BERKELEY, CA - For the first time in program history, the Bears kicked off their 2026 season with a Cal Football Media Day that included a wide variety of Bay Area Media and a significant number of coach, player and former player participation. The event was first class, taking place in the University Club and catered by the group providing gameday food and beverage service in the Stadium and University Clubs.
The official participant list is a long one, with all of the interaction being casual conversations and quick interviews, mostly taking place on the U-Clubs balcony, with a stunning view of the bay as a backdrop.
Included in the event were coaches Tosh Lupoi, Jordan Somerville, Michael Hutchings, Keith Bhonofa, Ike Hilliard, Geoff McArthur, Famika Anae, Steve Haunga, Pat McCann Zach Tinker, Darrion Daniels, Eddie McGilvra, Da’Von Brown, Connor Boyd, Bryan Barraza, Bob Gregory and Jason Novak and players QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, RB Carter Vargas, WRs Chase Hendricks, Cooper Perry, Ian Strong and Jordan King, TEs Dorian Thomas and Mason Mini, OL Jimothy Lewis, Tyson Ruffins and Bastian Swinney, DT Jericho Johnson, OLB Justin Beadles, Jayden Wayne, Solomon Williams and Joshua Pierce , ILBs Tristan Jernigan, AJ Tuitele and Kamar Mothudi, DB Michael Hurst Jr and safety Isaiah Crosby.
Former players included our own Mike Pawlawski, Jahvid Best, Doug Brien, Todd Steussie, Matt Beck, Tarik Glenn and Harold Pearson. And in the non-player legend category, longtime Cal broadcaster Joe Starkey.
Head coach Tosh Lupoi was the only one who took the mic, fielding questions from local media. Read about that here.
The format was a casual free-for-all, where media grabbed players, coaches and former players as available.
Here are some interesting vids and comments from some of those conversations with various Bear Insider staff.
We’ll start off with conversations with Mike Pawlawski:
DC Michael Hutchings:
“We’ve been really lucky,” Hutchings said about the quality of the new transfers and recruits. “That’s the part that’s hard to tell. On film, you see the athlete and the player but what is this person like when they get in the building and on the field? What kind of teammate are they? And that’s where we’ve been really lucky. With all the guys we brought in, a lot of cameraderie has been built. A lot of unity. No big egos. Everybody’s here to work.
“There’s been a lot of growth and you just see how that’s come together over the last six months.”
DT Jericho Johnson:
WR Jordan King:
Former Cal and NFL OT Todd Steussie:
“It’s fun to be around football again,” the former Bear said. “It’s fun to see all the old faces and some new ones.
“Tosh - you’ve got to love the excitement around here. I think it’s going to be a fun year. I’m looking forward to it.”
Joaquin had the chance to talk to OC Somerville on what he’s seen since spring.
“Confidence — guys know where to go. Guys have confidence in their assignment. That's the biggest thing. I think if you you know what to do, it allows you to play that much faster. So that's the biggest thing we've seen over the course of post-spring ball and through summer, those guys are flying around with confidence. So that's super encouraging to see going into fall camp.”
I had the chance to talk with WR Cooper Perry about briefly playing with JKS and his former teammates amazement at what they were seeing him do when he tore up Oregon State in his first start as a freshman at Cal in the season opener.
“I didn't know what he was capable of,” Perry said after spending just a couple weeks with his future QB. “Funny story: It was our first workout as as an early enrollee group and our class was was a lot of five-stars and four stars, and you know we all came in and it was our first workout at 5:30 in the morning, pouring rain, super cold. We're doing fireman carries and Jaron's there and we're all just like kind of meshing with each other and connecting.
“And then a week and a half I would say goes by, and we check social media, and obviously he made the decision to come back here to Cal. It was crazy. But looking at the season that he had last year, I remember just watching film when they played Oregon State week one. He made a throw to Mason Mini. We were all in the in the room last year, like, ‘Wow, what a throw!’ And I obviously didn't think I was going to be reuniting with him and everything, but I'm here now and being able to be with him and see what his personality is really like has been awesome.”
We also asked Perry about the dynamics of catching a pass from a lefty QB in Sagapolutele.
“It's been different, but we've had so many reps, and and the way Jaron throws the ball, he puts it right on you. So that's that's a great part. At the end of the day, he's gonna throw it where you need to catch it.”
The next one is a little hard to hear with all the noise but it’s a conversion with OLBs Joshua Pierce and Jayden Wayne.
Scott Butler had a chance to talk to Cal Legend running back Jahvid Best off camera about his interactions with Lupoi as a player and more.
The way Best saw Tosh Lupoi as a coach mirrors how Lupoi’s current team sees him.
“When he was here, we all gravitated toward him,” Best said. “He has that aura; his personality is infectious.
“We’re headed in the right direction.”
Ian Firstenberg caught up with several players and coaches, starting with receiver Cooper Perry (see an additional Perry video above).
"Our team is going to rely on the work we put in in the winter and the spring heading into camp,” Perry said. “I think everybody's coming in super confident."
“We're definitely meshing. We've had a lot of time to work on that connection piece. It's one of our pillars, power of unit, just making sure that we're all connected so that when it comes time to get on the field, we can rely on our brothers. We know it and we trust them."
Perry has enjoyed reuniting with Lupoi as his head coach since both made the move to Cal from Oregon.
"It's been cool to see with Coach Tosh settle into the head coach role. Being with him last year and seeing the way he coached the defense, it definitely was something that caught my eye, the way that he's been able to really truly be a leader of our team."
Next was portal transfer cornerback Ricky Fletcher:
"Im excited to see the Bear fans go crazy as we win these games,” Fletcher said. “Just attack every day.
"We've got a lot of resources we can put into work with our bodies and different types of nutrition... We basically have different plans for everyone. Some people may be weight gain guys, some people may be weight loss guys. Whatever they have for you, they're just going to implement that for you."
And on his new head coach:
"Tosh is great man, high energy guy. Fights for his players. A guy that's been at the next level, seen it, coached at the next level... There's really not a better coach you could ask for than Tosh."
Tristan Jernigan
Askd about Coach Tosh focal points ahead of season
"Tosh's really been touching on fundamentals. That's the number one thing in all of this. You can have great plays but you've gotta have great players..."
Next was edge coach Bryan Barraza:
"I'm excited about the players and the opportunities they’ll have at Cal Memorial Stadium. They've put so much work in this offseason... I'm looking forward to being able to watch all the hard work pay off."
On the newer guys meshing with returning players:
"I would say ebbs and flows from everyone, whether you've been here or you haven't, there's been a lot of growth. Ultimately, this is a new staff, new scheme with a lot more NFL influence. So with everyone getting on the same page, everyone's been open to that change and from there, it's been good.
On the NFL influence on team
"I would say the biggest difference btwn college and NFL is the NFL's treatment of players as far as utilizing their abilities to fit a scheme. It's all about managing them and putting them in the best possible opportunity for them to make real plays. So that's about analyzing your roster, analyzing how they move what are their talents, what're their skills and putting them in the best situation possible."
Next up was DL coach Darrion Daniels”
"Being able to work with great guys like Coach Barraza and Coach Ed in the trenches, being able to bring that same mindset over here, being able to see some our benches coming to fruition. And me and Coach Ed, we go way back so instead of having a coach to player relationship, having a coach to coach relationship and being able to put forward some good work.
"It's been a very great tool to relate to our players. One thing that I think is dope about it is we're not too far removed (in age). So in regards to how to navigate through college, a lot of advice that we had is still relevant today. Even just outside of the facility, the guys call to check in on us and the relationship isn't necessarily from an uncle perspective, it's like 'ya'll are like our big brothers. It's dope because now it opens a level of transparency even in the lanes of accountability."
