May 29).

Rivals/On3 ranks Weber as the 29th-best quarterback prospect in the country and the top quarterback prospect in California. ESPN ranks him as the nation's 25-best quarterback prospect, and 247 Sports puts him at No. 31.

Weber becomes the 11th high school player to commit to Cal in the class of 2027. He joins four four-star recruits -- edge Troy Bowens, safety Myles Baker, wide receiver/tight end Charles Davis and cornerback Duvay Williams -- as well as six three-star recruits -- running back Jaxsen Stokes, edge Giovanni Hodge, edge Miles Schirmer, running back Antwon Sanders, wide receiver Blake Gunter and linebacker Gunnar Perry.

Before Weber's commitment, Cal's 2027 recruiting class was ranked as the 27th-best class in the country by Rivals' industry composite rankings. But after Weber's commitment, Cal moved up to No. 23.

The 247Sports composite rankings placed Cal's 2027 class at No. 25 before the commitment of Weber, and had not yet updated its ranking after the Weber commitment as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

This weekend Weber will compete in the Elite 11 Finals quarterback competition in Los Angeles, and he claimed on Thursday that he will win it.

Andrew Ivins, 247 Sports director of scouting, offers this report on Weber's skills.

-Tough and competitive signal-caller that just makes things happen.

-Took his play to another level as a junior, accounting for 4,342 yards of offense and 60 touchdowns.

-On the shorter side, but has ready-to-play bulk and the strength to shed tackles.

-Not one to panic when pockets collapse and is frequently extending plays with his wheels.

-Will push the ball down the field with impressive touch, but some of his best shots come when targeting crossers and out-breakers as he uses a rapid release to find pace.

-Ability to move the sticks off-script helps, but must keep getting better at playing in structure.

-Projects as a potential multi-year Power Four starter.

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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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