What Should We Make of Cal's Highly Rated Transfer Portal Class?

Cal football’s transfer portal recruiting class, currently 29 players strong, ranks as the 13th-best in the country, according to 247Sports. The Bears don’t get quite as much love from the On3 website, checking in at No. 30.

Either way, new coach Tosh Lupoi’s first portal class — which likely is not complete — is ranked markedly better than the Bears pulled in a year ago. Their 2025 transfer class was listed at No. 38 by 247Sports and No. 60 by On3.

So, should Cal fans be ecstatic? Or at least encouraged? Probably.

Should they wonder about the disparity? Oh yeah.

These kinds of rankings can offer some insight as to how good a player or a recruiting class might become and they are fun. The folks who assemble the rankings work hard and have good intentions.

But they’re not always right.

Here’s an absurd example that should drive home that point.

Jacob De Jesus (21) returns a kickoff against Southern Methodist | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

A year ago, wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, who came to Berkeley from UNLV, was pegged as the 841st-best player in the 2025 transfer class by On3.

The 247Sports site vehemently disagreed, rating De Jesus 266 slots lower at No. 1,107.

You read that right. There were projected to be 1,106 better players coming out of the portal than a guy who wound up catching 108 passes to lead the nation.

Two other transfer arrivals at Cal this past fall sprinted past expectations:

— Cornerback Hezekiah Masses, was rated by as the No. 300 transfer by 247Sports, the 772nd player by On3. He went on to collect five interceptions and 13 pass breakups earn first-team All-ACC honors for the Bears.

— Tight end Mason Mini was tagged as the 1,113th best transfer by 247, then caught 35 passes, including four touchdowns.

Most of the country missed on Fernando Mendoza since he was in high school in Miami, and even after a strong 2024 seasons at Cal there were skeptics when he entered the portal. The future Heisman Trophy winner and Indiana national champion was judged just the fourth-best quarterback in the ’25 transfer class, rated 12th overall by On3 and 22nd by 247.

Mendoza’s successor, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, was actually part of Cal’s portal class a year ago after spending a couple weeks at Oregon. No one had a handle on just how good he would become as a freshman in Berkeley, but 247 put him in the No. 23 overall slot while On3 let him slide to No. 29.

Getting back to this class, 247 favors the Bears over the rankings by On3. The former judges Cal’s incoming group as the best of all ACC teams, the latter has them at No. 6 among their conference rivals.

There is agreement that Cal’s two best signees appear to be wide receivers Chase Hendricks of Ohio University and Ian Strong of Rutgers, which should make Sagapolutele happy. They are top-100 on both lists, with On3 giving Strong the No. 50 overall spot.

Running back Adam Mohammed of Washington is another top-100 transfer according to both outlets, and tight end Dorian Thomas of New Mexico checks in among the top 150.

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