Cal Sports Report

Cal TE Keleki Latu Enters Transfer Portal

He becomes the 10th Bears player to enter the portal
Jake Curtis|
Cal TE Keleki Latu Enters Transfer Portal
Cal TE Keleki Latu Enters Transfer Portal

Cal had a significant departure from its roster on Friday as tight end Keleki Latu entered the transfer portal. He made his announcement on social media.

Latu becomes the 10th Cal player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the 2022 season.

Latu played in all 12 games for the Golden Bears this season, although he did  not start any of them.  He 18 catches for 207 yards and one touchdown during Cal's 4-8 season in 2022. His best game was the second game of this past season, when he had four receptions for 48 yards against UNLV.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Latu was a sophomore this past season and has two years of college eligibility remaining.

Latu got significant playing time as a freshman in 2021.  He played in 11 of Cal's 12 games that season and became a prominent part of the Bears' passing game in the late stages of that season. Latu had four receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown in 2021 and was one of eight Cal freshmen to see playing time that year.

It remains to be seen how important the tight end position is in the offense of new Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.  Former Cal offensive coordinator used a pro-style offense, which makes use of tight ends frequently.  Presumably Spavital will install a spread attack with much less use of a tight end.

He and fellow sophomore Jermaine Terry II were expected to be the chief pass-catching threats from the tight end position this past season. Terry started nine games and had six catches for 41 yards. Terry was considered the better blocker of the two and Latu was the better receiver.

Latu played high school football at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, Calif., and he was a three-star prospect. He also had offers from Oregon and USC, among others.

The other nine Cal players who have entered the transfer portal are linebacker Trey Paster, linebacker Femi Oladejo, offensive lineman Ben Coleman, ouside linebacker Orin Patu, running back Damien Moore, running back DeCarlos Brooks, running back Chris Street, kicker Dario Longhetto, and long snapper Slater Zellers. Walk-on fullback Champion Johnson also reportedly entered the transfer portal.

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Cover photo of Keleki Latu is by Stan Szeto, USA TODAY Sports

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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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