Cal Sports Report

Two-Way Athlete Commits to Cal for 2026

Niles Davis doesn't care whether he plays offense or defense for the Golden Bears
Jake Curtis|
Cal general manager Ron Rivera
Cal general manager Ron Rivera | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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California Golden Bears

Cal has been losing some commitments in recent days as a result of the firing of head coach Justin Wilcox on Sunday, but the Bears added a commitment for the class of 2026 the day after Thanksgiving.

Niles Davis, a three-star wide receiver and defensive back from Westlake Village, California, announced on social media on Friday that he has committed to Cal.

Davis chose Cal over his other two finalists BYU and UCLA. Washington State, Arizona State and San Diego State State were among the other schools that offered him a scholarship. Davis had originally committed to UC Davis in June, but he received more recruiting attention during the 2025 season.

Davis is not concerned that Cal does not have a permanent head coach at the moment.

“I know they don’t have a head coach in place but I’m confident in the direction they’re going. I talk to [general manager] Ron Rivera all the time and I trust him and feel good about the future of the program,” he told Rivals.

This season at Westlake High School Davis had 41 catches for 618 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed four times for 24 yards and a touchdown.

The 247Sports website lists him as a running back, and ranks him as the 151st-best running back prospect in the class of 2026. He is unlikely to be a running back in college, though. Rivals/On3 lists Davis as a wide receiver.

As a safety on defense Davis had 41 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and had two interceptions while forcing three fumbles.

He said he has no preference whether he plays offense or defense in college, so his position will depend on the wishes of the Bears’ next head coach.

Davis reportedly was clocked in 10.8 seconds in the 100 meters during the spring, so has the speed to be a wide receiver or defensive back.

Under Wilcox, Cal typically turned prospect listed as “athletes” into defensive backs, but that might not be the choice of Cal’s next coach

Cal currently has commitments from 18 high school players for the class of 2026, and Rivals/On3 ranks the Golden Bears’ class as the 53rd-best class in the nation. Rivals/On3 ranks the Bears’ class 48th in the country.

Players are not bound to the college of their choice until they sign a financial agreement, formerly known as a letter of intent, with that school. The soonest a player can sign a financial agreement is December 3, which is when the early signing period begins.

Cal (6-5) plays its final regular-season game of the 2025 season on Saturday when it hosts 21st-ranked SMU (8-3) in a game that starts at 5 p.m. The Mustangs are 13.5-point favorites.

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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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