A trio of California football players – Jacob De Jesus, Hezekiah Masses and Cade Uluave – combined for four first-team honors to highlight nine Golden Bear selections by seven players on the 2025 All-ACC Football Teams announced Tuesday. The four first-team picks were Cal's most all-conference selections since four Bears were named to the Pac-12's first team in 2011, while also equaling Clemson, Georgia and Miami for the ACC's most in 2025.
DeJesus was honored three times – twice as a first-team pick (all-purpose player, specialist) and once as a second-team selection (wide receiver). De Jesus leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with career highs of 99 receptions and 8.25 receptions per game, while his receptions are second on Cal's all-time single-season reception list to only school-record holder Dameane Douglas (100, 1998). He is also the ACC's leader in kickoff return average (21.3 ypr) and third in punt return average (11.3 ypr).
Masses (cornerback) and Uluave (inside linebacker) were selected at their defensive positions.
Masses leads the nation with 18 passes defended, while he is tied for second in the ACC and tied for third nationally with five interceptions.
Uluave has team and career highs of 90 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss (-35 yards), 3.0 sacks and six pass breakups in 2025 despite missing at least half of three games, including one full contest.
Cornerback Brent Austin added a third-team selection, while inside linebacker Luke Ferrelli, defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina and running back Kendrick Raphael were honorable mention picks.
Austin is tied for second in the ACC and tied for second nationally with a career-high 13 pass breakups, while he also made a game-saving forced fumble and fumble recovery just before the Cal goal line on North Carolina's final offensive play to secure a 21-18 win over the Tar Heels.
Ferrelli is second on the team with 87 tackles and also secured a victory on the opponents' final offensive play at the Cal goal line when he had a key interception at Boston College in a 28-24 Golden Bear win.
Keanaaina leads all Cal defensive linemen with a career-high 55 tackles that are tied for the secondmost by an ACC defensive lineman, tied for ninth among the nation's defensive linemen and the most by a Cal defensive lineman since Cameron Jordan had 62 in 2010.
Raphael is third in the ACC in 2025 in rushing touchdowns (12) and total touchdowns (13) with career highs in both, and his 12 rushing scores are also tied for ninth on Cal's all-time single-season list. In addition, he leads the ACC and ranks 14th nationally in rushes (215), while he is sixth in the conference in yards rushing (853), with both career highs.
All seven honorees were first-time All-ACC selections other than Uluave, who was an honorable mention pick in 2024.
The conference's major individual awards – Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year – will be revealed on Wednesday. The Coach of the Year will be announced on Thursday.
Below are extended notes on Cal's All-ACC honorees.
Brent Austin (Third-Team All-ACC Cornerback)
5-11 – 180 – Sr. – 4th – San Bernardino, CA (South Florida/James Madison/Cajon HS)
Tied for second in the ACC and tied for second nationally with a career-high 13 pass breakups
Has added 35 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (-1 yard), two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery
Had one of Cal's most memorable moments of the 2025 season when he forced a fumble just before the Cal goal line and recovered it in the end zone on North Carolina's final offensive play to secure a 21-18 victory over the Tar Heels
Also forced a fumble at Oregon State
Had six pass breakups against Virginia to equal the most by an FBS player in a 2025 game
Earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus ACC Defensive Team of the Week against Texas Southern on Sept. 6
Has started all 12 games
Jacob De Jesus (First-Team All-ACC All-Purpose, First-Team All-ACC Specialist, Second-Team All-ACC Wide Receiver)
5-7 – 170 – Sr. – 4th – Manteca, CA (UNLV/Manteca HS)
Leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with career highs of 99 receptions and 8.25 receptions per game
Ranks second on Cal's all-time single-season reception list with 99, trailing school-record holder Dameane Douglas (100, 1998) by only a single reception
Has 42 receptions over his last three games, including a school-record-tying and career-high 16 receptions for a career-high 158 yards receiving and the game-winning touchdown on the final play to earn ACC Receiver of the Week honors on Nov. 8 in a 29-26 overtime win at No. 15 Louisville, 14 receptions for 96 yards on Nov. 22 at Stanford, and 12 receptions for 97 yards and one touchdown Nov. 29 vs. SMU
Sixth in the ACC and 29th nationally with a career-high 892 yards receiving
Leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the country with his 1,436 total all-purpose yards, while his 119.67 all-purpose yards per game also lead the ACC and rank 13th nationally
Leads the team with five touchdown receptions
Has 555 combined kick return yards (330 kickoff, 225 punt) to rank second in the ACC and 11th nationally
Leads the ACC in kickoff return average (14-298, 21.3 ypr), while he is third in the ACC in punt return average (20-225, 11.3)
Has played in all 12 games with nine starts
Luke Ferrelli (Honorable Mention All-ACC Linebacker)
6-3 – 230 – R-Fr. – 2nd – San Diego, CA (Carlsbad HS)
Second on the team in 2025 with 87 tackles, while adding 5.0 tackles for loss (-30 yards), 1.0 sack (-11 yards), one interception that he returned two yards, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry
Tied for eighth in the ACC in total tackles and tied for ninth in tackles per game (7.3)
Had a key interception at Boston College at the Cal goal line on the Eagles' final offensive play to secure a 28-24 Golden Bear win
Has had three double-digit tackle games, including a career-high-tying 11 in back-to-back contests vs. Texas Southern and Minnesota, as well as 10 at Stanford
Has started all 12 games
Aidan Keanaaina (Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Tackle)
6-3 – 320 – Sr. – 5th – Brighton, CO (Notre Dame/J.K. Mullen HS)
Leads all Cal defensive linemen with a career-high 55 tackles that are tied for the secondmost by an ACC defensive lineman, tied for ninth among the nation's defensive linemen and the most by a Cal defensive lineman since Cameron Jordan had 62 in 2010
First Cal defensive lineman with back-to-back seasons of 40+ tackles in 2024 (45) and 2025 (55) since Luc Bequette in 2018 (49) and 2019 (52)
Registered a career-high 10 tackles on Nov. 1 against Virginia
Has started all 12 games in 2025 and all 25 possible at Cal over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns
Hezekiah Masses (First-Team All-ACC Cornerback)
6-1 – 185 – Sr. – 4th – Deerfield Beach, FL (FIU/Deerfield Beach HS)
Leads the nation and the ACC with 18 passes defended and 1.50 passes defended per game
Tied for the second in the ACC and tied for third nationally with five interceptions that he has returned for 91 yards (No. 4 ACC, No. 17 NCAA)
Tied for second in the ACC and nationally with 13 pass breakups
Has added 43 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss (-2 yards)
A member of the Pro Football Focus Defensive Team of the Week on Sept. 27
Has started all 12 games
Kendrick Raphael (Honorable All-ACC Running Back)
5-11 – 200 – Jr. – 3rd – Naples, FL (NC State/Naples HS)
Third in the ACC in 2025 in rushing touchdowns (12) and total touchdowns (13) with career highs in both, and his 12 rushing scores tied for ninth on Cal's all-time single-season list
Leads the ACC and ranks 14th nationally in rushes (215), while he is sixth in the conference in yards rushing (853), with both career highs
Has added career highs of 31 receptions for 231 yards receiving and his first career touchdown reception on a season-long 42-yard catch from tight end Mason Mini
Leads the team in scoring with 78 points
Second on the team with a career-high 1,084 all-purpose yards (90.3 ypg)
Has played in all 12 games with 11 starts
Cade Uluave (First-Team All-ACC Linebacker)
6-1 – 235 – Jr. – 3rd – South Jordan, UT (Mountain Ridge HS)
Career and team highs of 90 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss (-35 yards), 3.0 sacks and six pass breakups in 2025 despite missing at least half of three games, including one full contest
Fourth in the ACC with 8.2 tackles per game
Earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors for the first time when he recorded a career-high 19 tackles that are the most by an ACC player and tied for the third most in the nation in a game in 2025 in a 42-34 double overtime loss at West Virginia on Oct. 24
Has added four quarterback hurries
