Cal Reserve Quarterback EJ Caminong Headed to the Transfer Portal

Quarterback EJ Caminong, who spent the past two seasons well back of Fernando Mendoza and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on the Cal depth chart, has decided to look elsewhere.

The redshirt freshman from Seattle will enter the transfer portal, according to multiple sources, including 247 Sports.

Caminong, who has three years of eligibility remaining, was one of the top recruits out of the state of Washington in 2024.

But he didn’t attempt a pass this season while toiling behind freshman starter Sagapolutele and backup Ohio State transfer Devin Brown. He appeared in one game in 2025 but had no stats.

As a true freshman in 2024, Caminong also was No. 3 on the depth chart before he became the Bears’ starter against UNLV in the LA Bowl after Mendoza entered the portal and Chandler Rogers suffered a leg injury in the regular-season finale vs. SMU. Caminong was 6 for 19 for 57 yards without a touchdown or interception in the Bears’ 24-13 defeat.

At Garfield High School in Seattle, Caminong was a consensus 3-star prospect rated as the No. 25 pocket passer in the class by ESPN.

There doesn’t appear to be much realistic opportunity for Caminong going forward at Cal. Sagapolutele has committed to return for his sophomore season and we haven’t heard publicly what Brown, a redshirt junior, intends to do.

Cal secured one high school quarterback in the early signing period, landing Nainoa Lopes, a 6-foot-3, 3-star prospect from Honolulu.

New Cal coach Tosh Lupoi, regarded as an elite recruiter, figures to add at least one more quarterback, either from the prep ranks or the transfer portal or both, once he’s fully on board.

Cal (7-5) completes its season next Wednesday against Hawaii (8-4) at the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu. Game time is 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.

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