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Commitments by Two Four-Star Prospects Move Cal's Recruiting Class to Top 20

Athlete Elyjah Staples becomes the sixth four-star prospect to commit to Cal for 2027
Jake Curtis|
Tosh Lupoi
Tosh Lupoi | Phto by Jeff Faraudo

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California Golden Bears

Elyjah Staples, a four-star athlete from Huntington Park, California, was one of two players who announced on social media Saturday night that they have committed to Cal football for the class of 2027.

Staples and tight end Rahzario Edwards become the fifth and sixth four-star prospects to commit to Cal for 2027.

Cal has not had more than two four-star commitments in a season since its 2021 class landed seven four-stars.

The Bears team ranking for the 2027 class jumped into the top 20, with the Rivals Industry Composite rankings and the 247Sports Industry Composite ranking both rating Cal's class as the 19th-best in the country.

It all speaks to the recruiting prowess of new head coach Tosh Lupoi and his staff.

Like Edwards, Staples committed after his official visit to the Cal campus on Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Staples chose Cal over his other finalist BYU, and he also had offers from Arizona State, Kansas, Stanford, Wake Forest and Minnesota.

He could play offense or defense at Cal but he is likely to be a defensive player for the Golden Bears, where he would be a linebacker or defensive end.

He attends Marquez High School, and in 2025, he recorded 95 tackles, including nine sacks. On offense, he had 35 receptions for 1,137 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Staples is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, 247 Sports Composite and Rivals Industry rankings. The latter two are compilations of rankings from various sites. Rivals/On3 and 247 Sports rated him as a three-star recruit.

Greg Biggins, 247 Sports’ national recruiting analyst, issued this report on Staples’ skills:

- One of the region’s top two-spot athletes who earned League Player of the Year honors in football and basketball as a sophomore.

- Two-way player who shined as an edge rusher and tight end and is getting looks on both sides of the ball.

- Frame wise, linebacker could be his best position at the college level but he’s a dominant pass rusher off the edge.

- Physical at the point of attack and runs right through opposing tackles and fullbacks

- Shows both short area burst getting up the field and has the speed to chase down plays from behind.

- Speed shows up at tight end and he has strong hands at the catch point and wins 50-50 balls.

- Plays with a relentless motor and has some real suddenness in his game.

- Upside will ultimately determined by his frame and if he grows a few more inches but the natural athleticism and skill set are high and he’s an easy high Power 4 prospect.

Staples is a multi-sport athlete who was a standout in basketball, track and volleyball as well as football.

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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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