Cal Misses on WR Eli Woodard, but Still Has a Record 2027 Recruiting Class

Cal has eight commitments from players ranked among ESPN's top 300 prospects

Tosh Lupoi | Photo by Jake Curtis

Although Cal lost the recruiting battle for four-star wide receiver Eli Woodard, who committed to Miami on Tuesday, the Bears and head coach Tosh Lupoi are still having a record recruiting year for the class of 2027.

At least that’s the message we get from ESPN’s top 300 players for the class of 2027. because Cal has commitments from eight players on that top-300 list. If Cal signs all eight that would be the most ESPN top-300 prospects Cal has ever signed since ESPN began its top-300 rankings in 2008.  It would be three more than the previous high of five top-300 prospects signed by Cal in 2011, and it would be four times more than Cal has signed over the past five classes combined.

Four-star prospect Myles Baker, who had committed to Cal in March, flipped his commitment to UCLA on Tuesday, but he is not ranked in the ESPN 300.

Landing Woodard, who picked the Hurricanes over Cal and UCLA, would have given Cal a ninth top-300 prospect.

Instead the Bears’ eight top-300 committed prospects include wide receiver Demare Dezeurn (No. 88), wide receiver Charles Davis III (No. 108), tight end Rahzario Edwards (No. 109), wide receiver Zion White (No. 134), athlete/defensive back Duvay Williams (No. 178), quarterback Dane Weber (No. 231), outside linebacker Elijah Staples (No. 235) and cornerback Kamil Loud (No. 286)

But what does it mean for the future of Cal football? Sometimes top-300 prospects turn into stars – such as Jared Goff and Keenan Allen – but sometimes they do little in college.

Meanwhile, some of the best players Cal signed in the past 19 years -- such as Evan Weaver, Marvin Jones and Camryn Bynum – were not top-300 prospects.

Here is a list of the number of ESPN top-300 prospects Cal signed each year since 2008, and what those players did at Cal

2026 - 0

2025 - 2*

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele* – Technically Sagapolutele was an Oregon signee before transferring to Cal a few weeks after enrolling at Oregon, but he is often put in Cal’s 2025 recruiting class. He became Cal’s starting quarterback in the first game of his true freshman season and had an outstanding 2025 season.

OL Justin Hasenhuetl – He did not play as a true freshman in 2025 and is unlikely to be a starter in 2026.

2024 - 0

2023 - 0

2022 -0

2021 - 4

WR J.Michael Sturdivant -- As a redshirt freshman, Sturdivant caught 65 passes for 755 receiving yards and seven touchdowns at Cal. Transferred to UCLA, then transferred to Florida where he played the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Signed by Packers as undrafted free agent in 2026.

QB Kai Millner – Completed 9-of-15 passes as a redshirt freshman at Cal with no starts, then transferred to Northern Arizona.

WR Mavin Anderson – He made eight starts as a freshman when he had 37 receptions and three touchdowns. He had nine catches as a sophomore, and 14 receptions as a junior. Anderson transferred to Texas State for 2025.

TE Jermaine Terry – He had one reception in 2022, and started nine games and had six catches as a sophomore before transferring to Oregon State.

2020 - 0

2019 - 0

2018 - 0

2017 -2

QB Chase Garbers – Started 34 games at Cal and threw for 6,582 yards with 50 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

WR Taariq Johnson – Did not play in two seasons at Cal before transferring to El Camino College, then transferring to San Jose State.

2016 - 1

WR Demetris Robertson – He had 50 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman at Cal, but played just two games as a sophomore because of injury. He transferred to Georgia, played three seasons there, and transferred to Auburn.

2015 - 1

WR Carlos Strickland -- He did not play in his one season at Cal before transferring to Kansas State, and he later transferred to Texas-San Antonio where he was a starting tight end.

2014 - 2

WR Erik Brown – He did not play in his two seasons at Cal, transferred to Riverside Community College and later transferred to UTEP.

LB Devante Downs – He played in 40 games with 20 starts at Cal and his career numbers included 212 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and five interceptions.  He was limited to seven games as a senior because of injury but was named Pac-12 player of the week twice that season. He was picked in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft and played three NFL seasons.

2013 - 1

QB Jared Goff – He was a three-year starter at Cal, and holds multiple school records.  He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft and is the Detroit Lions starting quarterback.

2012 - 2

QB Zach Kline – He never became a starter at Cal, then transferred to Butte College, and later was on the roster at Indiana State and Fresno State.

WR Darius Powe – He played in 46 games and made 21 starts in four seasons with Cal. He finished with career numbers of 104 receptions, 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns.

2011 - 5

LB Todd Barr -- He made seven starts in his five seasons at Cal and had 54 career tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

S Avery Walls (later known as Avery Sebastian) – He made six starts in his four seasons at Cal, and an injury wiped out nearly all of his 2013 season.  He transferred to Notre Dame for his final season.

WR Maurice Harris – He started 14 games in his five seasons at Cal and finished with 81 receptions for 1,009 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns for his career.

DT Viliami Moala – He played in 35 games and made 12 starts in three seasons at Cal and wound up with 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

LB Jason Gibson – He played in just six games, with no starts, during three injury-plagued seasons at Cal. He retired from Cal football for medical reasons before the 2014 season.

2010 - 2

WR Keenan Allen – He was an immediate starter as a Cal freshman and left after three seasons as the school record-holder for career receptions (205) and ranking third in receiving yards (2,570). A third-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Allen has been selected to six Pro Bowls and ranks 13th alltime (second among active players) in career receptions with 1,055.

Cecil Whiteside – He played just one season at Cal, playing in 10 games and making three starts in 2010.

2009 - 1

CB Steve Williams – He played in 37 games and made 28 starts in four seasons at Cal. He had 150 career tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, one sack and six interceptions. A fifth-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Williams played three NFL seasons.

2008 - 0

A number of players Cal signed before 2008 would have been in the top 300, such as Marshawn Lynch (No. 22 prospect in the class of 2004 by Rivals) and Desean Jackson (No. 14 in 2005 by Rivals), but that was before ESPN had a top 300.  

Only two of the 19 former Cal players currently on NFL preseason rosters who were signed by Cal since 2008 were ranked among the ESPN top 300 in the year they signed. Those two are Jared Goff and Keenan Allen.