Can Cal's New-Era Secondary Live Up to the Standard?

Through the ups and downs of recent Cal football seasons, there has been one consistent positive.

The Bears have annually fielded a strong defensive secondary, and the evidence can be seen on Sundays, with nine former Cal cornerbacks and safeties having played in the NFL since 2020.

Safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson were Super Bowl starters this year for the New England Patriots. Cal’s most recent drafted DB is cornerback Nohl Williams, who was a third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025.

Now, with coaching regime change, will the Bears be just as tough on the back end?

Will Tosh Lupoi’s secondary — with new position coaches and mostly new players — provide the backbone that recent Cal defenses have enjoyed?

The Bears held spring practice No. 5 on Friday and the DB group, coaches and players, were made available afterward to state their case.

Redshirt senior cornerback Ricky Fletcher, who played last season for a 13-2 Ole Miss team, said transferring to Berkeley was an easy decision.

“Knowing the pedigree of Cal defensive backs, it was a no-brainer,” he said.

And can this DBs group live up to the recent standard?

“We will be that good. Yes sir,” he said.

No argument from Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a redshirt senior transfer from Arizona. “Our DBs, we’ve got a lot of depth. We’ll definitely hold up to that standard,” he suggested. “We’re going to be a real good group this year.”

Safety Kingston Lopa, a redshirt sophomore, followed Lupoi from Oregon to Cal. He’s giddy about the style of defense the Bears will show.

“It’s going to be aggressive, violent. We’ve got DBs,” Lopa said. “It’s going to be fun. We come with the energy every day.”

Da’Von Brown arrives from Western Kentucky as the Bears' defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator. With the Hilltoppers, he coached cornerback Upton Stout, drafted in the third round a year ago by the 49ers.

Brown said he wants a secondary that is fast, tough and physical.

While six newcomers in the secondary dot the Bears’ spring roster, Brown does have some returnees from a year ago. Cornerback Aiden Manutai was sixth on the team with 44 tackles as a freshman last fall and also collected his first college interception.

Among others returning are Josiah Wagoner and Tristan Dunn.

“We have a gritty group, guys that’s willing to learn, show up every day,” Brown said. “I think these guys have the attention to detail that you want, the brotherhood that you want. There’s a bunch of competition in that room.”

And the talent level is sufficient?

“We’ve got a chance,” he said. “The guys are getting better each and every day. We’re not there yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I think God willing, we’re going to get it done.”

The Bears’ spring workouts, closed to the public, continue through April 18, when they will welcome fans for a 1 p.m. spring game.

Cal opens its 2026 schedule at home against former Pac-12 rival UCLA on Sept. 5.

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