Cal TE Dorian Thomas: From a Nobody to All-Conference in One Year

All eyes will be on Cal's much ballyhooed passing game in the Bears' Spring Game on Saturday, and tight end Dorian Thomas will get a lot of attention from curious onlookers.

Just how good is this guy, who was a virtual nobody at Arizona for two years and suddenly became a first-team All-Mountain West selection this past season?

Thomas as well as quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolu and transfer wide receivers Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks have built up the expectations for Cal's aerial attack in 2026. And Thomas figures to get a lot of exposure on Saturday, because Cal's returning starter at tight end, Mason Mini, has been a limited participant in spring practice and will not play on Saturday as the result of an injury that sidelined him for the final two games of the 2025 season.

Mini is the top returning receiver for Cal after pulling in 35 receptions for 387 yards and four touchdowns last season

However, Thomas' numbers were even more impressive with 56 catches for 560 yards and four touchdown in 2025 for New Mexico.

It was the ultimate breakout season.

He went from being a scout-team participant as a redshirt freshman at Arizona to a first team all-conference selection the next year, while helping the Lobos, who were picked to finish 11th of the 12-team Mountain West, to a 9-4 season.

Was there a miracle training program at New Mexico? Did Thomas have a spiritual awakening? Was the Lobos' system so much more accommodating to Thomas' style? Did he get some life-changing coaching in 2025?

Sometimes it's much simpler, as indicated in Thomas' four-word explanation of the difference between 2024 and 2025.

"I got a chance," he said.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

He now has a reputation as an excellent route-runner with good hands, and is improving as a run-blocker. Thomas is capable of big things at Cal after picking the Bears over his two other favorites in the transfer portal -- UCLA and Florida.

A pro career is not out of the question for Thomas, and that certainly did not seem possible in his first two college seasons.

Thomas redshirted his first season at Arizona, and three days after Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch took the Washington job, Thomas entered the transfer portal in January 2024. But five days after entering the portal, he withdrew, hoping to impress the new coaching staff.

It didn't happen with the new Wildcats staff.

"The tight ends coach [Matt Adkins] came in, didn't really like my style of play," Thomas said. "Got pushed to the scout team right away."

So after the season he transferred to New Mexico, and, presto, he became a star.

"[I] was a nobody from Arizona and they gave me a chance." Thomas said. "They said they saw my high school film and gave me chance after chance.

"They took a kid that was a four-star, huge prospect coming out of I got a chance. At Arizona I never really got a chance."

In his first college start, Thomas caught 10 passes, including two for touchdowns, in a loss to 14th ranked Michigan.

"I kind of had that chip on my shoulder that whole season just to prove everybody wrong," he said.

The question is whether a player who excelled in the Mountain West Conference can be equally successful in the ACC, a Power 4 conference.

Thomas has proven himself as a pass-catcher.

"I would say right now Dorian has really good route-running skills," said Cal tight ends coach Steve Haunga, "and we're trying to develop his run game, which he is going to be really good at that too."

Thomas agrees.

"Route-running and not being scared," Thomas said of his strengths. "My mentality, like if you're in front of me, you're taking food off my family plate, and I can't let that happen."

He admits he needs work on his run-blocking, but insists it has improved significantly.

"I never thought I'd be able to call myself a decent run-blocker, because I've always been a pass-catcher," he said, "but now that I'm starting to see that I can really get in there and block people, I'm really getting excited about this year."

Having a quarterback like Sagapolutele adds to his excitement, and he got a hint of the possibilities during spring ball this week.

"On Monday, he had kind of like a little roll-out, threw off the back foot to me on a wheel route. I didn't even know the ball was coming to me, and I looked, and it kind of fell into my hands," he said, "and I was like, 'Oh yeah, he's different for sure.'"

Cal has two proven tight ends, and it will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville makes use of Thomas and Mini during the season.

Thomas is certainly optimstic about the capabilities of Cal's offense in 2026.

“Super explosive, like a 50-a-game type of offense,” he said.

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