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Quarterback Brody Rudnicki Commits to Cal

Rudnicki, a backup QB at Folsom in 2025, is in the recruiting class of 2027, but won't arrive at Cal until 2028
Jake Curtis|
Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi
Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi | Photo by Jake Curtis

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California Golden Bears

Brody Rudnicki, a three-star quarterback who led Folsom High School to a California state championship in 2025, announced on Wednesday that he has committed to Cal for the class of 2027 of 2028.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Rudnicki chose Cal over his other two finalists, Utah and BYU, and he also had offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Minnesota, among others.

It's likely that Rudnicki will serve a Mormon mission before joining the Golden Bears team in 2028.

This is an intriguing commitment because Rudnicki was a backup for most of his junior season, but was outstanding in the 2025 California state playoffs.

Despite being a backup for most of the 2025 season, Rudnicki is rated the 49th-best pocket-passer quarterback prospect in the class of 2027 by ESPN, while Rivals Industry Composite ranks him 57th among quarterbacks and 247Sports Composite places him 63rd in quarterback rankings.

"Cal was the best fit for me because I just fell like it will prepare me for the next level," Rudnicki said Wednesday during his announcement. "and being surrounded by coach [Tosh] Lupoi and his staff and the culture they’re brining to Berkeley is really enticing and something I want to surround myself with.”

Rudnicki is the 24th player who has committed to Cal for the class of 2027. Four-star wide receiver Eli Woodard is scheduled to announce his commitment on June 30. Cal, Miami and UCLA are Woodard's three finalists. Cal is a contender for five-star defensive back Hayden Stepp, who will announce his commitment on July 1. Cal, Oregon and Alabama are his three finalists, but Oregon is seen as the favorite.

Cal's 2027 recruiting class is ranked as the 19th-best in the country by Rivals Industry Composite and 247Sports Composite.

Rudnicki completed 76.5 percent of his passes as a junior at Folsom High School in 2025, and he accounted for 17 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards of offense as a passer and runner. He passed for 661 yards and eight touchdowns despite being the team's backup in 2025.

“When I step into Berkeley they’re going to get a player who’s commotted to the team, committed to the process and a competitor who will do anything to help his team win in whatever role presents itself,” Rudnicki said.

Rudnicki is the second quarterback to commit to Cal in the class of 2027, joining Chaparral quarterback Dane Weber. However, Rudnicki is not expected to join the Cal team until 2028, so Weber and Rudnicki are essentially in different classes. Rudnicki is generally considered a pocket passer, but, like Weber, Rudnicki is a threat to run, and some sites categorize him as a dual-threat quarterback.

Rudnicki served as Folsom High School's backup quarterback for most of the 2025 season, playing behind four-star senior Ryder Lyons, who signed to play for BYU this coming season. But in the California 1-AA state championship semifinals, he replaced Lyons after Lyons left with a shoulder injury, and Rudnicki threw two late touchdown passes in a comeback win over San Francisco's Archbishop Riordan.

Then in the championship game, Rudnicki was the starter and accounted for six touchdowns in a 42-28 victory over San Diego's Central Catholic High School. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for four scores before Lyons entered that game late in the fourth quarter.

Rudnicki had started a game in September when Lyons was injured, and he passed for 316 yards and five touchdowns in that game. He didn't make his second start until the state championship game.

Rivals/On3 recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman noted that the NFL coaching experience Jordan Somerville had before becoming Cal's offensive coordinator influenced Rudnicki's decision.

“I think the real winner here was Cal because of the development that Jordan Somerville provides," Huffman said following Rudnicki's announcement. "Coming from the NFL, the ability to develop him as a quarterback was something that wasn’t lost on Brody. In fact, he cited Jordan Somerville’s experience in the NFL as a key reason for picking him. [Quarterbacks coach] Nick Rolovich also had a great relationship with him.

"They really put their foot to the pedal in the last couple weeks, knowing that they had Dane Weber in the 2027 class. Rudnicki is going to serve a one-year LDS mission, he was actually going to be part of the 2028 class, but that anticipation of him coming in and knowing that there is a plan for him when he comes back from  his mission I think is what ulitmately won it for Cal."

Rudnicki's junior season highlights:

As a sophomore Rudnicki said he passed for 1,968 yards, rushed for 429 yards and accounted for 34 touchdowns, all in eight games.

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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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