As one of the most unique and challenging years in the history of Cal football draws to a conclusion, early signing day for Cal’s 2021 class is finally hear to close out the year with one of their strongest classes in a decade.
What initially looked to be a full class of 25 recruits looks unlikely to exceed 20 by the conclusion of the regular signing period on February 3 and possibly no more than 18 or 19 in this early signing period because of the expected return of a decent number of seniors with COVID waivers from this season. Exactly who and how many will return will likely not be established till January or possibly later.
As expected being two hours ahead of the West Coast, 6-6/290 Edina (Minneapolis, MN) High School OL Bastian Swinney kicked off the day for the Bears, sending in his LOI. Swinney played three seasons of varsity football primarily on OL and twice earned first-team All-District honors as a 2019 junior and 2020 senior as well as first-team All-Metro selection as a senior after being a two-time All-Metro honorable mention pick as a 2018 sophomore and a junior Rated 4 stars by 247 and 3 stars by Rivals and ESPN, the Bears beat out Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Nebraska and more for the talented OT’s services.
“I’m fired up to join this Cal football team,” said Swinney. “Go Bears!”
“Bastian’s the type of young man who’s a person who could play multiple positions for us,” said Cal OL coach Angus McClure. “I love watching his tape after his junior year. We were very intrigued with him. I flew back to Minnesota to watch him basketball and that’s where I saw the versatility in him as an athlete. Getting to know Bastian, he’s a sharp guy with a high football IQ. Really, really excited to get him here this spring.”
Next came 6-2/200 Queen Creek (Queen Creek, AZ) HS safety Hunter Barth. A consensus 3 star, Barth played in all nine games as a senior, with 45 tackles, 1 TFL, three interceptionsand seven passes defended on defense along with seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns and one rush for nine yards on offense. Barth had career totals of 160 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, four interceptions, 18 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 16 quarterback hurries over 37 games on defense. Also played a wide receiver on offense over his final two seasons with 28 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns. The Bears beat out Oregon, USC, UCLA, Utah and more for Barth’s commitment.
“I’m excited to be a part of the Cal family and can’t wait to get to work,” said Barth. “I’ll see you soon. Go Bears!”
“Hunter is a safety that is very long,” said Cal DB coach Marcel Yates. “He has long levers. He understands the game well and he also comes from a football family so with his understanding of the game, we expect him to do good things for us.”
One of the Bears’ biggest signings in years just became official in 6-3.5/185 Marcus (Flower Mound, TX) High School WR J Michael Sturdivant. The consensus 4 star receiver had 64 catches for 788 yards and nine touchdowns as a 2020 senior when he was a captain for a squad that finished 9-1 overall, setting Marcus’ all-time receptions record in the process. The Bears beat out LSU, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, UCLA and more for the talented receiver’s commitment.
“I can’t wait to get on campus and get this thing rolling,” said Sturdivant. “Go Golden Bears!”
“JMike is a straight baller,” said Cal WR coach Burl Toler. “Really intrigued by his size and length. You don’t find guys 6’3 plus who can move well like that. He has flat-out speed. I went out to see him (in Texas) last year and the first time he touched the ball, he took it to the house on a screen. Just those attributes that are hard to find from receivers with that frame and that size along with the heart, attitude and want-to that he has.”
The first California signing hit the wires Akili Calhoun 6-4/265 Liberty (Brentwood, CA) High School DE Akili Calhoun. The consensus 4 star (247) (3 stars on Rivals and ESPN) defensive end had career totals of 41 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, one pass deflection and two quarterback hurries for teams that combined for a 34-5 record. Liberty did not play football in the fall his senior season. The Bears beat out UCLA, ASU, Arizona, WSU and more for Calhoun’s services.
“I’m fired up to get it started with the Cal family,” said Calhoun. “Go Bears!”
“Extremely excited to welcome Akili to the Cal family,” said Cal DL coach Andrew Browning. “He’s an extremely powerful player who has great play strength. Moves exceptionally well for a guy his size. We’re going to be able to play him multiple positions in a defensive front, both interior and out on the edge. When Akili committed, it was really, really special. We had him here on campus in one of our practices and he got to spend some time with some of our current defensive linemen and it just felt right for him.”
Next up was 6-6/215 Jesuit (Carmichael, CA) TE Keleki Latu. The consensus 3 star tight end played both ways as a junior for Jesuit, with 19 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack along with one catch for four yards over four games of limited action due to injury. Jesuit did not play in the fall in 2020. As with his talented brother Liatu, who starred as a frosh DE for UW, Latu is an accomplished rugby player, as well. The Bears beat out Oregon, ASU, Nebraska and more for Latu’s commitment.
“Fired up to join the Cal family,” said Latu. “See you soon and can’t wait to get started. Go Bears!”
“Keleki Latu’s a long athlete,” said Cal TE coach Marques Tuiasosopo. “He comes from a family of rugby players. Very excited about Keleki. He’s going to grow tremendously in this system. He has the ability to set the edge like we like our tight ends to do in the run game. He can also stretch the defense up the middle with his length and athleticism. He’s another young man from right up the road in Sacramento. We made it a point to build our program around local kids. He’s an unassuming personality but when he plays on the field, he plays big.”
Talented and versatile 6-4/250 Westview (Portland, OR) OLB Patrick Hisatake was next. The versatile DE started his high school career in Hawaii, playing both ways for each of first three seasons at cornerback and wide receiver as a 2017 freshman and 2018 sophomore before moving to an outside linebacker spot for his 2019 junior season, where he added 42 tackles and 7 sacks in just four games for Clackamas HS in Clackamas, OR. As a soph, Hisatake had three interceptions for a team that reached Oregon’s 6A state finals, finished 12-1 overall and won the 6A Special District 4 title as a soph. Started his career as a 2017 freshman at Mililani High School in Hawaii, where he picked off four passes. The Bears beat out Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, ASU, Utah and more for Hisatake’s commitment.
“So fired up to be a part of this family,” said Hisatake. “Go Bears!”
“Patrick, I really love his length,’ said OLB coach Tim DeRuyter. “He’s a tall guy and with his size at 245 lbs, he’s a guy in the mold of what we need to set an edge for us. He’s a guy we’re targeting as a rush-edge player because he brings a lot to the table in terms of being able to make plays on the edge. He’s a guy who’s constantly hitting Coach Browning and myself up to improve his game right now. So when he gets here in January, he wants to hit the ground running and compete for a job.”
Following Hisatake was 6-3/250 Bishop Alemeny (Mission Hills, CA) High School DL Myles Williams. The consensus 3 star totalled 42 tackles, 19 TFL and 15 sacks as a junior. Also had 24 tackles, 13 TFL and 12 sacks as a sophomore and 16 tackles, 5 TFL and 4 sacks as a frosh in 2017. The Bears beat out a late push by UCLA along with ASU, Arizona, WSU, Colorado and more for Williams’ services.
Commit #8 was 6-4/305 Yelm (Yelm, WA) High School OG Dylan Jemtegaard. The 3 star (247, ESPN) offensive lineman played left tackle and earned All-South Sound Conference honors as a junior when he had 40 pancakes for a squad that finished 7-4 overall and reached the opening round of Washington’s 3A state playoffs after playing right tackle as a soph. The Bears beat out Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and more for Jemtegaard’s commitment.
Signee number nine was 6-2/225 2020 Monte Vista linebacker Nate Rutchena, who greyshirted following his 2020 graduation and will enroll this spring at Cal. A two-way player who played wide receiver and safety for the Mustangs, totalling 105 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery on defense as a senior along with 53 catches for 709 yards and 12 touchdowns at receiver.
The Bears moved into double digit signees with 4 star (247, ESPN) (3 star Rivals) 6-3/225 Moreau (Hayward, CA) High School LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr. KEO had 65 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, one fumble recovery and one safety on defense to earn second-team All-State and third-team All-Bay Area, Mission Valley Athletic League Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MVAL honors on defense, while also adding second-team All-MVAL recognition as a tight end after adding 10 catches for 75 yards in addition to one rush for 25 yards as a senior. The Bears beat out Colorado, WSU, Arizona and more for the aggressive LB’s commitment.
Commit number 11 was 6-3/235 3 star Consumnes Oaks (Elk Grove, CA) High School ILB Moses Oladejo. As a junior, the two way player as a junior had 84 tackles, 14 TFL, 5 sacks, 6 pass deflections and 4 forced fumbles on defense along with 9 catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns on offense. The Bears beat out Colorado, Arizona, Colorado State and Army for Oladejo’s commitment.
Next up was 6-0/175 Mililani (Mililani, Hawaii) High School DB Fatuvalu Iosefa. The younger brother of Cal frosh LB phenom Muelu Iosefa, the Bears beat out BYU, Nebraska, Oregon State and more for Iosefa’s services.
Signee number 13 was 4 star 6-2/190 Higley (Gilbert, AZ) High School QB Kai Millner. The talented signal caller completed 359-of-559 career passes (64.2%) for 4564 yards with 46 touchdowns and 11 interceptions along with 178 carries for 829 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground for a total of 5393 total yards over 23 games. The Bears beat out Miami, Michigan State, ASU, Arizona, Colorado and more for the UnderArmour All-American’s commitment.
Signee number 14 was a key one for the Bears, with 6-5/255 consensus 4 star Kennedy (Richmond, CA) High School Hometown Hero TE Jermaine Terry opting to stick with the Bears over ASU. The Bears also beat out a who’s who list of suitors in Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, Penn State, Oregon, Washington, UCLA and more for the Polynesian Bowl All-American’s services.
“Can't wait to be a Golden Bear,” said Terry. “Ready to get to work.”
“Jermaine Terry is a 6-4/250 tank of a tight end,” said Tuiasosopo. “He can run, he can catch and he can block. He’s from right down the road in Richmond. I’m so excited about him. He’s gonna fit great in our new system with how we use tight ends, not only in the run game but the passing game . He’s a local kid. He loves the Bay Area. He’s going to be our hometown hero.”
Signee number 15 was 5-10/175 De La Salle corner Lu-Magia Hearns
Recruited to Cal as a defensive back but played in 20 games as a wide receiver and posted 43 receptions for 719 yards and five touchdown grabs during his 2018 sophomore and 2019 junior season.
“Can’t wait to get started with the Cal family,” said Hearns. “Go Bears!”
Cal’s 16th signee was their first commit, 4 star (247 & ESPN) 6-0/195 Mission Viejo WR Mavin Anderson. The talened receiver hauled in 42 receptions for 631 yards and seven touchdowns for a team that finished the season ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 23 nationally according to MaxPreps. The Bears beat out Auburn, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Colorado and more for Anderson’s commitment.
“Can’t wait to get up there and turn things up in the bay, baby!,” said Anderson. “Go Bears!”
The Bears’ 17th signee announced his signing on Instagram live, 6-5/245 4 star (247 and ESPN) Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) High School DE Derek Wilkins. The talented DE arned first-team All-Southern Section honors as a junior with 54 tackles, 15TFL, 7 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two passes deflected, one quarterback hurry along with three blocked punts. The Bears beat out Michigan, Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA and more for Wilkins’ commitment.
“I can’t wait to get up to Berkeley and start working, enjoying the Cal family,” said Wilkins. “Go Bears!”
Cal signee number 18 was 6-7/330 3 star Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, CA) High School OT Ryan Lange. The big OT was a starter on both sides of the ball since freshman year, earning all-state honors with the Pirates. The Bears beat out USC, ASU, Arizona, Duke and more for Lange’s services.
“Hey Cal fans,” said Lange. “I hope you guys are as excited for the next year as I am. Let’s get it rolling.”
The 19th and quite possibly final signing of the day was 6-2/195 3 star Folsom HS corner Kaleb Higgins. The Bears beat out Baylor, Nebraska, Duke, Oregon, Washington, USC, ASU and more for Higgin’s commitment.
Stay tuned for the the early LOI signing day press conference remarks from Cal head coach Justin Wilcox at 4:30 as well as additional player highlights and evals later in the day.
Related:
Cal Recruits Ready to Sign on the Dotted Line
Cal Football 2021 Early Signing Day Preview
