2026 Corona Centennial LB Jonathan McKinley Commits to Cal

The Bears picked up their second 2026 commitment after their Junior Day weekend, adding Corona Centennial junior linebacker Jonathan McKinley‍ with his commitment to the Bears today.

With a sister in med school and a brother at Notre Dame and himself holding a stellar 4.5 gpa, the 6-2/225 3 star LB had a standout visit to Cal over the weekend and the program’s combination of coaching staff and high-level academics were enough to sell the future Bear on the program.

“It was a fantastic visit,” McKinley said. “Coach Bruno and Coach Sirmon showed me a great level of love and the ins and outs of the program.

“What stood out to me was definitely what Cal has planned for student-athletes beyond their sports. I would say I’m not just someone who has a love for strictly football, but also academics and I feel like Cal brings that to the table well.”

The Bears are recruiting McKinley as an inside linebacker but he could get looks on the edge, too.

“They're liking me as a hybrid,” McKinley noted. “They see me as their mic linebacker, so I will still be playing traditional, but also do a lot of edge work, depending on the coverages, like the fronts they're gonna run.

"I'll definitely say Coach Sirmon made me very comfortable in their environment. When he'd go over their scheme and how they wanted me to fit, it definitely made me feel like their schemes are definitely built around linebackers making plays all around the field.  Watching their game against OSU made me feel like I could fit right in with their defense."

The family feel McKinley felt with his future program also played a role in his desire to commit early to the Bears.

“What I'm most looking forward to at Cal is definitely the community there," McKinley said. "After I talked with a lot of the players over there, camaraderie and pushing each other is definitely one of the biggest things I like about Cal. I just like want to share that experience, for sure."

Aa sophomore for the Huskies, McKinley totaled 39 tackles, 4 ½ sacks and 12 QB hurries along with 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defended in 9 games for the Huskies, helping lead his squad to a 9-3 record before bowing out in a tight loss to national powerhouse St. John Bosco, 43-42 in the CIF playoffs. As a junior, McKinley added 57 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack, 21 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defended in helping lead Centennial to a 9-3 record in 2024, with two of the losses coming at the hands of California Open Division state champ Mater Dei.

McKinley also holds offers from SMU, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, Boise State and more. He’ll join current Cal cornerback commit Jayden Crowder‍ as the first members of the Bears’ 2026 recruiting class to-date.