Tosh Lupoi on Cal’s Recruiting for 2027: ‘We’re on Fire’

.The recruiting prowess of new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi was best expressed in one sentence provided by four-star wide receiver Charles Davis, who committed to Cal:

“I was going to commit to UCLA, but at the last minute Coach Tosh called me, and it’s that Tosh Lupoi effect.”

How close were the Bruins in landing four-star TE/WR Charles Davis?

Listen to the man himself.

“I was going to commit to UCLA but last minute coach Tosh called me…” pic.twitter.com/A39B1c72My
— Jack Savage (@JackJohnSavage) April 12, 2026

Ah, the Tosh Lupoi Effect.

The Tosh Lupoi Effect was apparent on Sunday when running back Jaxsen Stokes, who had offers from Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, Miami and Tennessee, decommitted from Oklahoma and committed to Cal for 2027.

Earlier this month, when asked how recruiting was going, Lupoi responded with three simple words.

“We’re on fire.”

It’s still early in the recruiting process, but as of April 27 Cal’s 2027 class is ranked as the 19th-best in the country by 247Sports Composite and 24th by On3/Rivals.

None of the last five Cal recruiting classes finished among the top 50 in the On3/Rivals team rankings, and none of the past 15 Golden Bear classes ranked higher than 28th.

Three of the nine players who have committed to Cal for 2027 are rated as four-star recruits. That’s already more four-star commits than Cal has had since 2021.

“You have to go back to the Jeff Tedford years for there to be this type of exuberance about Cal from recruits that Cal wouldn’t even be in the door with three to five years ago, that they may not have been in the conversation with six months ago,” On3/Rivals national recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman said.

Five of Tedford’s recruiting classes ranked in the top 17 nationally. His 2010 class headed by five-star prospect Keenan Allen and his 2004 class featuring five-star recruit Marshawn Lynch both were ranked 14th in the country, and his 2005 class, which included five-star prospect DeSean Jackson, came in at No. 12 on the On3/Rivals rankings.

And Tedford got results. His Cal team finished the 2004 regular season ranked No. 4 in the country and his 2006 Golden Bears shared a Pac-10 title with USC, the only time since 1958 Cal has claimed a conference championship.

Can the Tosh Lupoi Effect produce something similar?

“They needed to sell the vision of Cal authentically and genuinely,” Huffman said, “and what better person to get that than the guy who’s been arguably a top-five recruiter in the sport for years, who’s now selling his hometown, his alma mater.”

Huffman put Cal’s recruiting status this way.

“They’ve gone from being a nuisance to a threat,” he said.

Cal is in contention for some other high-profile 2027 prospects, including four-star quarterbacks Sione Kaho and Dane Weber. Although Cal does not seem to be the front-runner for either, remember what Davis said about the Tosh Lupoi effect.

“I think this class to this point is further along than I think anyone expected Cal to be,” said Huffman, “but I also think it’s just a sneak preview of what it’s capable of being.”

We need to pump the breaks a little on Cal’s recruiting.

First of all, there is a lot of recruiting to be done before members of the 2027 class are signed.

Second, none of the nine players who have committed to Cal ranks among the nation’s top 100 prospects, with Davis being the Bears’ highest rated recruit at No. 127, according to On3/Rivals.

Third, recruiting is a different animal than it was during Tedford’s time, as transfers and NIL money play a major role these days.

But the large amount of NIL money Cal has raised since the hiring of Lupoi is paying dividends in recruiting, and it’s reasonable to assume Lupoi’s presence has had a lot to do with that.

“It’s a complete game-changer, and why they’re competitive in NIL,” Huffman said.

Ron Rivera’s first full year as Cal’s general manager plays a part in the Bears’ recruiting as well.

But most of the credit goes to Lupoi.

What is the secret of his Pied Piper powers?

“Tosh isn’t full of [baloney] like a lot of coaches are,” said Huffman. “If there is one thing you could say about Tosh from the guys that are recruited by him is that there is an authentic, genuine relationship that he establishes with these players.

Huffman compares Lupoi to a trusted uncle.

“He goes to meet the kid where they’re at in life,” Huffman said.

It’s worthwhile to note that Cal players and the players he recruits call him Coach Tosh rather than Coach Lupoi.

Perhaps the best indication of Lupoi’s recruiting powers came in 2012, when Lupoi was an assistant coach at Cal. Cal’s 2012 class was ranked 15th in the country late in the recruiting process before Lupoi left Cal to join the Washington coaching staff shortly before signing day. The Bears' 2012 class finished ranked 35th.

“It imploded because they lost Tosh,” said Huffman.

Of course, this recruiting discussion won’t mean much if Lupoi can’t turn that talent into success on the field, as Tedford was able to do. Furthermore some of the best players Tedford produced were not highly rated recruits.

Nonetheless, the potential for success rests with talent acquisition, as Lupoi noted the day he was hired by Cal. And the early results suggest he is willing to go against the elite college football programs for the top-rated talent.

Not many Division I head coaches would post a tweet like this:

pic.twitter.com/a6IuosbSQK
— Tosh Lupoi (@CoachLup) April 26, 2026

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