Cal’s Incoming Football Transfer Class Ranked Among Nation’s Best

Cal has been far more active in the football transfer portal market this year than in previous years, but just how productive has the Bears’ activity been?

According to a couple of college football sites that rank such things, the Golden Bears have done quite well.

The 247 Sports site ranks Cal’s transfer class as the 15th best in the country, while the On3.com rankings place Cal’s transfer class at No. 24. Two things should be noted regarding the On3 rankings: It still includes lineman Trevonte Sylvester among Cal’s commitments even though he de-committed from Cal and is now committed to Louisville. And On3.com seems to consider players who transferred out as part of their rankings.

Two additional things about Cal’s transfers deserve mention.

--- 1. While Cal’s transfer group ranks high nationally, it is merely in the middle of the pack among Pac-12 schools. Of course, nobody in the nation can match Colorado, which has brought in 47 or 48 transfers, depending on the site you choose to believe.

--- 2. The Bears’ incoming transfers are heavy on skill-position players but light on linemen, which is where Cal needs the most help. More on that later.

Here’s how the Pac-12 schools’ transfer classes rank on the two sites (with the school’s national ranking in brackets and the number of incoming transfers in parentheses):

247 Sports Pac-12 transfer rankings

--- 1. [1] Colorado (48)

--- 2. [4] USC (15)

--- 3. [9] Oregon (15)

--- 4. [13] UCLA (14)

--- 5. [14] Arizona State (29)

--- 6. [15] Cal (17)

--- 7. [44] Washington (7)

--- 8. [47) Arizona (8)

--- 9. [48] Utah (9)

--- 10. [61] Oregon State (7)

--- 11. [62] Washington State (10)

--- 12. [74] Stanford (4)

On3.com Pac-12 transfer rankings

--- 1. [1] Colorado (47)

--- 2. [3] USC (14)

--- 3. [4] UCLA (13)

--- 4. [11) Arizona State (29)

--- 5. [13] Washington (7)

--- 6. [14] Oregon (15)

--- 7 (24] Cal (17)

--- 8. [29] Utah (8)

--- 9. [32] Oregon State (6)

--- 10. [52] Arizona (6)

--- 11. [67] Washington State (9)

--- 12. [69] Stanford (4)

These rankings are likely to change slightly as players still in the transfer portal make commitments through the summer,

You will notice that Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia all rank outside the top 35 in both transfer rankings, so the quality of the transfer class does not directly correlate to on-field expectations.

The other issue is whether the transfers will help Cal win more games.

Cal’s transfer group is heavy on skill-position players but light on linemen, which is the area the Bears need the most help. Of the nine transfers who committed to Cal since the end of spring football, two are wide receivers, two are defensive backs, two are running backs, two are quarterbacks (one of whom will be a walk-on) and one is an interior offensive lineman. (Trevonte Sylvester who de-committed from Cal is an offensive tackle.)

If we include all 19 of the transfers who committed to Cal since the end of the 2022 season, we have this breakdown:

Running backs – 4

Defensive backs -- 4

Wide receivers – 3

Quarterbacks – 3 (including one walk-on)

Tight ends – 2

Linebackers – 2

Offensive linemen – 1

Cover photo of King Doerue by Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY Sports

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