Cal Football Media Day Roundup
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:
DT Jericho Johnson:
WR Jordan King:
Former Cal and NFL OT Todd Steussie:
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 come in and it was our first first workout 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 obviously 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, and 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 job at 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. He has that aura; his personality is infectious,” Best said. “We’re headed in the right direction.”
Stay tuned for more from the event coming up.
