Jacob De Jesus Set to Top Cal Receptions Record, May Threaten ACC Mark

The senior wide receiver has 99 catches, third-most of any player in the country

Cal wide receiver Jacob De Jesus tries to elude Louisville defender | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

There’s a reason Jacob De Jesus is within striking distance of Cal’s single-season pass receptions record and may even threaten the ACC record for catches in a season.

It comes down to simple math.

Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolute targeted De Jesus on 144 of his 453 pass attempts during the regular season, and the two  connected 68.8 percent of the time. 

Sagapolutele has completed just 61.2 percent when throwing to anyone else.

For Cal’s left-handed freshman QB, it feels like De Jesus is often the right call. 

“He’s the same as he is always — he’s always open.” Sagapolutele said after De Jesus caught a career-high 16 passes, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime, in the Bears’ 29-26 overtime victory at Louisville on Nov. 8. 

“He’s a reliable guy and he’s always going to catch the ball. I mean, what more could you ask for?”

After catching 12 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ 38-35 upset of SMU on Saturday, De Jesus sits at 99 catches for 892 yards and five touchdowns this season.

His 99 catches rank De Jesus third nationally, behind Florida Atlantic’s Easton Messner (104) and UConn’s Skyler Bell (101).

The 5-foot-7 redshirt senior, who came to Cal this season from UNLV, is just one catch shy of Dameane Douglas’ 1998 program record of 100 receptions.

More quick than fast, De Jesus runs great routes, finds holes in the defense and has excellent hands.

With another big performance in Cal’s still-undetermined bowl game, De Jesus also could chase down the ACC record for most catches in a season.

De Jesus would need 12 catches to surpass Virginia’s Malik Washington, who set the ACC standard with 110 receptions (for 1,426 yards and six TDs) in 2023.

That’s a big order, but De Jesus has 12 or more receptions in four games this season. He has 42 catches just the past three games and 65 over the past six.

His 16 receptions at Louisville tied him (with nine others) for the No. 2 spot  in ACC history, just one off the record.

After the Louisville game, De Jesus said it’s never scripted for him and Sagapolutele to connect more often than usual.

“It’s really just letting the game come to me, you know what I mean?" he said. “It’s depending on what the defense gives us and Jaron makes a decision about who to get the ball to.”

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