Cal Sports Report

DB Ernest Nunley Becomes Cal’s 23rd Football Commitment for 2026

Cal's 2026 recruiting class ranked 12th in the country after getting 17 commitments in June
Jake Curtis|
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

California Golden Bears

Ernest Nunley, a three-star cornerback/athlete from Anaheim, California, announced on social media on Wednesday that he has committed to Cal for the class of 2026.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Nunley attended Narbonne High School in Los Angeles as a junior and will attend Western High School in Anaheim as a senior. He becomes the 23rd prospect to commit to Cal for 2026, and that includes 17 high school prospects who committed to the Golden Bears in the month of June.

Rivals ranks Cal's 2026 class as the 12th-best in the nation based on total rating points of its 23 commitments, and it ranks the Golden Bears 38th based on the average rating-point scores of its commitments.

Nunley chose Cal over offers from UCLA, Boise State, Arizona, Wake Forest, San Diego State, UNLV, San Jose State and Fresno State, among others. He is rated the nation’s 65th-best cornerback prospect in the class of 2026 by 247Sports.

Nunley recorded 26 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defensed as a junior, and he had 28 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore.

Nunley was also a sprinter on the track team and was timed in 11.19 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He reportedly bench presses 230 pounds.

The other 16 high school players who committed to Cal this month are linebacker Rocky Cummings, wide receiver Tyree Sams, quarterback Nainoa Lopes, offensive lineman Kano'i Huihui-White, defensive lineman Kingston Schirmer, offensive tackle Esaiah Wong, tight end Luca Wolf, wide receiver EJ Morgan, defensive lineman Frank Fanua, offensive lineman Koloi Keli, tight end Taimane Purcell, quarterback Brady Palmer, offensive tackle Tommy Tofi, four-star running back Victor Santino,  defensive tackle Nemyah Telona and offensive lineman Elisha Faamatuainu.

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has a history of producing standout defensive backs. Both of Cal's starting cornerbacks in 2024 -- Nohl Williams and Marcus Harris -- were selected in the 2025 NFL draft.

Recent articles:

Oregon hoping to flip highly rated Cal commit Tommy Tofi

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 28 -- Monte Pearson

Chelsea Spencer resigns as Cal softball coach

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 29 -- Craig Morton

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 30 -- Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Former Cal safety Craig Woodson signs $5.2 million deal with Patriots

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 31 -- Ed White

Published | Modified
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.

Home/Football