Cal Running Back Damien Moore Will Enter Transfer Portal
Damien Moore, who began the 2022 season as Cal’s starting running back, announced he will enter the transfer portal. Moore made his announcement on his twitter account on Wednesday, saying he will enter the transfer portal on Dec. 5 and that he has two years of college eligibility remaining.
Moore is the third Cal player who plans to enter the transfer portal, joining two starters -- offensive lineman Ben Coleman and place-kicker Dario Longhetto.
The 5-for-10, 210-pound Moore was Cal’s leading rusher in the shortened 2020-pandemic season, rushing for 188 yards in four games. He was the Bears’ second-leading rusher in 2021 with 517 yards, and when leading rusher Chistopher Brooks transferred to BYU following the 2021 season, Moore was elevated to the No. 1 running back slot last spring.
He was the Bears’ starting running back in this year’s opener against UC Davis, but had only three carries for 6 yards. Freshman Jaydn Ott came off the bench to rush for 104 yards in that game and soon displaced Moore as the starting running back.
Moore’s playing time dropped sharply at that point and by midseason he was Cal’s No. 3 running back behind Ott and DeCarlos Brooks, who was a redshirt junior this past season.
Ott finished the season with 897 yards on 170 carries, Brooks ended up with 250 yards on 59 carries, and Moore wound up with 101 yards on 22 carries. He did not play at all in three of Cal’s 12 games as the Bears finished with a 4-8 record.
Ott also had 46 receptions, while Brooks had eight catches. Moore did not have any receptions this season, after having 13 in 2021 and one in 2020.
As a senior at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, Calif., Moore had offers from Arizona State and Utah, among others, before signing with Cal
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Cover photo of Damien Moore by Stan Szeto, USA TODAY Sports
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