Cal Football: Kicker Gabe Siemieniec Reportedly Enters Transfer Portal

Cal kicker Gabe Siemieniec, who handled kickoffs for the Bears last season and was competing for the place-kicking duties this spring, has entered the transfer portal as a grad transfer, according to a Rivals.com tweet on Tuesday.

#Cal kickoff specialist Gabe Siemieniec has entered the portal as a grad transfer. He has 87 kickoffs with 45 touchbacks during his time in Berkeley @rivalsmike @RivalsWoody @CalRivals
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) April 21, 2020

This does not preclude Siemieniec from returning to the Cal program for the 2020 season if he chooses, but entering the transfer portal allows him to look at his options, which makes sense if he is on schedule to graduate from Cal.

Greg Thomas was the Bears' place-kicker the past two seasons, and he performed well. But with Thomas' eligiblity expired, Siemieniec was competing with Dario Longhetto and Nick Lopez for the place-kicking job for 2020.

Siemieniec has a stronger leg than Thomas, but Thomas was more acurate, which is why the latter won the plae-kicking job the past two years.

Siemieniec, who arrived at Cal as a walk-on in 2016, kicked off 87 times during his Cal career and averaged 63.2 yards per kickoff. More importantly, he recorded 45 touchbacks.

He seemed to have a good chance to land the place-kicking job for 2020. Longhetto is also a punter, and Lopez redshirted last year.

Siemieniec's only field-goal opportunities in game situations came in spring games. He made 1-of-2 field goals in the 2019 spring game, hitting from 36 yards and missing from 38 yards. He made his only field-goal attempt in the 2017 spring game, hitting from 36 yards out.

He is the second Cal player to enter the transfer portal this month. Tight end Collin Moore did so back on April 5. He too would be a graduate transfer and is eligible to return to Cal if he chooses.

The Bears' punting duties in 2020 presumably will be performed by newcomer Jamieson Sheahan, who has no experience punting in American football games. He does have experience with Aussie Rules Football, though, and he notes in the video below that experience will prepare him for the American game. He got off some booming punts during the spring.