Bears Add a Big Transfer in Penn State Safety Isaiah Humphries
The Bears added a nice piece to their highly-rated defense and defensive backfield with the impending spring 2019 transfer of Penn State safety Isaiah Humphries, who will enroll this week and sit out his transfer season after redshirting as a freshman. He’ll have three years to play three seasons beginning next spring.
The 5’11/190 safety was offered by the Bears out of high school and they formed a good connection with the Sachse High School (Rowlett, Texas) recruit but the 3 star athlete chose to follow in his father’s footsteps to sign and enroll with Penn State in spring of 2018. Humphries chose the Nittany Lions over other top programs like Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Baylor in addition to Cal when he made his initial decision.
The decision to transfer wasn’t an easy one for Humphries but ultimately, he felt that stepping out and following his instincts was the right thing to do.
“Sometimes in life you gotta make those tough CEO decisions,” said Humphries. “Those decisions where you have to lose a little to gain a lot more.
“I knew my situation at PSU and I didn’t know what would happen if I left but I prayed about it and took a leap of faith and ended up on the other side of the country at the best public school in the world. I felt as if I wasn’t going where I needed and wanted to go in multiple aspects of my life and going to Cal allows me to fulfill those needs.”
When it became time to officially move forward, the Bears were front and center in the talented DB’s mind.
“When I put my name in the portal, the first name that popped in my head was Cal,” said Humphries. “I knew I would fit in there and be able to come in and compete, and the environment was one that I knew I would like.
“Visiting the campus and the Bay Area, I realized that I wanted to be near a city like San Francisco but just far enough to have that college feel. I was very impressed and I felt truly at home.”
Humphries likes what he’s seen in the program’s trajectory and the increasing dominance of the defense at Cal, as well.
“I’ve liked the direction everything was headed and I want to add my skills and athleticism to the team and try to be the best that I can be,” said Humphries. “I want to help turn Cal into the PAC12's premier team and start something that will last years after I finish playing.”
As a senior, Humphries compiled 60 tackles and seven interceptions along with one forced fumble and one fumble recovered.
An excellent student, sporting an impressive 4.37 gpa in high school, Humphries would like to apply to Cal’s Haas School of Business this fall. He noted that Cal’s prestigious academic reputation played a big role in his interest in enrolling at Cal this spring.